Booking.com’s new review scoring explained: What hoteliers need to know in 2026
In December 2024, we explored Booking.com’s announcement of its new review scoring approach. A few months later, the impacts are becoming clearer. Drawing on trend data from both Booking.com and the Guest Review Index™ (GRI), we can now assess how this change is reshaping hotel performance in practice.
Read our original analysis (December 2024)
From Static Scores to Dynamic Measurement
Previously, Booking.com’s scoring system was heavily weighted toward a three-year average of guest reviews. While this provided stability, it often meant that hotels saw little recognition for recent service improvements. Scores frequently reverted to a baseline, making meaningful upward shifts difficult to achieve.
According to online review analytics expert Bruno Saragat, this was one of the system’s biggest limitations: “The old model consistently undervalued properties’ true reputation by relying too heavily on outdated feedback.”
With the rollout of the new system in early 2025, Booking.com adopted a model more closely aligned with Reviewpro’s GRI. By giving more weight to recent reviews, the platform now reflects current guest sentiment more accurately and responsively.
Comparing GRI and Booking.com Data
To illustrate the difference, we analyzed one hotel client over a period of two and a half years, from January 2023 to August 2025.
Chart 1 plots the GRI (blue line) against the Booking.com score (orange line) across this timeframe.
- Under the old system (2023–2024): The property’s Booking.com score remained static for long stretches, holding at 8.8 out of 10 for 480 days, nearly half of the 968 days studied. By contrast, the GRI reflected ongoing seasonal variations typical of the property’s region, including a recurring dip at the beginning of each year.
- Post-transition (2025): The Booking.com score began to display more regular fluctuations, capturing recent guest sentiment and trending upward. By August 2025, it reached 9.3, an increase of 0.5 points compared to its 2024 average.
Saragat notes that this alignment is significant: “By converging more closely with the GRI, the new Booking.com model provides hoteliers and travelers alike with a more accurate picture of a property’s reputation.”
Score Distribution Before and After the Change
Chart 2 illustrates the percentage of days the property’s Booking.com score remained at each recorded level. Out of 968 days analyzed, the property sat at a flat 8.8 for 480 days (49.6%).
Following the update, however, mobility increased dramatically. In just eight months of 2025, the property recorded 15 score changes, more than the total for the previous two years combined.
As Saragat explains, “The scoring system no longer anchors hotels to outdated averages. It breaks free from inertia and reflects what guests are experiencing today.”
Why This Matters for Hoteliers
The shift highlights three important takeaways:
- Recency is rewarded: Recent guest experiences now influence scores more directly.
- Efforts are recognized: Investments in service improvements, staff training, and guest engagement are reflected faster.
- Transparency for travelers: Prospective guests see a truer picture of current performance and value for money.
- Report Recap: The Hotelier’s Guide to Booking.com
- Unveiling Guest Experience Trends and Strategies
- Navigating the Future of Restaurant Management: Key Insights from the 2023 Smart Decision Guide
- The Evolving Landscape of Hotel Reviews: Insights and Implications
- PSD2, How to adapt your hotel payments and security
Conclusion: A More Accurate Reputation Signal
Booking.com’s evolution acknowledges what hoteliers have long understood, reputation is dynamic. By prioritizing recency, the platform now offers a more accurate, timely reflection of guest feedback. For hoteliers, this change represents an opportunity: continuous improvement and active reputation management will pay off more visibly than ever before.
Catch up on Part 1: Booking.com’s New Review Scoring – What It Means for Hotels
About Shiji Group
Shiji is a global technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the hospitality industry, ensuring seamless operations for hoteliers day and night. Built on the Shiji Platform—the only truly global hotel technology platform—Shiji's cloud-based solutions include property management system, point-of-sale, guest engagement, distribution, payments, and data intelligence for over 91,000 hotels worldwide, including the largest hotel chains. With more than 5,000 employees across the world, Shiji is a trusted partner for the world's leading hoteliers, delivering technology that works as continuously as the industry itself. That's why the best hotels run on Shiji—day and night. While its primary focus is on hospitality, Shiji also serves select customers in food service, retail, and entertainment in certain regions. For more information, visit shijigroup.com.
