5 Common Booking.com Mistakes New Hoteliers in India Make (and How to Avoid Them)

For many hotels in India, Booking.com is both a blessing and a curse. It gives you global visibility and helps you diversify beyond MakeMyTrip and Goibibo, which most hotels rely on. But if you don’t manage it properly, it can cost you money, reduce your ranking, and even get your property closed on the platform.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes new hoteliers make on Booking.com — and simple ways to avoid them.

1. Common Booking.com mistake - Forgetting to Mark “No Shows”

Problem: Many Indian guests use Pay@Hotel and never arrive. If you don’t mark such bookings as a “No Show,” Booking.com still counts it as a valid stay and charges commission. Important: You can only mark a No Show after the check‑in date and you must do it within 48 hours.

Solution: Check arrivals daily. If a guest doesn’t arrive, log in the next day and mark “No Show” within 48 hours. This will ensure you don't get charged for No Show Bookings.

2. Ignoring Guest Messages After Booking

Problem: Guests can message you after they make a reservation from your Booking.com listing. Most common booking.com mistake many hotels do is reply late (or not at all). This creates distrust—the guest starts looking for other options or cancels. It also hurts your response rate/response time, which lowers your ranking on Booking.com.

Solution:

• Keep the Pulse app handy for instant notifications and quick replies.

• Set up predefined (templated) messages in Booking.com. Use them to answer common questions fast and—when appropriate—politely guide the guest to your preferred channel (Phone/WhatsApp/email) for detailed coordination, while keeping key confirmations inside the Extranet.

3. Not Using Visibility Programs & Promotions

Problem: A lot of new hotels don’t see much pickup in the beginning, so they stop paying attention to Booking.com and never explore the tools that can actually help. Options like Genius Program, Preferred Partner, and Visibility Booster can lift ranking — but many either ignore them or join without checking if the higher commission makes financial sense. Solution: Don’t give up early. Test these programs during low season or weak occupancy. Always compare extra commission vs. extra revenue to ensure ROI.

4. Ignoring Reviews and Guest Feedback

Problem: Reviews strongly influence future guests. Not replying — especially to negative reviews — leaves a poor impression and hurts conversions. Reviews act as social proof — most travelers check them before making a reservation. On Booking.com, guests also score you across multiple metrics like value for money, staff, location, cleanliness, comfort, and facilities. A low score in any one area can turn away potential bookers, even if your overall rating looks fine.

Solution:

• Thank happy guests publicly — it reinforces trust for new visitors.

• Respond politely to negative reviews — show empathy and outline corrective action.

• Track the sub-scores (value, staff, cleanliness, etc.) and use them as a guide to improve operations.

• Consistent, professional engagement signals that you care, which improves guest trust and helps future bookings.

5. Using Non‑Refundable Policies Too Early

Problem: New hotels often choose a Non‑Refundable Policy to “secure revenue.” But for new properties, Booking.com applies a cooldown period — rooms with this policy may not even show in search. In India this is worse because:

• Booking.com hasn’t introduced a Pay Now option yet.

• You can’t charge a card without OTP (as per Indian regulations).

Net result: you lose visibility and still can’t collect payment. Solution: Keep policies fully flexible early on. After you build reviews and visibility (and once better payment options arrive), you can test stricter policies.

Final Thoughts

Booking.com can either grow your hotel or become a headache. If you avoid these 5 mistakes — especially marking No Shows on time, responding to guest messages, using visibility tools wisely, replying to reviews, and keeping policies flexible — you’ll save commission, gain ranking, and keep guests happy.