How to Utilize Booking.com Guest Messaging Strategy for Ranking Impact

Effective communication is an essential component of guest experience. If you're a host on Booking.com, mastering the art of quick and effective messaging is key to enhancing guest satisfaction and optimizing your property's performance. The speed of your replies directly influences your property's ranking. Guests appreciate quick replies to their requests and messages, making their experience smoother. Hosts with high reply scores tend to have lower cancellation rates and better overall review scores.

In this blog, we'll explore the importance of quick response, explain the reply score and how it works, and introduce valuable tools provided by Booking.com to ensure you navigate guest communication like a professional. Let's unlock the secrets to becoming a highly-rated host, positioning your listing at the top.

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The Impact of Quick Responses on Booking.com

Engaging with guest queries contributes to a seamless and positive stay at your property. As we mentioned, the speed of your responses sets the tone for their stay and can significantly impact your review score and even influence cancellation rates. Potential guests frequently seek information before making a booking, and your publicly displayed responses as Guest Q&A play a crucial role in connecting them with your property. 

What is the Reply Score on Booking.com, and how does it work?

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The reply score is a measure of how quickly and frequently you respond to guest messages, with a maximum achievable score of 100%. A higher score can lead to better visibility and higher rankings on the platform.

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Your reply score can be found on the Reservation Messages page of your Inbox tab at the Extranet. Once you've received your initial ten guest messages, your reply score becomes visible. This score, updated daily, reflects the percentage of messages you've managed to respond to within 24 hours over the past 30 days. If you received less than ten guest messages in the past 30 days, your reply score will be calculated based on the last ten messages you received.

Utilize Booking.com Messaging Tools for Guests

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Booking.com offers various tools on the Extranet, which serves as the control center for your properties. If you're unsure about using these tools, check out our blog post on enhancing your Booking.com ranking with Extranet tools.

Extranet Inbox

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The Inbox tab in the Extranet is a place for managing guest communication:
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Reservation Messages: Efficiently manage and respond to messages from upcoming guests here. Utilize this space to connect with guests and share any important information before their arrival.

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Message Templates: Enhance communication by employing pre-written messages at specific times. You can create templates in up to 43 languages, personalizing them with guest details or images.

Examples of scheduled templates include:

• When a guest books
• One week before their arrival
• Three days before their arrival
• One day before their arrival
• On the day they arrive
• One day before they leave

Booking.com Messages: Access and respond to messages from Booking.com regarding your property, account, or partnership.

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Guest Q&A: Actively engage with potential guests by providing informative responses to their inquiries about your property. These answers will be publicly displayed on your property page, contributing to a positive online presence.

Note: Under the Property tab, you can find the Messaging Preferences page to adjust settings, including notifications, message templates, and automatic replies.

‍Automatic Replies: Set up automatic responses for common questions like check-in and check-out times or parking policies. Categorize automatic replies into two categories:

• Responses to requests that fall within the applicable booking policy: The automatic reply for these requests is typically to accept them.
• Responses to requests that fall outside of the applicable booking policy: The automatic reply for these requests is typically to reject them.

The Pulse App: Enables you to stay connected while on the move, allowing you to carry out numerous functions accessible on the Booking.com Extranet. It's especially handy for responding to guest messages when you're away from your computer.

Make Sure to Adjust Your Notification Preferences

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You can customize the notifications from Booking.com to better handle your reservations. For example, you can receive a text for last-minute bookings, get emails for arrivals, and be notified of new messages in your inbox.

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General Tips for Contacting Guests:

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‍Pre-Stay Communication: Reach out to guests before their stay with a friendly welcome message, providing essential information and reiterating check-in details.

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Provide Contact Information: Ensure guests have your contact details, offering them reassurance in case of any issues during their stay.

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Translate Messages: Utilize Booking.com's integrated translation functionality to communicate effectively with guests from around the world.

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Conclusion

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Mastering communication on Booking.com is crucial for elevating guest experiences and optimizing property rankings. Utilizing Booking.com tools for managing reservation messages and automatic responses enables hosts to enhance visibility on the platform. Communication personalization through suggested templates and monitoring messages via the Extranet and Pulse mobile application contributes to engaging with guests.