How to Rank Higher on MakeMyTrip Without Dropping Your Room Rate

A 24-room guesthouse near Calangute, Goa kept appearing on page two behind cheaper hotels. The owner cut the rate by ₹300. Bookings improved briefly, then flattened. The real problem: no neighbourhood description, 4 photos instead of 20, and blank amenity fields. A competitor at the same rate was winning because their listing was complete and their reviews were recent.

How Does MakeMyTrip Decide Which Hotels Appear First?

MMT does not publish its ranking algorithm. Connect by MakeMyTrip (the partner dashboard, formerly InGo-MMT, available as app and web) surfaces your Content Score and parity alerts. MMT's own partner resources and consistent hotelier experience point to these signals:

MMT ranking signals: what the platform sees and what you control

Ranking factor	What MMT sees	Your fix
Content completeness	Content Score in Connect dashboard	Fill every field: description, amenities, room types, policies
Photo quality and count	Number and quality of property images	Upload 20-plus sharp photos, lead with the best exterior shot
Guest review score	Average rating and recency of reviews	Ask every guest; reply to each review
Cancellation rate	Percentage of bookings cancelled by the hotel	Use a channel manager; never cancel to resell higher
Booking conversion	Views to confirmed bookings	Accurate availability, clear policies, competitive positioning
Rate parity	Whether your MMT rate matches other channels	Keep rates consistent; act on parity alerts in Connect
Promotion participation	Active promotional offers on the property	Join value-add promotions that do not require a base rate cut

What Is the MMT Content Score and How Do You Raise It?

The Content Score is a real feature in Connect by MakeMyTrip. MMT's partner FAQ has dedicated articles on it: "What is the Content Score?", "How can I improve the Content Score?", and "How does my content score affect my listing?" MMT ties the score to how your listing performs, so treat it as the first number to raise.

Property Description: Keywords and Landmarks

Problem: The description says "clean rooms, good service, near beach" and describes every hotel in Goa.

Fix: Write 150 to 300 words naming your neighbourhood, nearby landmarks guests search for (Calangute Beach, Baga Road, Candolim market), your standout feature, and the guest type you suit. A guest searching "hotel near Baga Road" can only be matched to you if those words are in your listing.

Amenities and Room Types

Problem: Only Wi-Fi and parking are ticked. You have a pool, AC, and a rooftop restaurant, but none appear. You also have Deluxe, Super Deluxe, and Suite rooms, with only one category live on MMT.

Fix: Go through every amenity category in Connect and tick everything you genuinely offer. Each unchecked amenity is a search filter you vanish from. Then create a separate room-type entry for every category and complete check-in, check-out, and cancellation policies. Guests filter by policy type; a blank policy hurts conversion.

Which Photos Win the Click?

Photos are the first thing a guest sees on your listing card. A weak set costs you the click before they read a word.

Problem: Four photos: one blurry bedroom, one dark reception, two harsh-light exterior shots.

Fix: Lead with your best exterior or lobby shot (that is the search-results thumbnail). Shoot in natural morning or late-afternoon light. Cover every room type, bathroom, dining area, pool or garden, and one nearby landmark. We recommend 20-plus photos; a fuller gallery makes for a more complete listing. Check MMT's photo guidelines in Connect for size and aspect ratio requirements. For exact upload specs, see the MakeMyTrip hotel listing guide.

How Do Reviews Affect Your MakeMyTrip Rank?

Review score and recency both shape placement and clicks. In our experience a 4.5 from 80 recent reviews beats a 4.8 from 12 reviews two years old, because guests trust fresh feedback.

Problem: Guests check out happy and never leave a review. You have not replied to your last 30 reviews either.

Fix: Ask every departing guest directly: "A review on MakeMyTrip really helps us." Follow up with a WhatsApp message that evening. Reply to every review in Connect: two-sentence thank-you for positives, a brief factual response for negatives. Do not offer discounts or freebies for reviews; OTAs treat paid reviews as fake.

How to Join MMT Promotions Without Cutting Your Base Rate

The key distinction: some promotions add value to the stay; others require a price cut from your Best Available Rate (BAR). Start with value-adds.

Value-add offers include complimentary breakfast, late checkout, or early check-in added to a rate plan. Your room rate stays the same; the guest perceives more value. See the hotel rate plans guide for how to price CP, MAP and AP plans profitably.

MMTBLACK member rates: MMTBLACK is MMT's loyalty programme; MMTBLACK Platinum is the top tier (replaced MMTBLACK Exclusive in April 2024). Member-only discounts appear only to logged-in members, not the public, and not on other OTAs. Closed-group rates like these are usually treated differently from public rates for parity, but check your OTA contracts before relying on that. Check Connect for the member-rate options available to your property.

Early-booking and long-stay offers lock in revenue in advance and lower your per-night cost of acquisition. Set them up as a separate rate plan with conditions (book 30 days ahead, or stay 3-plus nights) so your BAR stays untouched for everyone else.

What Happens to Your Rank When You Cancel a Booking?

Hotel-initiated cancellations are the fastest way to hurt your MMT ranking. Every cancellation strands a guest, and hoteliers consistently report visibility dropping after them.

Problem 1: Overbooking from stale inventory. You updated availability on one OTA but forgot MMT. A guest books a room you have already sold.

Fix: Use a channel manager (software that syncs room availability across all OTAs in real time). One booking on Booking.com instantly closes the room on MMT, Agoda, and Yatra.

Problem 2: Cancelling to resell at a higher rate. Peak demand spikes after a booking comes in at your standard rate, and you cancel to sell direct at a premium.

Fix: Do not. It breaks the booking you accepted, earns angry reviews, and risks action under your MMT agreement. Use BAR management to price peak dates correctly in advance.

How Conversion, Availability and Rate Parity Affect Visibility

Like every OTA, MMT benefits when listings convert views into bookings. Closed dates convert nothing. Keep rooms available and use rate increases to protect margin; do not close the channel. If Booking.com or Agoda shows a lower rate than MMT, guests notice, conversion drops, and Connect may show a parity alert. A channel manager with rate management keeps all channels consistent without manual logins.

Your 30-Day MakeMyTrip Ranking Plan

Four weeks, free actions only, no rate cuts required.

Week 1: Fix the Listing

• Note your Content Score in Connect by MakeMyTrip.
• Rewrite your description: landmarks, neighbourhood, standout feature, guest type.
• Tick every amenity you genuinely offer; create a room type for every category.
• Complete all policies: check-in, check-out, cancellation.

Week 2: Photos

• Shoot in natural light. A local photographer costs ₹2,000 to ₹5,000.
• Upload 20-plus photos: exterior, every room type, bathroom, dining, pool or garden, one nearby landmark.
• Set your lead photo to your best exterior or lobby shot.

Week 3: Reviews

• Reply to every unanswered review in Connect.
• Brief front desk to ask every departing guest for a MakeMyTrip review.
• Set up a follow-up WhatsApp template to send the evening after checkout.

Week 4: Promotions and Inventory

• Find one value-add promotion in Connect (breakfast, late checkout) and activate it.
• Activate a channel manager if not already running; resolve any parity alerts.
• Open availability for the next 90 days. Adjust rates on peak dates; do not close them.

Frequently Asked Questions