Optimising your property listing

• Add at least 5 photos, and keep them up to date: We recommend that you always include a minimum of 5 photos that reflect your property as well as its interiors, including the bathroom and kitchen, if applicable. You should also include photos of each room that you have available for guests to book.
• Show why your property is unique: Facilities and property features, including proximity to key attractions, play a big role in guests’ decision to make a booking with you. Keeping your facilities and amenities up to date is also a great way to increase your reservations, as you’ll appear in the research results for guests who are filtering for features you offer.
• Improve your Property Page Score: Every property on Booking.com receives a property page score between 0% and 100%, which indicates the completeness of property pages. The more complete your property page, the more likely a guest will be inspired to book. To see your score and the opportunities you have to improve it, click the link under the Property tab in the extranet. 

Update your photos Find out your property page score

Get peace of mind with a seamless payments experience

With our Payments by Booking.com service, you have the opportunity to offer a wide range of payment options that are familiar to and trusted by guests from all over the world.

While we will cover this topic in much more detail in a future section of your onboarding journey, it’s worth noting that on Booking.com guests come from all over the world – so being able to accept all the payments systems that guests are accustomed to is critical in securing their commitment to reserve and stay at your property.

Alternatively, you can manage your guests' payments on your own. You can, for example, accept cash payments in your local currency or credit cards – just keep in mind that handling payments on your own means these payments aren't guaranteed and you're responsible for collecting all payments due from your guests including fees and deposits.

Be smart with rate plans

Two of the most popular search criteria on Booking.com are flexibility and an appealing price range. This is why your rate plans are very important – they can help you offer the flexibility and pricing options potential guests want.

By offering a combination of Fully Flexible and Non-Refundable rate plans, you can increase your bookings and appeal to a wider range of guests, as their needs change from trip to trip.

We recommend that you carefully consider your rate plan options and choose the ones that align with your goals. In fact, you can even create your own custom rate plan by combining these factors:

• Your desired price per room (or unit) per night
• The rooms (or units) you want to include in your rate plan
• When the rate plan is available for potential guests
• How long guests can stay at your property
• Your preferred cancellation policy
• If you offer meals, such as breakfast

Review your rate plans

While you are a new partner of Booking.com you can also take advantage of the New Property Deal to increase your visibility on the platform. This special offer provides guests with a 20% discount on their booking, making your property more attractive compared to others. It's available for your first 90 days or until you've received three bookings. 

Deals and discounts can be powerful tools to attract guests – plus they can be configured specifically for your property. Some effective ones to consider include:

By using promotions and deals on Booking.com, you can effectively target potential guests and incentivise them to book your property. For example, you can offer a discount on a certain rate plan or room type or offer a special rate for a specific time period.

The Opportunity Centre is regularly updated with new promotions, products, and programmes, so you can keep exploring and experimenting to find the ones that work best for you.

Go to the Opportunity Centre

• How far in advance do guests search: Some people like to plan ahead, while others decide at the last minute. Depending on what your local demand looks like, you could, for example, use a mix of Early Booker and Last Minute deals. 
   
• How long do they plan on staying: Depending on how long guests plan to stay in your area, you can identify the best ways to attract them to your property. For example, if the majority are searching for longer stays you can consider creating a weekly rate plan or even a monthly rate plan.
   
• What devices they use to search: If you see that most potential guests are searching for properties in your area using mobile phones, a good way to convert them is to implement mobile rates.
   
• Where guests are searching from: If for example you see most guests are searching through your area from a neighbouring country, you could become more attractive to them by implementing country rates or state rates if you are in the United States of America.
   
• What is the split between domestic and international guests: If you see a spike in domestic interest for travel in your area, you could create a policy that allows guests from the same country as you to book without having to add their credit card information.
   
• What types of travellers visit your area: Do you see families searching for stays in your area more than other groups, such as couples or solo travellers? If your property can facilitate family stays, it might be a good idea to implement children rates to attract more families.
   
• Which cancellation policies are more popular: Properties that offer free cancellations usually experience higher cancellation rates as guests can more easily change their plans, but exclusively offering Non-Refundable rates can also deter people from booking. Rather than guessing, you can find out what policy people are searching for most in your area and take action accordingly.

As soon as you start receiving bookings of your own, the Analytics tab of your extranet will be further populated with information about your property performance as well as guest behaviour. 

By monitoring your metrics and adjusting as needed, you can increase your visibility, improve your ranking, and boost your conversion rates, ultimately driving more bookings and revenue for your property.

 Check demand data for your location

While it’s important to understand how you can enhance your listing to increase your bookings, don’t forget the role that your availability, rate plans, and restrictions play.

Congratulations on completing this step in your onboarding process! Before you move forward, we kindly ask you to keep the following points in mind:

• Review your foundations twice a year or when meaningful changes happen in your business or area
• Use data to inform your strategy for both the short and long term
• Consider which of the curated options in the Opportunity Centre are best suited for you