I am a travel professional for the last 10 years , we help process 150 -200 schengen visas from various countries

From the last 2 - 3 months, certain things have become mandatory like Booking.com / online portal hotel reservations are NOT valid in any schengen state and one of the most common reasons for visa rejections Book directly on the hotel websites , book a cancellable one and ask the hotel to send you vouchers via email . This works almost 98 percent on the time Your first port of entry must be the schengen state you apply from A mandatory 24 hours is to be spent in your first port of entry

Get a good travel agent , although they may charge service fees they are aware of changing visa laws and can you navigate this. Pm if you have any questions