Ch-ch-ch-changes
In a move that is bringing the short-term rental sector ever closer to the hotel industry, Booking.com has recently begun ranking its properties on a 1 to 5-star scale.
The goal of their new system is to offer travelers a credible means of sizing up the listings on its platform, one that is more official and objective than the scores calculated according to guest feedback.
As a site that hosts hotel listings in addition to private rentals, Booking.com has seen firsthand the demand for a star-rating search filter and therefore understands how valuable a resource this is to travelers.
How it works
A Booking.com star rating is far less subjective than guest reviews and accounts for about 400 different factors, including individual amenities, location and more.
The system isn’t one dimensional, however, and will consider circumstances that may deem certain amenities unnecessary (like central heating in a tropical location).
What it means for property managers
Concerned about what this new rating system means for your listings?
While properties significantly lacking vacation-style comforts are at risk of receiving low star ratings, professional property managers who value their guests’ experience and make continuous strides to ensure guests have everything they need can rest assured their scores will likely reflect their efforts.
Of course, the idea of being evaluated and rated by a giant platform like Booking.com is stressful, but property managers should see this as an opportunity to separate themselves from more amateur hosts who will need to rely on competitive pricing to attract guests.
Now is the time to review your offering. Are you providing all the amenities you should be? Are there little design updates you can make to your properties that might increase their appeal?
With the introduction of this new category, which you can be sure travelers will be using to filter their search results and you can assume will soon be copied by other rental platforms, property managers will be held to a new standard.
Are you up for the challenge?
Zahava has been writing for Guesty since March of 2017. She's enjoying learning all there is to know about short-term property management and relaying solutions to Guesty's readers, helping to make the demanding jobs of property managers just a little bit simpler.
