For many independent hotels, listing on Booking.com feels like a necessity. The platform offers unparalleled visibility, access to a global market, and a steady stream of bookings. But while most hoteliers worry about the commission rates, there’s a far more insidious cost to consider—brand risk.

Commission vs Control

It’s easy to fixate on the financial cost of being listed on Booking.com. With commission rates typically ranging between 15% and 18%, it’s no small fee. But this cost is at least predictable and measurable. The real threat to your brand lies in something less tangible but far more damaging: the loss of control over how your property is presented and perceived on the platform.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the guest review system.

The Review Problem

Guest reviews are crucial to any hotel’s reputation and Booking.com knows this. The platform actively encourages guests to leave reviews after their stay, and these reviews often sit prominently at the top of your property listing. The issue? Once a guest has stayed at your hotel—even for one night—they are free to say whatever they like, and you have very limited recourse.

Even if the review is factually incorrect or deliberately misleading, Booking.com will not remove it unless it falls into a very narrow set of predefined categories. According to Booking.com’s official policy, you can only request the removal of a guest review if it includes offensive language, sensitive personal information, a security risk, or meets a few other specific conditions. Factually inaccurate or fraudulent reviews do not qualify.

You can read their full review removal policy here:
👉 Booking.com Guest Review Removal Policy

This means that a guest could lie outright—claiming your rooms were dirty when they weren’t, or that your staff were rude when they were nothing but helpful—and that review would remain visible to the world.

The Genius Trap

Another often overlooked brand risk comes from the Genius loyalty program, which Booking.com heavily promotes to hotels during onboarding. It promises increased exposure in exchange for offering discounts to “frequent” Booking.com users. But what many hotels don’t realize is that you don’t get to choose which of your room types are part of the Genius discount—Booking.com decides for you.

This can lead to a serious mismatch between marketing and guest expectations.

Often, the room type selected for the Genius program is your cheapest room—because it sells well. But there’s a reason it’s cheap: it’s not your best room. When this room is discounted further through Genius, it sells even more. Increased sales might sound great—until the complaints start rolling in. Guests expecting a premium experience (because they booked through a “loyalty” program) get a basic room instead. The result? More neutral or negative reviews, fewer five-star ratings, and long-term damage to your property’s online reputation.

Even worse, once you’ve joined Genius, leaving isn’t easy. You must first contact your account manager, and if you decide to opt out, you won’t be allowed to rejoin for six months—clearly a strategy designed to discourage hoteliers from leaving the program.

The Verdict: Stay Visible, Stay in Control

Let me be clear: Booking.com can be a valuable part of your distribution strategy. Especially for independent hotels without large marketing budgets, the platform provides reach that would be difficult (and expensive) to achieve on your own.

But don’t become dependent on it.

Use it as a tool to attract first-time guests, and then do everything in your power to convert those guests into direct bookers. Offer perks for booking directly, collect email addresses, nurture relationships, and make sure your own website is optimized for direct reservations.

And above all:
Do NOT sign up for Genius.
It may sound appealing on the surface, but the long-term impact on your brand—through mismatched expectations and disproportionate negative reviews—simply isn’t worth it.

In Summary

The biggest danger of being on Booking.com isn’t the commission. It’s the lack of control over how your brand is represented and reviewed. Between the flawed review system and the rigid Genius program, you risk undermining your hard-earned reputation for the sake of short-term gains.

Be strategic. Be visible. But stay in control.