Ratings on Booking.com have always been a valuable benchmark for travelers in search of the perfect accommodation. But now, the platform has decided to shake things up a bit by introducing a new rating system. If you’re the kind of person who scrutinizes every review before making a reservation, get ready, because something’s happening!

📢 The end of the sacrosanct 10/10: a breath of fresh air on notes

Until now, Booking had operated with a classic arithmetic average: the scores given by customers were aggregated to give an average out of 10. But this good old system had its limits. Now it’s time for a more modern, representative model!

The main change? Booking is abandoning the magic rounding of scores. Instead of a pretty 9.5 smoothed by the system, you’ll now see more precise figures, sometimes with unpredictable decimals (goodbye automatic 10/10!). The aim? To best reflect the diversity of opinions and avoid bias.

🔄 Greater transparency and better representation

The old system gave a little too much importance to certain categories (such as cleanliness or location). From now on, each criterion will be better weighted to avoid a single score distorting the overall assessment.

In other words, no more “exceptional” hotels that fall short in certain respects but are boosted by an inflated rating. From now on, travelers will have a more realistic idea of what to expect.

🎯 A direct impact for travellers (and hosts!)

If you’re used to booking hotels based on ratings, this change will save you a lot of surprises. With this new rating, you’ll have a better idea of the real quality of the accommodation, with no unpleasant surprises on arrival.

For guests, the challenge is even greater. From now on, it’s impossible to rely solely on a flattering average: you’ll have to ensure consistent quality on all criteria to earn a good rating!

🏆 Booking adapts to travel trends

This change is not insignificant. It follows a fundamental trend: travelers want more accurate, more authentic and, above all, more useful reviews. Booking has clearly understood this, and is seeking to strengthen the trust between customers and hoteliers.

This is also in line with the rise in popularity of detailed, weighted reviews, as can already be seen on other online booking and sales platforms.

📌 Things to remember

  • 📉 No more smooth 10-point scoring: more precision now
  • 🔍 Fairer weighting of criteria: greater transparency
  • 🏨 A direct impact for travelers and hosts: more reliable reviews
  • 🌍 A trend towards more authentic and useful ratings

If you’ve ever been surprised to arrive at a hotel “rated 9/10” but which looked more like a 6.5, this new rating should save you a lot of disappointment!

Want to read more?

Read our article on the importance of online reviews.