The complete guide to the Booking.com Genius loyalty program

Ben Smithson

I look to maximize every hotel stay with both the benefits I receive on-property and the hotel points I earn for my booking. Typically, that means booking directly with a large hotel chain on its website to ensure I earn elite status-qualifying nights, enjoy elite-status benefits and earn points. For those reasons, I haven't delved much into the Booking.com loyalty program called Genius.

That said, it does exist. While it might not be as rewarding as some of the other third-party booking sites, such as Hotels.com Rewards, it is an option. Here's everything you need to know about the program.

Having your accommodation organised ahead makes things easier.(Photo by Andrea Rotondo/The Points Guy)

Booking.com Genius basics

Booking.com is an online accommodation booking platform with more than 28 million total accommodation listings. The site is available in 43 languages and has almost 200 support offices in 70 countries. It's not a hotel chain, and nor does it have its own properties. Instead, it just lists hotel properties that you can book, similar to Skyscanner or Google Flights for flights .

It also owns Priceline, Kayak, Agoda, RentalCars and OpenTable.

You won't receive your normal hotel program points or elite status nights when you book through a third party, so why choose Booking.com rather than booking directly through the hotel ?

If you complete any two stays booked through Booking.com within two years, you will earn Genius Level 1 for life. While this is a very low threshold to meet, and lifetime membership sounds awesome, the only benefit of Genius Level 1 is a 10% discount on select properties that are part of the Genius program. Booking.com promises that these properties that have joined the Genius program have a rating of at least 7.5/10, so you can expect a quality property.

Related: 17 of the best hotel gyms in the world

Where you see a Genius logo next to a property, you can claim the discount. I logged in to my Genius account to check how many select properties were included that 10% discount. On a sample search for properties in Westminster, London , only 14 of the 36 available included the Genius discount. I also performed the same search without logging into my Genius account and the prices for those 14 Genius properties were around 10% higher when not logged in, so this is a genuine discount where available.

If you complete five stays within two years you will move up to Genius Level 2, where you will receive:

  • 10%-15% discount at select properties
  • Free breakfast at select properties
  • Free room upgrade at select properties

Though I don't use Booking.com much, my account says I'm Genius Level 2. I logged in to my account to perform a search to see just how many properties included these listed benefits. Using the Westminster, London search, of the 14 out of 36 with Genius benefits:

  • All 14 properties offered at least a 10% discount
  • Only two out of 14 offered the higher 15% discount
  • None offered free breakfast
  • Only 1 out of the 14 offered a free room upgrade

booking genius review

While only a small sample size, I would expect a 10% discount on some of the properties with Genius Level 2 with the very occasional room upgrade, 15% discount or free breakfast, though this will be rare and unexpected. I would not consider these to be regular benefits you can rely on receiving.

Related: How to avoid booking a bad hotel

(Photo courtesy of The Westbury Hotel)

There are only two levels of "status" with Genius: Genius Level 1 and Genius Level 2. Even if you use the program much more than five stays within two years, your benefits will be capped to the above at the Genius Level 2 tier.

When to use Booking.com

If you're going to stay regularly at large hotel chains like Hilton , Hyatt , Marriott and Radisson , then I believe it's still best to book directly with those properties and earn hotel elite status, benefits and points. It's best to use Booking.com when looking at remote destinations, if you want to book a boutique hotel or a unique property or you know you have a one-off stay at a chain you'll never (or almost never) utilize again. Also, if you're a "free agent" with no loyalty to any one particular hotel chain or program and will never stay enough to earn elite benefits with an individual hotel loyalty program, Booking.com can be a good way to receive some benefits (like that 10% discount) at lots of different, unaffiliated properties.

Remember, if you're looking to book a luxury property, it could be best to utilize a Virtuoso agent or Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and compare the benefits you'll receive over any savings toward a future stay with Booking.com.

Bottom line

If you book enough of the big-box chain hotels to carry elite status and earn hotel points, Booking.com may not make sense for you. Remember that for bookings made with online travel agencies like Booking.com, in most cases, you won't earn hotel points or elite credit, and the properties don't have to honor your existing elite status (though some do anyway). I also find upgrades to be less generous and room assignment poor when booking through online travel agencies compared to booking direct.

I do like the very low thresholds to reach the two different Genius levels, though note that unlike with the Hotels.com Rewards program where you can receive your 10% discount on virtually all properties (via its 11th-night-free deal), the discounts as a Genius are only on a limited number of properties. Genius Level 2 additional benefits like room upgrades and free breakfasts are a bit misleading, as not every property actually offers them, so this should be looked at as an occasional perk.

The Booking Genius Program

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  • Post last modified: February 14, 2024

You are currently viewing The Booking Genius Program

The Genius program by Booking.com gives you 10 to 20% extra discount on prices that other customers won’t get. If you reach Booking Genius Level 2, you will also qualify for complimentary breakfast and free room upgrades at selected locations. Read more and find out how the Genius reward system works below.

Disclosure: This guide contains carefully selected affiliate links through which we may earn commission when you make a purchase. Learn more ›

About Booking.com

Booking has been around for a long time. It was established in 1996 and is today offering more than 28 million listings located all over the world.

The properties on offer range from small, family-run bed and breakfasts to grand luxury resorts. In other words, you have an extremely wide selection of options to choose from when using Booking.

The Booking Genius Levels

The Genius reward program is offered to the most frequent bookers, and the rewards are better the more frequent of a booker you are. It contains three different Booking Genius Levels.

Booking Genius Level 1 members receive 10% discount off the best available rates at hotels that take part in the program. This is the basic level that new members can unlock instantly.

If you reach Genius Level 2, you will receive 15% off, complimentary breakfast and free room upgrades at selected properties. To be upgraded to Genius Level 2, you need to complete 5 stays within two years.

If you accomplish Genius Level 3, you will receive 20% off, complimentary breakfast and free upgrades at participating properties as well as priority support. To reach Genius Level 3, you need to complete 15 stays within two years.

So you will have to use Booking for a certain amount of stays within a two year window to be upgraded from the basic Genius Level 1. Simply reach 5 stays to unlock Genius Level 2 and 15 stays to be upgraded to the highest level, Booking Genius Level 3.

The Booking.com Genius Levels aren’t more complicated than that.

But pay attention to that it’s stays and not nights that you need to collect to be upgraded. Also notice that any type of stay will count. So you don’t have to book your stays with a particular hotel category to be upgraded to the next Genius Level.

Is there a Booking Genius Level 4 or even Genius Level 5 or 6?

Genius Level 3 is currently the highest level. Maybe more levels will be added to the existing three in the future. But as of now, Booking Genius Level 3 is the highest level in the reward system.

Booking Genius Program Levels

The Booking Genius hotels

For a property to make offers within the Booking Genius program, it needs an average guest review score of at least 7.5 out of 10. That is to ensure your Genius stays get as comfortable as possible.

However, you maybe have noticed that some hotels are Genius hotels but have lower guest score than 7.5. That is because exceptions are made from this rule if the average review score in an area is lower than 7.5 on average but the hotel in question is above average.

In other words, all Genius hotels are options that perform well. Either they have 7.5 or higher in guest score, or they have a better score than the average hotel.

Genius program hotels

Best price guarantee on Booking

If you find your reservation on another website with a lower rate, then contact Booking right away and they will match the price as long as a few requirements are fulfilled.

You don’t need to be a part of the Genius program to get the price match. It’s available from the first time you use Booking.

Booking Genius Rewards review

So are the Genius rewards by Booking a great option for you or not?

Right from signing up the Genius program gives you 10% discounts. That’s a good start.

It takes five stays to unlock Genius Level 2. From that point, you will receive 15% extra discount on your bookings.

If you shoot for the stars, you can bump that up to 20% off instead as you reach Booking Level 3. That’s just really, really great.

And the free breakfast and free room upgrades at selected locations for Genius Level 2 and Genius Level 3 members make this reward system even better.

It’s also positive that the reward system is so easy to understand. The number of stays you collect get you upgraded. So you avoid the hassle of converting your stays to points, which many other loyalty systems require.

Overall the Genius program is a great reward system. Especially to get 20% off but also to get free breakfast and room upgrades at various locations really makes a big difference.

Genius level breakfast

Signup instructions

  • Go to Booking.com and make sure to sign up or log in if you already are a member.
  • Choose your stay and make your reservation while being logged in to your account.
  • Collect stays and get upgraded to the Booking Genius Levels.
  • Enjoy 10%-20% off, complimentary breakfast, free room upgrades and priority support.

Booking Genius Program FAQ

So far there are three Genius Levels. These are Genius Level 1, Genius Level 2 and Genius Level 3. This means that the highest Genius Level is Genius Level 3. There’s no Booking Genius Level 4 or higher.

The discount you get is 10% in Genius Level 1, 15% in Genius Level 2 and finally 20% in Genius Level 3. On top of that, you from Booking Genius Level 2 can receive free breakfast and room upgrades.

Yes, if you reach Genius Level 2, you have access to free breakfast and free room upgrades at selected locations.

Within two years, you need to collect 5 stays for Genius Level 2 and 15 stays for Genius Level 3. Pay attention to that it’s the amount of stays and not nights that you need to collect to be upgraded.

Currently Booking Genius Level 3 is the highest level. If you have reached the third Genius Level, you’re in the top bracket. But stay posted as another Genius Level could very well be added by Booking.com in the future.

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5 Secrets Behind The Booking.com Genius Program No One Tells You About

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Genius faqs, how do i claim my discounts and travel rewards, how many genius levels are there, which properties offer genius discounts and travel rewards, which rental car companies offer genius discounts, will i get genius discounts and travel rewards every time i book, what happens if i cancel a reservation, how do i progress in the program, what is priority support, find your next stay, save time, save money.

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Is the Booking Genius Discount Program Worth it?

So you want to save money on your travel bookings, but you don’t know if the Booking Genius Discount Loyalty Program is worth it. Maybe, you’re worried that you’ll end up spending more money than you save if you join the loyalty program.

I’ve put together this post so you see how you can earn discounts and rewards on every booking, no matter how small or large. And how the more you book the bigger the discounts!

So let’s see how you can get the most out of your holiday and save money…

What is the Genius Program

What does each level offer, booking genius discount faq, clever hacks to get the best deals, cashback websites:, wrapping up booking genius discount.

One of the top reasons people like me love Booking.com , is because of the unique range of accommodation options, unbeatable prices, and the generous Genius Program.

This rewards program is designed to reward frequent customers with a number of benefits and perks after you create a Booking.com account. There are 3 Levels of discounts and rewards offered by participating properties. You’ll achieve Level 1 with a 10% discount immediately.

Each level offers more discounts and rewards. As they say: “each stay counts towards your progress in the program”. So the more accommodation you book with Booking.com the more you’ll move up to the juicier rewards.

Genius Discounts and Rewards

  • Immediate 10% discounts when you join and create your Booking.com account
  • Complete 5 stays in 2 years to gain this level
  • 10-15% discounts
  • Free breakfasts on select stays
  • Free room upgrades on select stays
  • Complete 15 stays in 2 years to gain this level
  • 10-20% discounts
  • Priority support on all bookings – this is direct access to a live agent (whether it’s a Genius hotel or not)

Who offers Genius?

Only accommodation properties with good review ratings can offer genius discounts and travel rewards. Look for the Blue Genius Logo on the property to see if they offer Genius discounts and rewards.

What if I cancel my booking?

This then doesn’t count toward your Genius Levels.

How do I claim my discounts and rewards?

These are automatically applied to your booking when you book. Just make sure you see the blue Genius logo.

What if I only book budget accommodation?

The program counts your number of stays, not the amount you’ve paid.

How long does my Level last?

Once you achieve your Level on Booking.com you can keep it forever.

Search Booking.com and Join

The stays that are counted could be 1 night or 5 nights or 15 nights, etc. So to get to Level 3 why not go away for overnight trips! These one-night stays will count towards your Level 2 – 5 stays in 2 years; or Level 3 – 15 stays in 2 years much faster.

Get Cashback on your reservations – you can still book with Booking.com and earn your Genius Awards through cashback sites. So not only do you get discounts and rewards but you get cash-back bonuses as well. That might be 4-6%. We’ve even seen a 12% cash-back bonus! Usually, this is only available once a week for about 12 hours on Australian Cashrewards. Wooh that’s a Win Win Win!

Depending on the company you’ll receive your cashback in a bank account or Paypal, either once you’ve earned them or a certain number of times a year. You have to have a minimum $ amount for the payment to go ahead.

Here are my Refer-a-Friend links to Cashback sites. The referrer and friend both earn a commission, but only once the friend has made a purchase within a certain timeframe. Once you join you can refer your friends too!

Join Australian Cashrewards $10 bonus to start. If you install the Google Chrome Extension for Cashrewards then cashback offers will show up on websites you visit.

Join Rakuten US and World $10 bonus to start. Install the Rakuten web browser extension for Chrome or Safari to get the latest deals.

Wayaway Offer Cashback with Flights

When you pop in your dates and destination you’ll see what cashback is available for available flights.

Is the Booking.com Genius Program worth it? Yes!, it’s a great way to get discounts and rewards while travelling. It’s a simple process – the more you book with Booking.com, the more rewards you get!

Every booking you make earns you points, and as you level up, you’ll get access to more discounts and rewards and easy access to promotions.

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Loyalty & Reward Co

As my list of “places to visit once lockdown is over” extends, so does my curiosity about how to get there, where to stay, and what to do – and how to save or earn with loyalty and reward programs of course. Read my Club Jetstar article to find how to get there. This article focuses on where to stay, and more specifically where to book accommodation.

The Dutch Online Travel Agency (OTA), Booking.com , is a major player in the online travel bookings space. Although Booking.com holds a large share of many markets around the world, there is some tough competition in the industry from the likes of Expedia, Airbnb and Webjet.

In a move to increase their member base, Booking.com updated their Genius loyalty program to provide member benefits right from the get-go.

A few clicks to sign-up

Sign-up for a Booking.com account using Facebook, Google, an email address, or an Apple ID.

Then, a prompt to enter a name and mobile number appear, but this can be skipped.

Ta da! Account created and immediate benefits are ready for members who make a booking.

Lifetime benefits

The Genius program has two levels. Once reached, each level is maintained for life.

  • To access Genius level 1 – Sign up.
  • To access Genius level 2 – Complete 5 stays in 2 years.

Genius Level 1

  • 10% discount: on the price of a stay before taxes and charges.

Genius Level 2

  • 10%–15% discounts: on the price of a stay before taxes and charges.
  • Free breakfast
  • Free room upgrade

Not all accommodation is created equal

Previously, to reach Genius Level 1, a member was required to complete two stays within 2 years. This was considered a low entry level into the program. Now, it’s even easier! A member can sign-up in a few minutes and receive the same 10% discount on future bookings – for life. Great value for members.

Not all accommodation providers participate in the genius program. To be eligible, a provider must have a rating of 7.5 or above. In any case, providers are not obliged to participate.

When browsing, there is a ‘Genius’ label to indicate an accommodation providers program participation.

booking genius review

It’s also important to note that not all Genius Level 2 benefits apply to each stay. For example, a hotel could choose to offer a 10% discount for a Genius member and a free room upgrade but is not obliged to offer a free breakfast.

Einstein level loyalty design?

Some may throw around the word ‘genius’ to describe Booking.com’s program. The program generates a loyal member base, and the accommodation providers foot the bill. Why? In the hopes of better visibility on Booking.com, of course. As Genius’ popularity rises, providers will have to join the program and take on the discount to at least maintain their current visibility.

For Booking.com, Genius enables growth and protects share of wallet in a highly competitive market, it helps build a database on who is travelling, when and where, and drives advocacy for the brand – given members are happy with the savings and the experience (considering members will stay at highly rated accommodation by design).

Genius sits in a sweet spot for less frequent travellers. A program tailored to those who may not travel enough to earn rewards from the big hotel programs, such as Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors , but are willing to make infrequent bookings from the same OTA over time (if it means they are rewarded). It also caters for those who want to stay at different types of accommodation across different brands.

Enticing members to use the product once, and then five times in two years, may induce behavioural commitment. The question is can Booking.com can turn this into attitudinal commitment? If they can, that would mean that members don’t opt for a competitor when a better deal comes along.

All in all, Genius is a win for travellers and the OTA. Unfortunately, it is the lowly rated accommodation providers and the margins of accommodation providers in general, that will take a hit.

booking genius review

Hunter Murray

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The Family Voyage

4 simple tips to save more money on booking.com

This post contains affiliate links, for which I may earn a commission if you make a qualifying purchase.

Whether you prefer luxury travel or budget travel, who doesn't want to save money on travel? Score huge discounts on hotel staying with these easy booking.com travel hacking ideas. You'll love these frugal living ideas and frugal living tips! #frugal #budget #travel

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As many travelers can attest,  booking.com sets the standard for hotel booking websites. The interface is easy to use, the inventory is seemingly endless, the cancellation policies are generally liberal and the prices are consistently some of the best you’ll find on the internet. All of these awesome features make it our favorite place to book hotels.

You’ll find info below on sign up bonuses, booking.com Genius levels and behind the scenes tricks. Check out these simple booking.com tips to score killer deals every time.

Get cash back on every single reservation

Want an easy way to get cold hard cash every time you book a hotel room? Sign up for Rakuten today. I’ve earned thousands of dollars in cash back over my years as a customer.

How does it work? First off, you’ll get a $30 bonus just for making your first purchase. Once you set up your account, just go to  Rakuten any time you want to book a hotel (or do almost any other online shopping) and click through. You’ll get a minimum of 2% back for  booking.com purchases, but there are often cash back bonuses that bring it up to 4% or even 6%.

Want to make sure you never miss a cash back opportunity? Install the Rakuten button for your web browser. It’ll notify you any time a site you’re on offers a rebate!

You can also earn bonuses by referring your friends to Rakuten (hi, friend!). Right now the bonus is $30, but sometimes it goes as high as $40 per friend who signs up.

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(Rakuten may not be a household name just yet, but it used to be called ebates. I still call it that and I probably always will!)

Be a booking Genius

Updated January 2022 to reflect the new Booking Genius Level 3!

A few years ago,  booking.com revealed their Genius program and we love it . Unlike so many hotel loyalty programs that can get very complicated or require serious loyalty, the booking Genius program is simple: make two bookings in two years, and you’re in for life!

No tracking points or watching the average value of your previous bookings – the Genius program is the best way to save on hotels in our opinion. Even if your first few reservations are $12 hostel beds or family-friendly apartments, they still count toward achieving  booking.com Genius status.

Once you reach Genius status, every time you go to book you’ll see the little yellow Genius icon next to participating properties (and there are tons of them) and get an automatic 10-20% off those hotels! We rarely find a cheaper deal on hotels these days, and some Genius properties offer extra perks like early check-in, late check-out and even free drinks or breakfast.

How many Genius levels are on Booking today? There are currently three Booking Genius levels. The basic benefit of Booking Genius level 1 is 10% off at select hotels (they need to have a minimum user rating of 7.5 to participate, so you’re only getting the good stuff). Once you get to Booking Genius level 2 by completing five stays in two years, those hotels can offer you up to 15% off and sometimes free breakfast. Now in 2022 frequent guests like us who stay 15 times in two years are rewarded with Booking.com Genius level 3; it includes the potential for savings of up to 20%, free breakfast room upgrades and priority support.

As with the level 1 status, all of the Genius levels on Booking are for the life of your account. I’m hoping that eventually they’ll introduce Booking Genius level 4 for frequent travelers like us! What Booking.com Genius level 4 benefits would you hope to see? For me it could include bonuses like free parking or waived resort fees since these would be for only the most loyal customers.

We have saved so much money over the years with the Booking.com Genius program benefits and I know we’ll save even more in the future. Here’s a quick summary:

  • Stay 2 times
  • Get up to 10% off future stays
  • Stay 5 times
  • Get up to 15% off future stays
  • Free breakfast at some hotels
  • Free upgrades at some hotels
  • Stay 15 times
  • Get up to 20% off future stays
  • Priority support line

Booking Genius vs Hotels.com Rewards

The Hotels.com Rewards program does things a little differently than the Booking Genius program. As soon as you join, you’re eligible for “Secret Prices” up to 15% off the regular rate. For every 10 nights you stay through Hotels.com, you’ll earn one free night up to the average value of those nights (also known as “Hotels.com Stamps”).

However, it’s important to know that your stamps will expire if it’s been a year singe your last earning or redemption through the program. By contrast, once you achieve a particular Booking.com Genius status you’ll retain it for life.

If you stay more than 10 nights in a single member, you’ll get upgraded to Hotels.com Rewards Silver (and eventually Hotels.com Rewards Gold at 30+ stamps).

How do Booking.com Genius prices compare with Hotels.com Secret Prices? As a representative, I looked up the wonderful hotel we stayed in for fall break in Louisville . When I compared Booking.com with Hotels.com for the same dates, room, number or travelers and cancellation policy I found that Booking was almost 10% less . Note that both of those were (surprisingly) substantially cheaper than the same booking on Hilton’s own website.

Which one works best for you depends in part on your travel patterns. If you really do stay in hotels for many nights per year, the slightly higher pricing on Hotels.com might be worth it for you to get the free night. But if you stay at hotels less frequently (or sometimes book directly with the hotel) it may take too long to rack up those 10 stamps and then redeem them for a free night on your next trip.

Check your dates and the number of nights

If you’re flexible in your travel plans, check prices for surrounding dates and even for a different number of nights for the best hotel deals. While we usually think of hotels as having a set rate per night (sometimes more on weekends), we’ve found through booking.com that sometimes the extra cost to add a night or two brings down the nightly rate.

As an example, we were looking at a one-night stay in Jerusalem that would have cost $100; when we priced out a two-night stay, it was just $50 more!

And it makes complete sense. While most hotels send in the cleaning crew to tidy up daily, a full cleaning between guests is much more involved. They have to change all the linens, restock the toiletries and minibar, look for straggler items and more. Hotels would much rather have their guests stay for a few nights at a time and they price their rooms accordingly.

booking genius review

Book early, check often

One of the best features of  booking.com is that most properties offer free cancellation as long as you do it a day or two before your intended arrival. What does that mean for you?

Go ahead and book the room even if you aren’t positive about your dates! If you’ll be traveling to a popular destination over a school holiday, make sure to lock in your hotel before everything is booked up. Sometimes those early booking get the best deals…

… but sometimes they don’t. We’ve found prices slashed up to 50% for bookings within a day or two of travel on occasion. Of course this high-level procrastination works best if you’re road-tripping or otherwise extremely flexible.

But you can always make a cancellable reservation several months in advance through  booking.com and then change it without penalty a day or two before if you find a better rate – especially if you’ve achieved Genius status in the interim!

Score a sign up bonu s

Unfortunately Booking is no longer offering sign up bonuses. Hopefully they’ll bring it back soon!

If you’re new to booking.com , welcome to the savings! You have the easiest form of savings right at your fingertips: click here to make an account and start with $25 off your first reservation. No strings attached! You can use it for an apartment, a hotel or any other kind of reservation available on the website.

>>> Join the savings at  booking.com today!

Booking.com 4-step saving plan overview

Too much to read? Follow this simple plan to save money on hotels at  booking.com :

Whether you prefer luxury travel or budget travel, who doesn't want to save money on travel? Score huge discounts on hotel staying with these easy booking.com money-saving ideas. You'll love these frugal living ideas and frugal living tips! #frugal #budget #travel

That’s it! Get started at  booking.com and  Rakute n today. Not ready yet? Pin this article for later and share it with your friends.

Booking.com FAQs

At present, there are three levels in Booking.com’s Genius program.

Yes! Booking.com level 3 began in late 2021 and offers up to 20% discounts.

The biggest benefit is the booking.com Genius discount, which is up to 20% for participating properties. In addition, some locations offer free breakfast or room upgrades.

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5 thoughts on “4 simple tips to save more money on booking.com”.

I dont think I’ve ever used booking.com…. I like when you can reserve and change if prices drop. I wonder if ibotta has booking – I have been using that, although I hear good things about ebates of course!

How many minimum stays for apply to Genius level 3 and Genius level 4 ?

I think at the moment there are only two levels, but at the beginning there was just one. Hopefully they’ll slowly roll out more levels as the program picks up!

Or you can book direct with the hotel to get the best prices!!!! Usually works.

Thanks for stopping by! I always check both and book whichever one is the better deal (and has a flexible cancellation policy). Sometimes it’s the hotel’s website, but often I find phenomenal deals with booking thanks to my Genius discount. There are also plenty of smaller hotels and vacation rentals that don’t have their own websites so it’s always helpful to know how to get the best deals through an OTA.

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Booking.com's Genius Partner Program: Everything You Need to Know

Booking.com's Genius Partner Program: Everything You Need to Know

Tobias Roelen-Blasberg

Booking.com's Genius Partner Program: Everything You Need to Know

The Booking.com Genius Partner Program is one of the most lucrative ways to generate higher and continuous sales on Booking.com. While other partner programs are designed to attract new guests, the Genius program gives select hotels and properties a chance to connect with frequent travelers, thus opening the opportunity of gaining loyal customers. This blog will discuss how to make the most of Booking.com Genius program.

What is the Booking.com Genius Program?

Booking.com is one of the leading online booking platform among travelers, hotels, and online travel agencies. It was hailed as the most visited travel and tourism website in the world, with 511 million unique visits in the last quarter of 2022. Aside from its numerous advertisement efforts, the website doesn’t fall short of creating marketing campaigns to increase customer retention for its partners.

sample-genius-partner-versus-regular-listing

One of Booking.com’s most popular marketing campaigns is the Genius Partner Program, which is as alluring to guests as it is for partners. The program connects businesses to avid travelers who have reached a certain number of required stays. These “Genius” users are granted exclusive discounts and other travel rewards in exchange for their loyalty and support to Booking.com. Thus, it works like a hotel loyalty program to encourage more people to book Genius partners.

The discounts granted by the partners range from 10-20% of the regular booking rate. While these discounts are based on the Genius level of the users, businesses are also eligible to do special tagging, ranking boosts, and other marketing promos to maintain a competitive edge among other Genius partners.

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What are the benefits of the Genius Partner Program?

While the Genius program requires fixed discounts and perks from partners, it’s actually a highly lucrative way to generate more sales. Here are some of the benefits enjoyed by Genius partners:

Increased booking rates.

Genius users would always prefer Genius hotels compared to other hotel chains. Aside from the perks they’ll get, most users actually book accommodations just to reach their quota and get into the next Genius level. This gives Genius partners a boost in their booking rates.

Better visibility to relevant searches.

Booking.com gives better visibility to businesses that are in their partner programs. After all, their programs follow strict membership guidelines, ensuring they provide nothing less than an exceptional guest experience. So, suppose you’re still starting to fully optimize your listing and collecting more reviews to boost your ranking. In that case, the Genius program may significantly increase your visibility in relevant searches.

To learn more about optimizing your profile, read our complete article, Optimizing Your Booking.com Profile for Maximum Visibility .

Decreased cancellation rates.

Guest cancellation is Booking.com’s biggest problem. According to recent surveys, cancellations on Booking.com are 104% higher compared to direct channels and 31% higher compared to Expedia websites. While this is genuinely scathing to the website, it poses even more significant risks to partners.

Considering these figures, hotels must explore various solutions to mitigate revenue loss because of cancellations, such as the Genius program. Since users are granted the Genius membership based on their previous bookings and customer behavior, they are the least likely to cancel bookings.

sample-reservation-page-genius-listing

Achieve customer loyalty.

Genius users are avid travelers. So, they’re the ones who are most likely to book properties in the future. Once you provide them with an excellent guest experience, they will definitely book your property again. For businesses, this isn’t just an opportunity to generate sales but also a great chance to upsell your services.

Opportunity to collect reviews.

Collecting guest reviews is one of the most crucial strategies to increase your visibility and conversion rates on Booking.com. Unfortunately, some guests don’t have the time and willingness to do this.

Genius users are considered experts on the website due to their booking history. For this reason, most of them are more than willing to post reviews about their accommodations, especially if they were granted the perks and privileges.

How does the Genius Partner Program work?

Booking.com applies the Genius rates to their partners’ least expensive or most popular listings. If they are the same, the discount will only apply to one of them. Furthermore, they set the required discounts in reference to the Genius Rewards Program of the users.

Here’s a quick guide to Booking.com’s Genius Loyalty Program:

Booking Genius Level 1

This entry-level membership is granted to users immediately after signing up. Users get 10% discounts on their accommodations after taxes and charges. Once completed, the user will get a lifetime membership without any further requirement to maintain Genius Level 1.

Booking Genius Level 2

Granted to users who have completed five stays within two years. It comes with a 15% discount, complimentary breakfast, and free room upgrades on Genius partners.

Booking Genius Level 3

Users must complete 15 stays within two years. Users are awarded a 20% discount, priority assistance, complimentary breakfast, and free room upgrade on select accommodations.

The free room upgrades are subject to the approval of the partners. However, it’s worth noting that most users expect these Genius benefits as they are stipulated on the website. Aside from this, the discount can also be stacked with other discounts, including the Early Booker Deal, Last Minute Deal, Basic Deal, Secret Deal, and Free Nights Deal.

How do you qualify for Genius on Booking.com?

As mentioned a while ago, the Genius Partner Program is free. No subscription fees, application payments, or commission rate increases. However, Booking.com ensures that they provide nothing less than the best accommodations for their loyal users, so they observe strict eligibility guidelines for their partners.

sample-property-review-score-qualify-genius-partner-program

Here’s how you can get into the Genius Partner Program:

  • Ensure your listings are open and bookable through the website.
  • Collect at least three guest reviews.
  • Maintain an average Review Score of 7.5. (Booking.com makes an exception for specific cities. As long as your Review Score is above average within your area, you will be considered for the program.)

If you meet these criteria and wish to enter the Genius Partner Program, proceed to the “Opportunities” tab on your Extranet dashboard and submit your application.

How can you remove your Genius discount?

While the Genius program requires a specific set of discounts, partners can block out related deals for up to 30 days each year. This allows brands to optimize their listings or modify price lists before re-activating Genius promos.

Here’s how to temporarily suspend your Genius discount:

  • Log in to the Extranet.
  • Click the Genius Partner Program under the Opportunities tab.
  • Select Suspend Genius discount and choose dates when you want to block out the Genius promos.
  • Click Suspend dates to confirm

You can choose 30 consecutive or non-consecutive dates. However, note that Genius users who booked their stay before you blocked out dates can still claim discounts.

access-genius-partner-program-membership

How do I get out of Genius Program on Booking?

Booking.com also allows partners to opt out of the program whenever necessary. All you have to do is send Booking.com a message through your Extranet inbox requesting the removal of your Genius membership. Remember that it will take six months to rejoin the program.

What is the difference between Genius Partner Program and Booking Preferred Partner Program?

As of this writing, Booking.com has two major marketing campaigns for its partners, the Genius Partner Program and the Preferred Partner Program.

The Genius Partner Program is designed to boost customer retention of businesses by giving users additional benefits. Since it caters to frequent travelers, companies can connect with people with the highest likelihood of rebooking your property. So, if your business doesn’t have difficulty attracting new customers but finds it challenging to retain them, this program may be the answer. Most importantly, the Genius program is free of charge as long as your business meets the requirements.

According to the website, partners who join the Genius program see an increase of 70% in search result views, 45% in bookings, and 40% in revenue with the cost of the discount accounted for.

sample-listing-preferred-partner-program

On the other hand, the Booking Preferred Partner Program is designed to help businesses attract new customers, as it automatically grants greater visibility in search results. Furthermore, if you get into the program, Booking.com will give a special ‘thumbs-up’ seal of approval on your property page, which increases your competitiveness among users.

Booking.com claims that businesses under the Preferred Partners Program receive up to 65% more page views and a 20% increase in booking rate. Despite this, it’s worth noting that this program isn’t free. In exchange for the increased visibility and the thumbs-up seal, Booking.com will charge higher commission rates for your listings.

Businesses don’t really have to choose between the two programs, as they can join them simultaneously. Both programs are designed to achieve different business goals, ultimately leading to an increase in revenue. However, due to its additional benefits, the Genius Program is significantly more popular among users.

How to make the most out of the Genius Partner Program?

Numerous businesses claim that the Booking.com Genius program is, in fact, counterproductive for hotels and properties. The fixed discount rates, the required freebies, and the selection of the least popular listings aren’t that fruitful for some companies. However, just like any marketing campaign, the program’s effectiveness relies on how the Genius partners implement it.

Here are some of the tips to maximize the Genius Partner Program:

Promote your Genius discount to your social media accounts.

Like any promo, it’s highly recommended to promote your Genius discounts to your social media accounts. Aside from making a buzz among your followers, it’s also an excellent opportunity to reach out to other Genius users who are yet to book your property.

Engage with Genius users.

Good marketing campaigns would always have follow-up offers to maintain the interest of their leads. In line with this, it’s best to engage regularly with Genius users. While Booking.com encrypts the email address of guests, business owners can still send them messages even after they checkout. Update your guests about your existing promos, ongoing change in facilities, or pretty much anything that will entice them to book your property again.

Grant freebies or room upgrades whenever possible.

Always give Genius users the discounts, room upgrades, and travel rewards specified on Booking.com whenever possible. However, it’s best to have backup plans whenever you can’t accommodate their requests. For instance, during the peak seasons when you can’t grant room upgrades, you can try giving room upgrade vouchers which they can use for their next booking. You can also explore complimentary lunch, additional discounts, and other freebies.

Actively collect guest reviews.

As mentioned a while ago, guest reviews are excellent marketing assets to attract potential guests. For this reason, it’s highly recommended to actively collect guest reviews from Genius users. Send follow-up emails and SMS reminders, add a welcome pack to their rooms, and respectfully ask them upon checkout. To learn more about the best strategies to collect more Booking.com reviews, read our complete article here .

sample-genius-partner-response-guest-review

Respond to guest reviews.

Your response is as important as the guest reviews–this is especially true for the travel industry. According to recent surveys, 77% of travelers are likelier to book businesses that respond to reviews.

Replying to guest reviews is an excellent way to build rapport with Genius users. It can also encourage other guests, even non-Genius members, to post reviews that can help your overall score on Booking.com.

Read our complete article here to learn more about responding to Booking.com reviews.

Build customer loyalty with Genius users plus an AI review reply assistant.

Responding to online reviews can be challenging, especially if you’re dealing with avid travelers who connect with numerous hotels and properties in a year. For this reason, getting online reputation management tools is highly recommended to help you strategically build customer loyalty among guests.

MARA AI review reply assistant can help you write well-written and engaging responses within seconds. Each generated reply highlights key features of your business that will give you a competitive edge among other Booking.com listings.

feedback-mara-users

Here are some of the benefits enjoyed by MARA users:

  • Achieve 100% response rates with cutting-edge AI
  • Make guests feel valued through unique and human-like responses;
  • Reduced response times and costs
  • Saves brain power so your team can focus on other tasks
  • Get consistently high-quality responses that will surely connect with guests

Register for a FREE account to see how the MARA AI review reply generator can strengthen your reputation among Genius users.

Final Thought

The entire tourism industry is becoming more competitive every day. For this reason, hotel managers and property owners must explore numerous ways to establish customer loyalty among frequent travelers. Booking.com’s Genius Partner Program is a great way to connect with a solid customer base who will likely revisit your property. After all, you can opt out of the program anytime, and it’s free!

This article is part of our hero content on Booking.com Optimization: The Ultimate Guide for Hotel Managers .

Frequently Asked Questions:

As of this writing, there are currently two Booking.com partner programs. First is the Genius Partner Program, which allows businesses to connect with frequent travelers. The second one is the Preferred Partner Program which grants listing a Booking-approved badge to attract new guests.

Yes. The Genius Partner Program is free. However, you need a bookable listing, at least 3 guest reviews, and an average Review Score of 7.5 to qualify.

There are currently three Genius Levels on Booking.com, each with a unique set of requirements to qualify.

Users must reach the booking target set for each level to level up on Genius booking. Once completed, users don't need to apply for the next level, as Booking.com would automatically grant exclusive discounts given to each Genius Level. However, remember that only bookings done on the website will be honored.

The highest level a user can reach on the Genius Loyalty Program is Level 3. Users are awarded a 20% discount, priority assistance, complimentary breakfast, and free room upgrade on select accommodations.

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' class=

i was wondering if this Genius thing can be upgraded at all. Their website says you need 5 bookings in 2 consecutive years, i have 15. Yet i'm still level 1. Most of my bookings are just being ignored and not showing on my Genius page. I've contacted their customer service, but as expected, they don't bother to reply. Anyone on level 2 here?

206 replies to this topic

' class=

Thanks to your post I had a look at my account and I am level 2, yes. I have no idea how or when it happened, as I didn't even realise that there are different levels to the scheme. That's how much notice I take of such things!

On digging a bit deeper, it looks as if having five stays booked through Booking.com has booted me up a level. although these five stays were in 2015 and 2016. I'm still going to book direct more often than not, as I can't see what I would need to do to get to level 3 (if there is one), nor what the benefits would be.

So I'll just carry on doing what I normally do and not think about it!

Level 2 is the top, it comes with 15% discount and free breakfast. No big deal but if you travel a lot it adds up. Not all hotels on booking.com join the Genius program though.

Not all hotels qualify to join the Genius programme.

Isn't it 5 bookings at the same property, because it's the property that gives the basic 10% discount? The extra 5% and free breakfast is optional for 5 bookings or more, and up to each property whether they offer it or not.

Hi oldboy5,

I'm a Level 2 Genius - whatever that means.

"Level 2 is the top, it comes with 15% discount and free breakfast."

The Genius benefits only apply if the hotel includes them in the rooms they offer on booking.com. It is not an across the board offer, although it does read that way with the new Level 1 and 2 language being shown on booking.com.

From my experience, most hotels don't actually offer Genius discounts at all. Some do and you'll see the Genius notification on the rates column when applicable. I've been able to avail of the 10% discount from time to time, probably a 1/3 or our bookings. However, I've yet to see a hotel offering the new Level 2 15% discount as yet. That is something I'll be watching for for future reservations made with hotels through the booking.com website.

I know this, i usually give priority to hotels that offer Genius discount. In Europe there are plenty. Depends on the location. Even small discount is better than no discount.

However this isn't what my original question was. I don't seem to be able to upgrade my level, and i was wondering if it's just me, or booking.com does this on a regular basis (ignoring previous bookings and refusing to upgrade your level). So now i at least know that something's wrong with my account. But i can't get through to customer service either. They reply no emails, and their phone lines are always busy. I'm just lucky i never ran into any trouble with my bookings, because contacting them and sorting it out would be a real pain in the backside.

Perhaps in the future i'll try to book directly with the hotels and skip booking sites. Thank you all for the input.

victor, you're perfectly entitled to look and book however you feel is the best way for you. I will carry on just looking at the total cost, and not bothering about whatever discount there's supposed to be, partly because I don't know what the discount is off, and partly because a 10% or 15% discount is no use to me if the final price remains more than I'd like to pay.

I'm level two. No idea how or when I got there.

I tend to look at the overall value not if I'm getting a "discount" an old trick is to hike the price and then give the client a discount.

Yes, advertise a room at £120 a night and some people won't even look at it. Advertise exactly the same room as being 25% off a rate of £160 a night, and the same folks will snap it up at £120!

' class=

I just logged into Booking.com for the first time in ages and noticed I was level 2. I have just booked a room that gave me the Level 2 free breakfast on top of the 10% discount which I am pretty happy about.

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Yes. I am a regular traveller and i am in level 2 in booking.com genius

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How works Genius, Booking.com’s loyalty program?

booking genius review

This post is also available in: FR

For who is Genius, Booking.com's loyalty program?

Booking.com’s loyalty program Genius is for casual travellers who:

  • don’t earn enough nights to get a status with a hotel program like Marriott Bonvoy
  • want to book the hotels of their choice
  • are interested in collecting rewards
  • switch between Airbnb rentals and hotels

Booking.com Genius Levels

Booking.com ‘s Genius program has three status levels. All members enjoy free access to discounts for life, depending on their level:

Here are some of the bookings we made with Booking.com :

  • South Africa: Oceansong Beach House Noordhoek Cape Town
  • In New Zealand: The Winedrinkers Cottage

Casual travellers

As you can see from the requirements, Booking.com’s Genius program is perfect for casual travelers.

The benefits of Booking.com's Genius Statuses

Here’s a summary of the benefits offered based on your Booking.com Genius status level:

Best price guarantee

Booking.com offers the guarantee of the best price and the refund of the difference if you find your booking at a lower rate on another site.

That is, if you find a lower price for the same hotel room booked with Booking.com , submit a claim up to 24 hours before the start date of your stay . Booking. com will then refund the difference.

In your booking confirmation email, look for the option You found this accommodation cheaper elsewhere. Or go to your account, in the View all reservations section.

Book on Booking.com with milesopedia

Want to support milesopedia? With your next reservation made through our affiliate link with Booking.com , we will be able to continue to give you lots of tips on how to save money when traveling!

Discover our multiple partners you can store with.

Get points for your bookings on Booking.com

Get flying blue miles with booking.com.

Flying Blue, Air France - KLM ’s loyalty program, is partnering with Booking.com. You can get Flying Blue miles for your reservations on Booking.com!

To do this, you will have to go to this specific link between Flying Blue and Booking.com and you will earn 1 mile per euro.

Get AIR MILES Bonus Miles with Booking.com

There are several tips for getting points, miles or cash back for your reservations on Booking.com.

You can earn AIR MILES miles for your Booking.com reservations through the airmilesshops.ca shopping portal.

To do this, you will need to log in to airmilesshops.ca before being redirected to the Booking.comwebsite. You’ll get 1 mile for $35. And regularly promotions are offered.

Check out this article to learn more about online shopping portals .

Redeem travel points for Hotels.com bookings

The online travel agency Booking.com is recognized by all travel points rewards programs. You will, therefore, be able to redeem your points to save on your reservations made on Booking.com .

For example with:

  • American Express Membership Rewards
  • HSBC Rewards

Bottom line

Booking.com’s Genius loyalty program is very simple. This program is for occasional travellers who do not necessarily book in a branded-hotel or who wish to be free to choose the hotel they want.

Plus, signing up for Booking.com’s Genius program is free!

Finally, in our opinion, the best credit card to use for Booking. com is the American Express Cobalt ® Card :

  • 2 points per dollar for your travel purchases (including on Booking.com )
  • travel points you can apply to on Booking.com reservations
  • Reliable travel insurance
  • No minimum income required

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20 reasons to leave Booking Genius

En español .   En français .

The Genius rewards programme is a brilliant move by Booking.com in its strategy to continue gaining market share in hotels by gobbling up other online channels as well as the hotel’s own direct channel, their website.

Reasons to join Booking Genius

Hotels usually resort to the Genius programme when:

  • They look for more sales on low-demand dates.
  • They consider that Booking.com has “high-quality” clients under control (frequent travellers) which they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
  • They want immediacy .
  • They don’t see a problem in giving an exclusive discount to these Genius clients because they are low-demand dates and “what does it matter because the hotel won’t fill up anyway”.
  • They consider that they have the situation under control and that they will “leave Genius” when everything goes back to normal and they don’t need it.
  • They follow recommendations from their Booking.com account manager and try it out. In fact, com argues that , by activating Genius, many hotels see their average price go up instead of down. This, according to them, is due to many Genius clients booking rooms without the discount.

This reasoning means that joining Genius is logical, understandable and I would even go as far as saying that it’s the right decision in certain scenarios. However, in most cases, it doesn’t adjust to reality, it’s basis is wrong and, above all, it’s a strategically dangerous decision.

Why do hotels perpetuate the use of Genius?

After activating Genius, time goes quickly. Weeks, months and even years go by and “being in Genius” is perceived as normal. Many hotels do not re-evaluate it periodically (which they should do) to see if it’s still worth it. This happens because:

  • Comfort . One of the key successes of Booking.com is that it makes life easy for hoteliers. Genius is also comfortable.
  • Lack of time to measure results and analyse whether the value it adds is bigger than the one it destroys. Comfort and lack of time go hand in hand and Booking.com exploits this to perfection.
  • Lack of tools to automatize data for subsequent analysis. Whoever wants to analyse something, has to do so by hand. Neither the PMS nor Booking.com help you with this task.
  • Lack of knowledge to make the right exercise. Despite having the data at hand, how do I measure the impact Genius has over my income? And over my expenses and, therefore, my GOP? And over my average price? Which part of the sales is new and which one is cannibalised? How does it impact the sales from other channels?
  • Ignorance or fear of “what will happen if I leave?”. Although many hotels have not been part of Genius for very long, they now feel fear if they leave, almost as if there was an abyss out there .

Visibility, new sales vs. profitability

We do not question that Booking Genius adds visibility to your hotel – a word that sounds great although it’s used lightly and even wrongly in many cases. This visibility allows you to access a larger pool of clients that you supposedly couldn’t previously access, although it also cannibalises clients that you already had and that booked rooms at your price without a discount. All of this ends up as an alleged larger sale , but at a much larger cost, although this is overlooked since it’s “low season”.

What we do question is the suitability of the Genius programme, its profitability on a global scale for your hotel and, above all, the model’s sustainability (is this the path we want to follow?). Therefore, our recommendation is to permanently revise the programme in all cases and, in most of them, leave it .

20 reasons why you should leave Booking Genius

We are only talking about hotels participating with 10% discount, not about hotels offering amenities. Booking.com doesn’t allow this second option anymore.

  • Because you are building customer loyalty for Booking.com (and not for your hotel) and, on top of it all, you are paying the bill for it. It makes no sense whatsoever.
  • Because selling at a discount has no merit , not even during low season. Speak to any bed bank or OTA, give them an exclusive 10% discount and wait for the clients to arrive.
  • Because exclusive discounts are something of the past … or perhaps not? If another channel asks for an exclusive 10% discount, do you accept it?
  • Moving your prices more actively and aggressively, both upwards and downwards.
  • Launching commercial actions on other channels, including your direct one, and that they cost the same as that 30%. Have you tried calling a channel to offer 30% commission to boost sales on specific dates? They would love to hear from you.
  • Over-commissioning Booking.com on these low-demand dates. You can reach the same cost without giving the advantage of the exclusive rate.
  • Because, further down the line, you can reactivate it if you need to, respecting the six-month hiatus imposed by Booking.com to rejoin.
  • Because Genius openly competes with your loyal and direct clients and even with your rewards programme if you have one or wish to set it up. What will your loyal client think if he sees that it’s always cheaper for him on Genius? Nothing good, as you can imagine.
  • Because it increases your dependence on a channel that in most cases is already dominant, particularly for urban hotels.
  • Because the more it sells for you, the more fear you will have to leave.
  • Because, believe it or not, you cannot compete with your own rewards system. It’s the equivalent of a local independent store trying to compete with a large department store . On equal terms, the big fish always wins.
  • Because it you tell your account manager that you want to leave Genius, he will be on alert and this once again shows the (strategic) importance that Booking.com gives this programme.
  • Because Genius, with its exclusive price advantages, eats up the rest of your distribution channels, including your direct web and phone sales.
  • Because it may damage your preferential rates for groups or weddings. They see a better rate on Genius and they could ask for the same discount you gave them albeit over the Genius rate, an absurdity that many hotels are currently experiencing.
  • Because it’s the year and month to do so. If you don’t make these decisions in 2017, which is forecast as a record year in Spain, when are you going to make them?
  • Because deep down you know it’s the correct decision, but you never find the time to make it.

Update on November 2017 –  Reason #21:  Booking.com started publishing Genius rates on Metasearch

Genius is a simple, comfortable, functional and highly attractive programme for hotels. It’s easy to give in and get carried away, since it makes your life easier and you barely have time but do have many open fronts.

Once again, the question is: do we prioritise comfort or profitability? Both in the same formula are not compatible. At Mirai, we are committed to profitability by working harder. Everyone chooses what they want or can but make sure you are consistent and accept the results.

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True, but hotels without strong loyalty programs might be obliged to take advantage of genius , for guests who are looking for Saving on Amy room type they book, the challenge we have as hotels that booking.com making it more re appealing and attractive with huge marketing campaigns that no hotel can afford to buy

Cooool guys it’s a long time I’m thinking to leave the genius program… but as you correctly said… we need lot of courage to do it. Maybe “they will get angry, I will have less visibility, they will crucify me?” for sure I’m afraid as we make billions with booking.com and for sure we MUST have a good relationship with them… you know there’s also this point. If I bicker with Booking.com I risk a lot… maybe too much… We’re died without booking.com so maybe we have also to “thank them”… I know we already give commission but I can also say that they’re clear with us, they don’t make any secret discount in other countries without saying it (as Expedia, Agoda, Hotelbeds ecc. make).

Anyway I’m seriously thinking in a way to exit. In a good way for us 🙂 Thanks for your article! And greetings from Italy!

Now can please do the same calculation on other channels of business? Like wholesale? Travel agents? Corporate?

Cost of sale exists everywhere, from hotels, to Ford and Mercedes, to Mars and Nestle.

Otherwise we wouldn’t need car showrooms and supermarkets….

Hi Ralph, Thanks for your comment. The best showroom today is Booking.com. I do not argue the value of being there. In fact you need to be there (and accept the cost it implies). However, I don’t agree with the need to give Booking an exclusive discount. It is a very dangerous trap. The sooner you get out the better. Pablo

I am thinking to leave Mobile and Member rate plan on OTA too, without this rate plan our hotel still visible through those OTA’s plan with higher rate. However in the other side we need to ensure that we have good content and hotel’s reputation to encourage the customer to book with higher price. Please give your feedback on it.

As far as I know Booking.com offers an analytic tool where you can actually check periodically if it is worth it keeping the genius program or not, and you are always free to decide if quitting when it is not benefitial anymore.

Hi Daniela, you are right. You are free to leave. However Booking.com does not provide the transparent information you need to make a proper decision. Sentences such as “By offering Booking Genius discount, you got 222 more bookings and 65,000€ more revenue” are incomplete. Where is the sentence “Although 201 of these bookings would have also booked your hotel without the discount” (of course I’ve made up the 201 number in this case).

Personally, I found some of comments are too subjective because you are not the hotelier and you don’t know whether they really attract more customers or not.

What’s good in this article is reminding hotelier to analyze the P&L; that’s their duty and they know how to make a business decision.

What I found not constructive in this article is: the author doesn’t want/or can’t see the network effect created by Booking.com today in this industry;

If Hotelier wants to do more online or web marketing or other promotion activities by themselves to save genius commission, they might have other operation or labor cost adder; they might need to invest in software or other tools.

If you want to sell your service via a platform, it seems to me normal to pay commission;

ie. Paypal charges 4.5% of commission from e-commerce, why most of e-commerce still need Paypal instead of other payment services as” Paylib”? Because PayPal earns-Consumer/End-User trust already with their great service.

Sorry for my late response. Didn’t realize about this comment until today. My apologies. I’m not a hotelier you’re right. However, I’ve been working for more than 15 years with my clients understanding where their customers come from and how they use Booking.com to attract more. Hoteliers do not use OTA correctly. Of course OTA create the necessary network effect (visibility). However, hoteliers do not know how to limit it and end up being eaten by OTA. This is the problem: OTA are winning and hotels are losing. Booking Genius is just another example of why. Genius is a great program for Booking (especially in the long run), and the best part of it is that it’s being paid by hoteliers and not Booking! Another masterpiece by Booking.com tolerated by many hotels.

I guess it depends whom we are trying to attract. I guess Pablo is right about the seasoned travellers and their knowledge of how things work in the industry. They will get their discount one way or another and in the end, it really doesn’t matter whether it’s booking.com or some other OTA. The question we should be asking is a) which of the OTAs will be the FT’s choice (and given the insane cashback rates booking tends to offer, it’s likely them anyway) and b) what it does to the general pricing: putting up an exclusive with some OTA that shows up publically on OTAs may or may not increase revenue but it does mainly attract one-time guests, resulting ever so more in the initial problem of lowering my rates long term.

I agree in it being absolutely imperative to remain on top of the sales channels but where I disagree is the generalization: keeping the prices sky high on my direct channel while offering significant discounts may work for getting Ma & Pa Kettle’s money due to all the scare-mongering (seriously: who is behind that?) but if we’re trying to attract the frequent guests, they’re going to be laughing all the way to the bank.

Again, depending on our property, it may make more sense in investing some money in higher rankings instead of giving discounts of any kind BUT offer more reasonable prices initially over all channels. I admit that competing with HHonors & Co is absolutely futile but that simply means we under no circumstances may make the direct channel even less attractive than it already is. We really can’t complain about OTA commissions and simultaneously make our own booking channel the least attractive way.

I believe that offering exclusive discount rates can be a very good way of addressing the frequent travellers in a seclusive environment while not throwing heavily discounted prices at everybody else.

Thank you for this information. I have always asked myself why I should even join such programmes when I am doing well without it. You have given me more support to remain outside such genius and preferred programs

Brilliant article, thank you for collating the data. I especially love reasons #3, #12, #14, #16, #17 and #20.

The questions is always, how much longer will hospitality owners remain ignorant to how the internet works (for everyone) and start building relationships with their own customer databases, and stop relying completely on third parties to bring them their customers. It’s absurd, and it doesn’t happen in any other industry. Thanks again

There is a fundamental calculation issue here — the opportunity cost of 30% is for leaving booking.com altogether (because it includes the genius discount and the baseline commission of 17%), NOT for leaving genius only.

Most of the other points are rather generic — yes, if you are willing to foot the cost for building your own channel and getting people to use it, then go for it. Otherwise, do your own analysis and pick the next best thing. But make sure your numbers are right.

How about providing a sampling of these things in the article — like, the cost of customer acquisition if you staff your own internet operations is $$ which is xx% of the revenue for a typical outfit, Compare that to ~yy% for booking.com, take into account other “qualitative” factors and decide which way to go.

Great article. I am reading it today, a day after I emailed Booking.com agent saying that I want to opt out from Genius. I got a call from them in 30 minutes but I did not change my mind. It took me a day to make a decision and that’s it. We are a small family hotel (12 rooms) and our review score there is 9.9 (100+ reviews). We had many problems with returning guests asking additional discount because they know about 15%+ commission we pay to Booking.com. Long stay discount+ Genius + direct reservation discount they ask = up to 50% discount sometimes. That’s just insane. I guess that quality of service and reasonable pricing beat every hyped discount mania out there. Thanks again for the article. Take care.

I am just an ordinary person and we probably stay away say 30 nights a year. We use Booking for research and then often try and book with the hotel direct. But often they don’t want to know, which I don’t understand. Anyway, it breaks my heart every time I use Booking because I know how much Booking charge the hotels and I want the hotels to stay in business. I’ve often wondered why all the hotels don’t join together to have their own ‘Not on Booking.com’ site. We do cycle touring and are often ‘forced’ into making bookings as Booking.com give us the impression we won’t get a room unless we book now, which has completely taken away our flexibility and at times landed us in problems.

how do i get out of genius,the system will not let me out.

Hi Heather, Not sure you can do it online. You can always ask your Booking.com account manager. Pablo

Also, the clients in their genius program are not necessarily frequent travelers. It just put me in there and I’ve only booked through them twice, both times in 2015.

Well, the main point with Genius is that ALL OTAs have some form of discount. Not only Booking.

If all of OTAs offer 10%-15% discount, then there is really no difference. Just consider selling at a comfortable for you price, counting what would be left after 10% off with Genius.

What I did is simply raising all the rates 10% up and then activating Genius 10% and similar programs on other OTAs because they help to boost visibility. Worked out really well.

Hi Roman, Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. Booking Genius is not the only OTA practice to increase hotel distribution cost (no matter in the form of higher commission or lower rate). Your move to jump into Genius and increase the rates by 10% is very smart. Hope Booking.com does not notice. Pablo

“What I did is simply raising all the rates 10% up and then activating Genius 10% and similar programs on other OTAs because they help to boost visibility. Worked out really well.”

This is why we can’t have nice things. Because everyone is a cheater. This is practically done by every hotelier on booking.com and it is the reason why for smart travellers , genius tag and its “benefits” represents absolutely nothing. I would not even bother with that. And if you are a cheater , I will be a cheater too – because I’m not stupid. I lost count of the number of hotel that gave me a better price that what was on booking after calling them directly. Go figure.

Booking.com should really take measures on this but I’m afraid they can’t do anything as it’s impossible to control everyone. And it’s a shame as booking offered much more for hotels that it offered for customers.

One more trick is the referral programme but even with a link from friends you are still going to get much higher prices than normal , giving you a false illusion of saving money.

Brilliant. Thank you.

Your review is nothing short of amateur. When my hotel is even at 50% capacity I’d rather get 3% extra via the genius program, spending an extra of 150$ per room night, and getting 450$, rather than hoping that the remaining 50% will magically fill up through walk-ins and I lose 90$. I am risking 90$ at a risk probability of under 2%, when I can gain 300$ at no-risk and no extra expense. Basic math puts you deep in the wrong. But… You are a salesman of some aspiring competitor, and not even remotely the sharpest tool in the business toolbox.

Hi Eugene, thanks for your comment, If you get to a point that you are at 50% capacity for tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, Booking Genius is a great tool and you have to use it. However, if you are at 50% capacity, you do not have a “channel (direct or OTA) problem” but a “pricing problem” or a “strategy problem”. And that’s a different story. In this post I question that many hotels rely on Booking Genius to fill dates that they don’t need, and at a huge cost they should not assume. Besides the many problems that Genius has in the long run.

thank you very nice website article

I agree that at some points Genius can be opted out and not necessarily used. In fact, Hotel was convinced by Booking.com (with statistic) that (like you said) Genius generates new sales and its actually additional to the current revenues, which is actually not. Thanks that you reveal it in this article.

3. Building customer loyalty for Booking.com it’s true,but we can still do something on our brand.com appealing to clients,using Booking.com as showroom. In this case joining all Booking.com / OTA programs is also advantage (of course with considering all cost)

9. At my hotel or maybe for some hotel also, we do have access (without having to contact Booking.com) to set the 30 days blackout for Genius. I agree with you 30 days is not enough.

OTA has customer big data and it’s their advantage ,”leaving Genius” probably suitable for a really high demand hotel, they don’t even need to join any OTA program,not only genius. The fact ,for some hotels filling up based occupancy itself , already a struggle.

I think each hotel MUST do their own assessment/analysis ( based on your 20 reasons as reference) to finally decide whether leaving genius will be the right or wrong decision.

I have small family business. Genius was turned on automatically. When I find the time to thoroughly check it out I was shocked in a negative way. Don’t know about large hotel but if you have small or medium sized business, you have to be crazy to participate in something like this. It is simply 100% absurd.

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Booking.com Review: Honest Insights for Smart Travelers

booking genius review

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Are you tired of the guesswork involved in choosing accommodations for your travels? In the vast world of online booking, making the right choice can be a gamble. Enter Booking.com , a titan in the travel industry, but how does it really fare? This Booking.com review dives deep into what the platform offers, backed by real experiences and data.

TL;DR: Key Takeaways

  • Booking.com scores an impressive 8.6/10 from over 28 million reviews.
  • Reviews on the platform are guaranteed to be from guests who have completed their stay.
  • Endorsements from seasoned travelers highlight the reliability of customer reviews on Booking.com.

The Big Picture: Why Booking.com Stands Out

In the travel booking universe, Booking.com is a behemoth, offering a vast array of options. But what sets it apart? It’s not just the sheer volume of accommodations available, from chic city apartments to remote beach huts. It’s the platform’s user-centric approach that truly distinguishes it. With a focus on flexibility, Booking.com caters to the ever-changing plans of travelers, offering free cancellation on many of its listings. This flexibility is a lifeline for modern travelers who value adaptability.

Moreover, Booking.com stands out for its innovative features like the “Genius” loyalty program , which rewards frequent users with discounts and perks, making it more than just a booking platform but a travel companion. The site also offers an extensive array of travel-related content , including destination guides and travel tips, enriching the user experience beyond mere transactions.

This commitment to providing a comprehensive travel experience, backed by reliable customer service available in multiple languages, solidifies Booking.com’s position as a leader in the online travel industry, offering not just a service, but a gateway to explore the world.

A Trustworthy Review System

According to ReviewTrackers , Booking.com boasts an 8.6 out of 10 rating. This high score isn’t just a number—it’s a testament to the platform’s commitment to genuine, helpful reviews.

Booking.com ensures that only guests who have stayed at a property can leave a review, thus maintaining authenticity.

Real Experiences, Real Reviews

Travel Blogger Nomadic Matt puts it best:

“The best thing about Booking.com is the honest customer reviews. They give you a clear picture of what you’re booking.”

This transparency is crucial in making informed decisions.

Making the Most of Booking.com

As an experienced travel journalist, I’ve noticed that the success of a trip often hinges on the little details. Here’s how to leverage Booking.com to your advantage:

Variety and Versatility

Whether you’re looking for a luxurious resort or a cozy apartment, Booking.com has it all. The platform caters to a diverse range of preferences and budgets, making it a one-stop shop for travelers.

You can find unique stays like treehouses, castles, and even igloos, offering a memorable experience beyond conventional hotel rooms. This diversity means that whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a family vacation, or a solo adventure, you’re likely to find something that fits your taste and budget.

User-Friendly Interface

Navigating through Booking.com is a breeze. The filters are intuitive, allowing you to fine-tune your search according to your specific needs. You can sort by price, location, review score, and amenities.

There’s even an option to filter for properties that are “Book Now, Pay Later,” providing flexibility in your travel plans. The map feature is particularly useful, as it shows the exact location of each property, helping you choose accommodations based on proximity to tourist attractions, airports, or public transport.

Price Match Guarantee

Booking.com’s Price Match feature is a game-changer. If you find your reservation cheaper on another website, Booking.com will refund the difference. This guarantee ensures that you’re getting the best deal possible, making it a smart choice for budget-conscious travelers.

Seamless Booking and Payment Process

The booking process on Booking.com is streamlined and user-friendly. You have the option to pay online or at the property, and in many cases, no prepayment is needed . This flexibility is great for travelers who prefer to keep their options open.

Rewarding Loyal Customers

Frequent users of Booking.com can benefit from the Genius loyalty program, which offers discounts and perks like free breakfast and room upgrades. The more you book with Booking.com, the more rewards you earn, making each trip not only enjoyable but also more cost-effective.

In-Depth Property Descriptions and Photos

Booking.com provides comprehensive descriptions and multiple photos for each property, giving you a clear idea of what to expect. This transparency in listings, coupled with real guest reviews, aids in making informed decisions about where to stay.

By utilizing these features and tips, travelers can maximize the benefits of Booking.com, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable travel experience. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or planning your first trip, Booking.com offers the tools and options to tailor your accommodations precisely to your needs and preferences.

Insider Tips and Secrets

  • Early Bird Gets the Worm : Look for early booking discounts.
  • Last-Minute Deals : Sometimes waiting can pay off with significant savings.
  • Go Beyond the Stars : Don’t just rely on star ratings. Read the reviews for real insights.

Personal Experience: A Case Study

On a recent trip to New York, I used Booking.com to find a boutique hotel in Manhattan . The detailed reviews and photos on the site matched the actual experience, proving the platform’s reliability.

Conclusion: Your Travel Companion

In conclusion, Booking.com emerges not just as a mere accommodation booking platform, but as a comprehensive travel companion that caters to a wide array of travel needs and preferences. Its strength lies in the diversity of accommodations it offers, the authenticity of its review system, and the flexibility and user-friendliness of its services. With features like the “ Genius ” loyalty program and the Price Match Guarantee, it rewards frequent users and ensures that customers get the best deals available.

The user-centric design of Booking.com, characterized by its intuitive interface and detailed property descriptions, empowers travelers to make informed decisions with ease and confidence. The flexibility in booking and payment options further enhances the user experience, catering to the dynamic nature of travel plans. This adaptability, combined with the assurance of genuine guest reviews, makes Booking.com a reliable choice for both planned and spontaneous trips.

Furthermore, Booking.com’s commitment to providing a seamless and enriched travel experience is evident in its extensive range of properties, from luxurious resorts to unique local stays, and in the depth of travel-related content it offers. These features, combined with its global reach and 24/7 customer support, position Booking.com as a leader in the online travel industry.

Ultimately, Booking.com stands out as a platform that not only facilitates the booking of accommodations but also enriches the overall travel experience. Its comprehensive approach, focused on meeting the diverse needs of travelers, solidifies its status as a go-to resource for anyone looking to explore the world, whether for leisure, adventure, or business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes booking.com different from other booking sites.

Booking.com stands out for its verified review system and a vast array of accommodation options.

Is Booking.com Reliable for Last-Minute Bookings?

Absolutely. The platform often features attractive last-minute deals.

How Does Booking.com Ensure the Authenticity of its Reviews?

Reviews can only be posted by guests who have completed their stay, ensuring authenticity.

Can I Find Budget-Friendly Options on Booking.com?

Yes, Booking.com caters to all budgets, offering a range of affordable options.

Does Booking.com Offer Customer Support?

Yes, Booking.com provides 24/7 customer support to assist with any queries or issues.

  • Booking.com Official Website
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  • Nomadic Matt’s Blog

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One response to “Booking.com Review: Honest Insights for Smart Travelers”

Kevin, your latest post really hit home for me. I recall my own time in the Rockies, basking in the wilderness, just like your adventure. The way you captured the spirit of the mountains was simply stunning. Your photos, especially the sunrise shot over Half Dome, were they taken from Glacier Point? Also, I was wondering if you encountered any wildlife, like those mischievous marmots? For other readers, don’t forget to bring an extra layer as the temperature drops dramatically at night, learned it the hard way! Kevin, have you considered exploring coastal trails? I found the juxtaposition between mountain and sea quite intriguing in my Big Sur trip. Keep those posts coming! 🏞🌄

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Booking.com just revealed its 2024 Traveller Review Awards recipients—here's what made the list

Here's your guide for booking your next getaway.

booking genius review

Updated February 20, 2024

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Booking.com's Chief Marketing Officer Arjan Dijk highlighted the important role travel partners play in providing memorable experiences for its customers. “The Traveller Review Awards are our way of thanking and publicly acknowledging the top-notch service our partners provide to travelers and the critical role they play in our mission of making it easier for everyone to experience the world," he said.

Winners of the best places to travel in 2024

  • 2nd place: Spain came in second with just over 125,000 awards.
  • 3rd place: France was not far behind at over 124,000 rewards.
  • 4th place: Germany took the fourth spot with nearly 87,000 rewards.
  • 5th place: United Kingdom came in fifth with nearly 75,000 awards.
  • 6th place: The United States claimed the eighth spot with just over 56,000 awards.

The awards also highlighted the Most Welcoming Places on Earth, which were categorized by cities and regions. Arraial d'Ajuda, Brazil came out on top as the world's most welcoming city, while Perthshire, United Kingdom was recognized as the most welcoming region in the world.

Winners of the best types of accommodation in 2024

The 2024 Traveller Review Award recipients also proved that apartments and vacation homes reign supreme for accommodation.

  • 1st place: Apartments were the most-award accommodation type for the seventh year in a row with over 710,000 awards.
  • 2nd place: For the second year in a row, holiday homes beat out hotels for the number two spot with nearly 214,000 awards.
  • 3rd place: Hotels received just shy of 180,000.
  • 4th place: Guest houses came in fourth with nearly 85,000 awards.
  • 5th place: B&Bs in fifth place with over 71,000 rewards.

Villas were also popular this year and they saw the greatest increase in recipients year over year at 23 percent, followed by holiday homes at 20 percent, and campsites at 14 percent.

Winners of the best transportation providers in 2024

Booking.com also acknowledged its ground transportation partners for the fifth year in a row for their continued service and hospitality in helping travelers explore new destinations and transporting them to and from their accommodations. This year, 449 car rental partners across 26 countries were rewarded.

  • 1st place: Spain topped the list with the most recipients at 84 awards.
  • 2nd place: Italy came in second with 74 awards.
  • 3rd place: Portugal took the third spot with 47 awards.
  • 4th place: Greece not far behind at 42 awards.
  • 5th place: United States rounded out the top five with 28 awards to transportation providers.

Taxi partners received a total of 129 awards with Italy in first place with 17 awards.

Whether you're planning the ultimate summer getaway or you're still deciding on last-minute plans for spring break, Booking.com's Traveller Review Awards recipients are a great guide to deciding on your next holiday destination.

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Disaster follows an astronaut back to Earth in the thriller 'Constellation'

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David Bianculli

booking genius review

Noomi Rapace plays an astronaut on the International Space Station in the Apple TV+ series Constellation. Apple TV+ hide caption

Noomi Rapace plays an astronaut on the International Space Station in the Apple TV+ series Constellation.

Constellation, the new drama series streaming on Apple TV+, starts in outer space, with an astronaut struggling to survive, and return safely to Earth, after things go horribly wrong.

This has long been familiar film territory, from the malfunction in Apollo 13 and the deadly stowaway in Alien, to the twisting perceptions of reality in Gravity . Constellation , created and written by former Doctor Who writer Peter Harness, borrows a bit from all of those. It's a very tricky story to follow – but in the end, and by the end, it's a very moving one.

In Constellation , the International Space Station, with a handful of astronauts aboard, is in orbit when it collides with an unidentified object, crippling most of the onboard systems. That's the Apollo 13 part. An emergency evacuation leaves a single astronaut waiting behind to repair and pilot the craft, while time, space and memory seem to shift – as does reality itself. That's what Sandra Bullock 's astronaut went through in Gravity . And finally, there's something mysterious and otherworldly on board – something potentially lethal. So there's Alien , sort of.

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Noomi rapace: finding lisbeth, and letting her go.

But in Constellation , while the spacebound scenes are thrilling and creepy, there's less frantic action in this series overall, and more underlying tension. It's a slow build, and takes several episodes to establish what may or may not be really going on here. But the clues make more sense as you go along, and the more you watch this Constellation , the more profound and disturbing it becomes.

Noomi Rapace , from a previous outer-space thriller, Prometheus , stars here. She plays Jo Ericsson, an astronaut on the space station who, in an early scene, is communicating with her 10-year-old daughter, Alice, who's back on Earth. The daughter, Alice, is played by twin actresses, Rosie and Davina Coleman, who rotate in the role. That's somehow fitting, because, after a while, Jo begins to suspect that her daughter isn't the same little girl she left behind.

Jo isn't the only one with suspicions or identity issues. Jonathan Banks from Breaking Bad co-stars as a former astronaut named Henry Caldera, who's now a scientist with a top-secret experiment aboard the endangered space station. At times, he acts like two different people, and there may be a reason. Psychologists in the space program believe that both Jo and Henry suffer from "high altitude psychosis," which explains – to them – the astronauts' post-mission bouts of confusion, memory loss and paranoia.

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Complicated? Absolutely. Over the eight installments of Constellation, perspectives change. Stories change. Even people change. Scenes that look one way, and mean one thing, in episode one are turned inside out when they return in episode six or seven.

It's a story full of unreliable narrators, and a TV show where the images are more important and revealing than the dialogue. And because the visuals are crucial throughout, the directors of this series are crucial, too. Oliver Hirschbiegel and Joseph Cedar direct the later episodes, stunningly, but the mood and look are established in the all-important first ones by Michelle MacLaren, who directed some of the most brilliant episodes of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

Watching Constellation takes commitment, patience and attention, but you'll be rewarded for that effort with a haunting story that, at its center, is about the love between a mother and a daughter. It really touched me. At least it did in this universe.

Correction Feb. 22, 2024

In the audio of this story, as in a previous web version, we misidentify the cause of the Apollo 13 malfunction as an orbital collision. The cause was an onboard explosion.

Why you’re always forgetting things, according to a memory scientist

Neuroscientist charan ranganath offers a scientifically robust rationale to accept that we can’t remember everything.

booking genius review

“Why drag about this corpse of your memory,” Emerson offered in “Self-Reliance.” It was an invitation to let go of past beliefs and things once said aloud — indeed, former versions of ourselves — for the sake of reinvention. The transcendentalist preacher’s son even once told his daughter Ellen that it was “a vice to remember,” hoping to get her to stop fixating on mistakes she’d made in her homework.

These days, most of us are instead trying to remember, whether it’s where we left our car keys or reading glasses or who the president of Mexico is. Semantic memory, the ability to recall facts and figures, differs from episodic memory, the ability to travel back to the past in our minds and re-create — however hazily — a scene. The latter relies on imagination, writes neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Charan Ranganath in his new book, “ Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters .” Each time we recall past episodes, we reconstruct them anew, “like hitting ‘play’ and ‘record’ at the same time,” he writes. This explains some of the ways memory fails us, whether witnesses erroneously led to think a person in a lineup snatched a purse, or unintentional plagiarism. (Ranganath, who is also a musician, believes it’s plausible that George Harrison truly didn’t realize he ripped off the melody of “He’s So Fine” while writing “My Sweet Lord.”)

“To forget is to be human,” Ranganath asserts. His book largely seeks to reassure the reader, with lucid and rigorous explanations of the relevant neuroscience, that much of our everyday forgetting is just fine. The problems we have with memory — and we have many — arise, instead, from our expectation that it will be accurate and photographic instead of creative and impressionistic. Our minds render the past in surrealist montages, not as cinéma verité; we are more Willem de Kooning than Dorothea Lange.

Evolution made us this way, Ranganath tells us — though he does so without examining what might distinguish the memory-making of humans from that of, say, elephants or crows. Experiences that are the most distinctive, the most emotionally arousing and the most linked to our survival — threats, nourishment, the possibility to reproduce — stay with people more readily. We lose track of things like our house keys because we use them so routinely that the many instances of key placement interfere with one another, such that yesterday’s instance of an everyday event has little staying power in the mind. Traumatic memories that linger, by contrast, function as warnings to avoid those same dangers in the future — something early humans needed.

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Many of the book’s verdicts about how memory manifests are intuitive, if not obvious: A smell or a song can cue up lost episodes from the past, something Proust knew a century ago when he placed the madeleines in Marcel’s tea. When we put down the camera and soak in all the sensory details, we’re more likely to hold an event in our minds than if we see it through the lens. But Ranganath’s book shines when it’s illuminating how this all works in the brain. His descriptions of complex studies are entertaining and clarifying, and he vividly paints the intellectual history of the science of memory, including how prevailing notions have been unseated over time by experimental research. He’s a generous, humble narrator, telling us about the bets he lost with other scientists whose hypotheses he had dismissed. He describes scientific progress — accurately — not as a product of singular geniuses but as arising “from the collective work of a diverse community.” His self-deprecation adds to his credibility and notably contrasts with the self-aggrandizing tone in many trade books written by scientists.

This is not a book about becoming a memory champion (for that, see “Moonwalking With Einstein,” by Joshua Foer), nor is it a book about avoiding dementia and other memory disorders. But, with a few exceptions — most notably, when he’s discussing the veterans he has counseled who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder — Ranganath implies that more remembering would be better . But what about the usefulness of forgetting? When should we remember, and when should we try to forget? And do we have a choice? We know that nostalgia can be a way to linger in the past instead of embracing the realities of the present or the possibilities of the future. Past grievances can keep entire societies from escaping cycles of violence. And on a personal level, don’t we have good reasons to leave behind past notions of self, to constantly reimagine who we are for the sake of living fuller and more creative lives?

When the author Lewis Hyde contemplated such questions through the prism of literature, history and art in his book “A Primer for Forgetting” (2019), he noted that Jorge Luis Borges, who believed that imagination required a blend of memory and oblivion, longed for the liberty to forget himself to be someone new. The composer John Cage used the I Ching’s chance operations to forget known melodies and invent new sequences of notes he hoped people could listen to with more aliveness instead of anticipation. (This also hedged against the risk of even subconscious plagiarism.) Hyde posited that creativity might require forgetting. Ranganath briefly touches on this when he describes a study showing that people with higher performance on creative thinking tests were more susceptible to being implanted with false memories. But his readers won’t get an understanding of how neuroscience substantiates or challenges the intuitions of Borges and Cage, nor of how memory might hinder or aid their own creativity.

Ranganath does make a brief case that human artists will always outshine AI artists because they draw on varied influences — a notion that becomes more tenuous as AI advances continue to stun. But he leaves aside the question of whether we should be reevaluating the purposes of memory amid technological change. Emerson treated his notebooks as an external memory bank, not knowing that one day people would size up their computers by their working memory. Should we keep ceding more memory tasks to smartphone cameras and artificial intelligence, or do we need to keep training our minds to enhance our semantic and episodic memory?

What’s most compelling about “Why We Remember” is that it offers a scientifically robust rationale to accept with grace that, no matter what happens in this new world, we will not remember everything we want. Memory research makes clear that there is no use in fighting the tide of forgetting that leaves some memories ashore even as it sweeps away — mercifully, at times — the rest.

Bina Venkataraman is The Washington Post’s columnist covering the future. She was previously editorial page editor of the Boston Globe and since 2011 has taught at MIT. She is the author of “The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age.”

Why We Remember

Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters

By Charan Ranganath

Doubleday. 291 pp. $30

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booking genius review

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A book on Donald Trump by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman is displayed at a bookstore.

The Washington Book review: Carlos Lozada on Trump and other targets

The New York Times critic won a Pulitzer for a reason – he knows better than anyone how to read the US political scene

I n downtown Washington, at the house where Abraham Lincoln died, there is a three-storey tower of books . Thirty-four feet tall, 8ft round, it is made of 6,800 volumes about the 16th president. The cover of Carlos Lozada’s new book, a collection of the Pulitzer-winning critic’s work from the past 10 years or so, imagines something rather grander: a whole Washington Monument, all 555ft of it, made of books about DC.

It’s an apt image. The Washington Book, Lozada’s second (after What Were We Thinking? , his “Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era” from 2020) makes for a monumental read about a publishing glut. Books about American politics – pre-Trump, of Trump, not yet post-Trump – simply keep on coming.

Once of the Washington Post, now of the New York Times, Lozada is close to having read the lot – “So you don’t have to”, as he writes, in fact in a review of Donald Trump’s own book-length brags about his business affairs. Memoirs of the Bush administration, of Obama, reportage on Congress and the chaos of Trump, Trump tell-alls, examinations of Joe Biden’s first term or expressions of the existential dread a looming Trump v Biden rematch inspires. All are here. Throw in a meaty closing section on political philosophy that lands a little like Tolstoy’s second epilogue to War and Peace – I swear I read this one right through – and you have an authoritative overview of US political publishing in the last decade.

Many Lozada reviews can be read as primers: the sort of thing, concerning multiple books on similar subjects, he calls a “sampling of the sub-genre”. That line comes from The United Hates of America , an essay on “America’s descent into negative partisanship”, Lozada deftly distilling then advising which books to bother to read.

Telling judgments are passed. In The Premature Redemption of Mike Pence , Lozada anatomises the perma-pious, ever-obsequious former vice-president’s memoir, So Help Me God, but also the near-canonisation Pence received for ( ultimately ) refusing to go along with Trump and overturn an election. For simply doing his job, in short.

“It doesn’t take courage to break the law,” Pence records himself telling aides and family members as the Capitol comes under attack on January 6, the mob chanting for him to be hanged. “It takes courage to uphold the law.”

This “inspiring scene”, Lozada points out, is “marred only by Pence then asking his daughter to write down what he said”.

Lozada also makes a sharp point about a simple ellipsis in Pence’s recounting of what Trump said when he finally told the mob to go home, a quiet omission that fundamentally changes Trump’s words from dangerously recalcitrant to apparently semi-sincere. Nor is Lozada done with Pence: “You shouldn’t get glory for pulling democracy back from the brink if you helped carry it there in the first place.”

That wasn’t the only time in reading The Washington Book I found myself, like Woody Allen’s intellectual for hire , writing “Yes, very true” in the margin.

Lozada does not spare Democrats: there is a strong critique of The Truths We Hold , Kamala Harris’s 2020 campaign book, and Lozada is sharp on how Barack Obama personalised the presidency before the notion went nuclear with Trump. Happy to praise, Lozada charitably concedes that Josh Hawley, the far-right Republican from Missouri, is not wrong to detect a crisis among American men – it’s just that he could offer more sensible ideas on the page.

Trump and his supporters present inviting targets. In Three Ways to Write About Donald Trump , a review of books by Maggie Haberman, Robert Draper and Peter Baker and Susan Glasser – all bar Glasser employed by the Times too – Lozada makes a telling point: Trump’s chief political enemy is not Biden or any other Democrat. It is paper, from the constitution to notes of meetings, which he sees as a well of desperate peril. The grabby anecdote is Haberman’s, about Trump trying to lose notes down the toilet . The telling insight belongs to Lozada.

Pithy pay-offs abound. In Mueller, Ukraine and January 6 , on official investigations and the reports they produce and publishers flog, Lozada writes: “Trump told America that he alone could fix it. The January 6 report tells us that he alone could break it.”

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O ne quibble. True to newspaper style guides, in the reviews that make up The Washington Book, bad language is obscured. Obscenities – and in a book in part about the cascading obscenities of the Trump years, there are bound to be more than a few – are not spelled out in full, even in quoted speech. Being British, and formed on Fleet Street sports desks at that, I find this odd in the furthest extreme.

A few such instances:

“We’re going to impeach the motherf–––er” – Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, about Trump ( The Challenges of Impeachment )

“I don’t f–––ing care if they have weapons. They’re not here to hurt me. Take the f–––ing mags away. Let my people in” – Trump, described by Cassidy Hutchinson ( Mueller, Ukraine and January 6 )

“What the f––– are you doing? Are you f––ing taking notes?” – Trump, described by Anonymous in A Warning ( Profiles in Thinking About Courage )

Wherever politics is practiced, it’s a dirty business. Among political cities, Washington is dirtier than most. Under Trump, or besieged by him, the blows go low, the fight is as fierce as the F-bombs. Members of Congress swear like troopers. Joe Biden does too . And yet the New York Times and the Washington Post, the paper of record and the paper of Watergate, shy from printing dirty words.

To write about such bare-knuckle battles as if chaperoned by a battalion of maiden aunts? Even while marveling, as Lozada rightly does, at linguistic timidities such as reporters’ reluctance to simply call a lie a lie? It’s little short of bizarre. Not least, in the case of Carlos Lozada, when the writer is so f–––ing good.

The Washington Book is published in the US by Simon & Schuster

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Barbra Streisand’s Memoir Makes for 48 Vivid, Verklempt Listening Hours

In Streisand’s new audiobook recording for her chatty, brick-size memoir, “My Name Is Barbra,” the superlative diva adds a little freestyling.

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A colorful illustration of Barbra Streisand singing into a microphone while holding a copy of her memoir aloft.

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MY NAME IS BARBRA, by Barbra Streisand. Read by the author.

Barbra Streisand’s memoir, “My Name Is Barbra,” exists as a doorstop printed volume and a 48-hour audiobook read by the author. The two are closely related, of course, but not quite the same. As Streisand recites the story of her life — her deprived childhood and her rise to stardom, then auteurdom, then finally lifetime-achievement-award-dom, all while beating back the haters — she ad-libs off the written text, splices sentences, audibly shakes her head at dubious decisions, and altogether places us opposite her on the sofa with a cup of coffee for a two-day kibitz.

Recounting a motorcycle ride with Robert Redford while filming “The Way We Were,” Streisand describes how being on the back of a bike, her hair streaming, was never her dream. “You get knots!” she writes in the book in a parenthetical, clearly meant to echo her fear of skiing a few paragraphs earlier: “(You could break bones!).”

But recorded Streisand blithely ignores the parallelism. “You get knots, right?” she says instead, with that indelible Brooklyn-Catskills inflection. Here and throughout, her voice is simultaneously crisp and mild, wistful and urgent, an ideal vehicle for a history of triumphs and slights both decades distant and — to her, at least — vividly present.

“You get knots, right?” could hardly be a tinier change, but many such changes, over many, many hours, smooth her annoyingly ellipsis-crowded writing into a natural, intimate spoken narrative — if always a queenly one. At the end of her account of visiting Amsterdam to see the Rembrandt paintings whose antiqued brownish-red conjured the atmosphere she wanted for “Yentl,” she declares, “The only pure red I like is the color of Ruby Glow azaleas.”

The sober emphasis she gives this glance into her preferences, as if it were the whole point of the story, is the kind of thing that has left me, since I finished the book, bereft.

MY NAME IS BARBRA | By Barbra Streisand | Read by the author | Penguin Audio | 48 hours, 17 minutes

Zachary Woolfe is the classical music critic of The Times. More about Zachary Woolfe

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