Five proven tips to boost your Booking.com listing

In today’s highly competitive short-term rental landscape, ranking well on platforms like Booking.com can mean the difference between a fully booked calendar and empty nights. On a recent episode of Host Planet Bitesize, Miro Gospodinov, Founder of my Data Value, shared five powerful tips to help short-term rental hosts and property managers maximise visibility, optimise performance, and increase revenue on Booking.com.

With years of research and over a million listings analysed, Miro's insights go far beyond basic listing advice. From strategic use of the Booking.com extranet to channel-specific optimisation and testing, he provides a data-led approach to getting the most out of the platform.

Catch the episode on our website, YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts now!

1. Focus on your rank – visibility is everything

Ranking on the first page of Booking.com is critical. According to Miro, visibility in the top 20 listings significantly increases your chance of getting booked. Hosts should regularly monitor their position across various filters like device type, length of stay, and number of guests. A higher rank increases visibility and drives more bookings – it’s as simple as that.

2. Use promotions smartly – don’t overdo it

Running a promotion doesn’t mean slashing prices indefinitely. Miro explains that you should strategically rotate offers like “last-minute” or “limited-time deals” to trigger boosts in visibility without hurting long-term profitability. Booking.com rewards dynamic offers, but keeping them active all the time can work against you.

3. Develop a channel strategy

Miro recommends building clear, flexible pricing and cancellation policies as part of a broader game plan. Think about your operational goals: are you targeting weekend travellers or extended stays? Tailor your settings to your goals – including discounts for seven-day or 30-day bookings to fill seasonal gaps.

4. Leverage the Booking.com extranet

Many hosts underuse the built-in analytics available through Booking.com's extranet. Miro advises checking demand trends in your city, viewing peer group data, and adjusting policies accordingly. For example, if most bookings in your area happen just one day in advance, but your property doesn’t allow same-day bookings, you could be missing 50% of potential guests.

5. Track, test, and optimise

Don’t just set your listing and forget it. Miro encourages hosts to run tests, track changes, and compare performance over time. His platform, My Data Value, even offers free tools for snapshotting your property’s ranking over 180 or 365 days, letting you measure the impact of changes like new titles, pricing tweaks, or offers.

Final thoughts

Optimising your Booking.com listing isn’t just about adding good photos and a catchy description. It's about understanding your market, monitoring performance, and leveraging data to make informed decisions. Miro’s tools and tips offer a smarter way for STR professionals to increase occupancy and revenue on one of the world’s biggest OTAs.

Check out My Data Value’s free tools to start improving your performance on Booking.com today.