Rev Up: Why Booking.com Belongs in Your Channel Mix (Now)

Get your free Revenue Report (hand-done by our team) → https://www.freewyldfoundry.com/get-startedAirbnb-only is a risk. In this episode, we break down why Booking.com has become a must-have revenue channel for professional STR operators—and how to set it up so discounts work for you (not against you). We cover ratings (1–10 vs Airbnb’s binary), merchant payments, Genius/mobile promos, rate plans, markups, and how to keep owners calm when parity isn’t perfect.What you’ll learnWhy Booking.com’s 1–10 rating system cushions revenue impact from the occasional meh reviewHow the merchant model solves the old chargeback headacheThe Genius program: why hitting 3 reviews fast matters and how to unlock the badge-driven conversion liftMobile-only rates, preferred program, and visible promos that act like hotel-grade conversion boostersThe truth about price parity (and why a 15–25% Booking.com markup is a sane default)Onboarding playbook: the first 30–60 days to momentum without nuking your other channelsListing optimization: how to use the Property Page Score to hit 100% and earn visibilityQuick hits / TakeawaysAirbnb’s binary review culture can tank a listing with a few 4⭐ reviews; BDC’s 1–10 keeps you alive and converting.Use Genius + 10% mobile early to win visibility; once unlocked, apply a markup so discounts don’t undercut your floor.Expect imperfect parity—that’s normal on BDC. The game is markup + visible, conversion-driving discounts.Get to three reviews fast (follow up with guests; incentives ok) → unlock Genius → watch conversion rise.Treat BDC like a hotel channel: rate plans, visible offers, and merchandising matter more than on Airbnb.Links & resources👉 Free Revenue Report (for $1M+ STR portfolios): https://www.freewyldfoundry.com/get-startedVRMA Las Vegas — catch our 90-minute Pricing Power workshop & come say hi at booth #1118 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.