Can you respond to Booking.com reviews, and how?
A Google review might be read months after a visit. A Booking.com review is read during the booking: the guest compares two or three places, scrolls through the comments and looks at how you react when something went wrong. Your reply is written less for the reviewer than for the next guest.
This guide is about Booking.com only. For Tripadvisor see managing Tripadvisor reviews; for winning more Google reviews from direct guests see Google reviews for hotels and B&Bs.
How do Booking.com reviews work?
Booking.com explains its system on its “How we work” page. The parts that matter to a host:
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Only guests who booked through Booking.com can review | Direct or repeat guests who book with you cannot leave a Booking.com review |
| Reviews accepted within 3 months of check-out | A review can land weeks after the stay |
| Scores from 1 to 10, weighted so recent reviews count more | A strong recent season outweighs an old bad patch |
| Subscores (location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value, free Wi-Fi) are separate from the overall score | Your subscores show where to act |
| Reviews may stop showing after 36 months, or after a change of ownership | Taking over a property resets the slate |
| Checked by people and automated systems before publication | Offensive language and fake reviews are screened by Booking.com |
Booking.com shows the newest reviews first by default, and guests can also sort by score. Your latest reviews, and your replies to them, are what most guests will actually read.
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Review reply templates
Free replies by trade (hotels and B&Bs included), situation and tone, ready to copy.
Extranet or Pulse app: where should you reply?
Both let you reply. The difference comes afterwards:
| Action | Extranet (desktop) | Pulse app (phone) |
|---|---|---|
| Read reviews | Yes | Yes |
| Reply | Yes | Yes |
| Edit or remove a reply | Yes | No |
A sensible routine: check new reviews on Pulse each day, reply to the happy ones from your phone, and save the tricky ones for the extranet when you can sit down and read your reply twice.
- Reply in the review’s language or in English (other languages are not published)
- Only reviews with a title or comments can be answered
- Replies are checked before they appear, so they are not instant
What makes a good reply to a Booking.com review?
Booking.com’s own advice is to keep replies personal, polite, short, accurate and original. In practice a good reply is five lines long:
- Thank the guest, by first name if the review shows it.
- Pick up a specific detail (the room, the breakfast, the welcome): proof you actually read it.
- Address the negative point if there is one: explain without making excuses and say what has changed.
- Add something useful for future guests (parking, check-in times, access) where relevant.
- Sign off with a name and role.
Avoid pasting the same reply under every review (guests notice), arguing about scores, quoting the booking number, the guest’s full name or room, and anything hinting that a refund or gesture was linked to the review.
Reply examples for positive reviews
1. Glowing review, leisure stay
Thank you [First name] for such a lovely review. We are delighted you enjoyed [the garden room / the cooked breakfast] and your time in [town]. We would love to welcome you back. [First name], [role], [Property name]
2. Business traveller
Thanks [First name] for your feedback. Glad the quiet room and the Wi-Fi made it easy to work. Next time you are in [town], breakfast starts at [time]. See you soon, [First name], [Property name]
3. Positive review with a small niggle
Thank you [First name] for the great score and your kind words about [positive point]. You are right about [negative point]: [what you did, e.g. “we have since fitted blackout blinds in the front rooms”]. Thanks for helping us get better. [First name], [Property name]
4. Review left in French by a visitor
Merci [Prénom] pour ce très bel avis ! Nous sommes ravis que [le petit-déjeuner / la chambre] vous ait plu. Au plaisir de vous accueillir de nouveau. [First name], [Property name]
Booking.com publishes replies in the review’s language or in English, so a French review can get a French reply, or an English one if you are more comfortable with that.
Reply examples for negative reviews
5. Cleanliness
Hello [First name], thank you for flagging this, and I am sorry: what you describe in [the bathroom] is not our standard. We have tightened our pre-arrival checks with the team. We hope to show you the room as it should be one day. [First name], [role]
6. Noise
Hello [First name], thanks for your feedback, and sorry that [the street / the pub next door] kept you awake. For light sleepers, our [rear-facing / top-floor] rooms are the quietest: just mention it when you book. [First name], [Property name]
7. Price felt too high
Hello [First name], thank you for your review. Our rates change with the season and events in [town] and include [breakfast, parking]. We understand your point and will bear it in mind when we set next year’s prices. [First name], [Property name]
8. Late arrival went wrong
Hello [First name], we are sorry your late arrival was stressful. We now send access instructions [the day before arrival] and a number that is answered until [time]. Thank you for helping us fix this. [First name], [Property name]
9. Review with a factual error
Hello [First name], thank you for your feedback. A note for future guests: [parking is free / breakfast is included], as shown in our listing. We are sorry this did not reach you and now repeat it in our confirmation email. [First name], [Property name]
10. Low score, unclear reason
Hello [First name], thank you for staying with us. Your score tells us something was not right, and we would genuinely like to know what. Please get in touch through Booking.com messages: every comment helps us improve. [First name], [Property name]
Our free review reply templates include more replies by trade, situation and tone; written for Google, they work on Booking.com once trimmed.
What can you do about an unfair or fake Booking.com review?
Booking.com says fake reviews are deleted and that anyone can report a problematic review to Customer Service, which passes it to its fraud team. As a partner, go through the extranet and contact partner support with the precise problem.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Abuse, threats, personal details | Ask Booking.com to remove it, quoting the review |
| Review clearly about a different property | Report it with the evidence (dates, no matching stay) |
| Guest threatening a bad review to get money off | Keep the messages and tell Booking.com before the review is even posted |
| Harsh but about a real stay | Do not ask for removal: reply calmly |
Never offer a refund in exchange for a guest editing or removing a review: it turns a bad review into a dispute. In the UK, since 6 April 2025 the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews (CMA guidance CMA208); our guide on online review laws covers the detail.
How do you raise your Booking.com score over time?
Your reply does not change the score; the next stays do. Because the score is weighted towards recent reviews, a well-run season shows quickly.
- Check your subscores each month and tackle the lowest one
- Send arrival details the day before (key code, parking, check-in window)
- Update your listing as soon as anything changes, to avoid disappointment
- Greet guests in person where you can: the welcome comes up again and again in reviews
- Reply to every review that has comments, good or bad
Cancellations are a frequent source of bad reviews: see our guide to a clear booking cancellation policy.
Booking.com, Google and direct bookings: how do they fit together?
Booking.com reviews only appear on Booking.com, and only guests who booked through it can leave one. Guests who book direct can review you on Google, where your Business Profile shows up in Search and Maps when people look for somewhere to stay in your area.
| Booking.com reviews | Google reviews | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can write one | Guests who booked through Booking.com | Anyone signed in to a Google account |
| Where they are read | On Booking.com, while booking | Google Search and Maps |
| Score | Out of 10 | Out of 5 |
| Can you ask for it? | Booking.com asks the guest itself | Yes, every guest, by email or QR code |
The winning combination for an independent B&B: polished replies on Booking.com, a Google review request to every direct guest, and a reason to book direct next time. Our guide to a bed and breakfast website and the article on hotel direct bookings via Google cover that side.
The steps at a glance
Steps to reply to a guest review on Booking.com.
- Open the extranet or Pulse. Log in to the Booking.com extranet or the Pulse app and open your guest reviews.
- Choose the review. Pick a review that includes a title or comments.
- Write the reply. In the review’s language or English: thanks, a specific detail, the fix, a signature.
- Read it twice. Check there is no personal data and no irritation in the wording.
- Send it. Booking.com checks the reply before publishing it.
- Edit if needed. To change a reply, use the extranet in a desktop browser.
Do it without spending your evenings on it
Voxtya Review collection
Direct guests leave their Google review: an email after each online booking, a QR code with your name, email campaigns. €29/month, 30-day free trial.
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Sources
The rules quoted in this guide come from these official pages, checked on October 18, 2026.