Short answer: Booking.com has a built-in promotion for exactly this problem. It's called the New Property Deal — a temporary 20% discount that applies automatically across all your rooms and rates, meant to help a new listing get its first guests. It runs until you get three bookings or 90 days pass, whichever comes first, and you pay for the discount yourself. You can turn it on during registration or later from the Extranet, and turn it off any time.
This is general information from Booking.com's own partner help pages, not a guarantee of bookings. How fast your first booking comes also depends on your photos, price, and availability.
1. What the New Property Deal actually does
The New Property Deal cuts your price by 20% across all rooms and rate plans, automatically, for guests browsing your listing. It is designed to make a brand-new or newly listed property stand out in search while it has no reviews or booking history yet.
Key points from Booking.com's partner help:
- The discount applies to all your rooms and rates — you don't pick which ones.
- You pay for the discount, not Booking.com. Think of it as a temporary, deeper commission on early bookings in exchange for visibility.
- It ends after three bookings or 90 days, whichever comes first. Your price then returns to normal automatically.
- You can switch it off at any time before that, if you change your mind.
2. Who is eligible
Booking.com limits this deal to properties that are:
- Open and bookable on Booking.com for less than 12 months, and
- Have not had any reservations yet.
Once you pass either mark — your first booking, or your first year live — you lose eligibility for the New Property Deal. So if you're reading this with a brand-new, zero-booking listing, this is the window to use it.
3. How to turn it on
There are three ways to opt in:
- During registration — it may be offered when you first set up the property.
- From the Extranet — go to Promotions, choose a new promotion, and pick New Property Deal under Portfolio Deals.
- From the Opportunity Centre — Booking.com sometimes surfaces it there as a suggestion for eligible properties.
Source: https://developers.booking.com/connectivity/docs/b_xml-promotions
4. Other promotions worth knowing about
The New Property Deal is one of several promotion types in the Extranet. The others — Basic deal, Last-minute deal, Early booker deal, Campaign deal, Country rate and Mobile rate — work differently and can be useful later once you're past the new-property window. Read the terms for each in your Extranet before switching any of them on, since they change price and visibility in different ways.
5. Beyond the discount: listing basics that help
A discount gets you seen; it doesn't fix a listing that's hard to book. Alongside the New Property Deal (or after it ends), check:
- Photos — clear, well-lit photos of the actual rooms and facilities, not stock images.
- Facilities list — complete and accurate, since guests filter search by amenities.
- Open availability — a calendar with no unnecessary blocks.
- Competitive price — compare your rate against similar listings nearby.
- Fast replies — quick responses to guest questions before booking.
- Reviews — once you have your first few guests, ask them to leave a review; it helps every booking after.
If you list on more than one OTA, keep your rates and room availability in sync with a channel manager so a booking on one platform doesn't lead to an overbooking on another. Our post on OTA commission vs direct bookings walks through how OTA costs and direct bookings compare once you're past the first-booking stage.
From BitLegacy: once your Booking.com listing is moving, a direct booking page on your own site keeps the full room rate for repeat guests. Plans start from ₹299/month — see pricing.
Sources: Booking.com Partner Help, "How to set up the New Property Deal," https://partner.booking.com/en-gb/help/rates-availability/rates-special-offers/how-set-new-property-deal · Booking.com Connectivity docs, "Promotions (B XML)," https://developers.booking.com/connectivity/docs/b_xml-promotions
Frequently asked questions
What is Booking.com's New Property Deal?
It is a temporary 20% discount that Booking.com applies automatically across all your rooms and rates when you turn it on. It is meant to help a new or newly listed property get its first guests. You, the property, pay for the discount, not Booking.com.
Who can use the New Property Deal?
Properties that have been open and bookable on Booking.com for less than 12 months and have not had any reservations yet. Once you get bookings or pass the 12-month mark, you lose eligibility.
When does the New Property Deal end?
It ends after three bookings or 90 days, whichever happens first. After that your price goes back to your normal rate. You can also switch it off yourself at any time before that.
How do I turn on the New Property Deal?
You can opt in while registering your property, or later in the Extranet under Promotions, Choose a new promotion, then New Property Deal under Portfolio Deals. It may also appear as a suggestion in the Opportunity Centre.
Are there other promotions I can run besides the New Property Deal?
Yes. Booking.com's Extranet also offers a Basic deal, Last-minute deal, Early booker deal, Campaign deal, Country rate and Mobile rate. Each works differently, so read the terms for each one in the Extranet before switching it on.
What else helps a new listing get its first booking?
Good photos, a complete and accurate facilities list, open availability on your calendar, a competitive price for your area, and fast replies to guest questions all help. Keeping your rates and rooms in sync with other OTAs through a channel manager avoids overbooking while you are growing bookings on more than one channel.
About the author
Managing Director, BitLegacy Solutions LLP
Captainjeet Kaur leads BitLegacy Solutions LLP, the team behind BitLegacy Hotels — hotel management software for independent Indian hotels — and writes about running and growing hotels with simple, practical technology.
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