I agree, that reads professional, friendly and quite succinct. 
But the post explains what it means to AirBnB (and most of the other sites now too) and it makes it clear that they are of course welcome to leave what they feel, as long as they are aware of what their rating means. If we receive 4 stars after a guest knows what it means then that is actually better because I know it was not a mistake.
However, I would have a problem with a guest who gets a lovely place at a great price with excellent service but then would think, “We had a great stay with no complaints, but because of a posted notice we saw a week (or month) ago when we arrived explaining that docking a star actually works against the host, that rubbed us the wrong way so we already made a mental note and decided we are docking a star anyway, just out of spite.”
This isn’t anything I just did right off the bat. After years of this with glowing reviews and no complaints we’ve paid the price long enough for a rating system that goes against what most people are familiar with (I used to be happy to get four stars and couldn’t understand all these hosts complaining that they got one 4 star out of a sea of 5 stars – I actually think all 5 stars on a listing seems suspicious to be honest). Guests realize we put that there due to the problem we’ve had with satisfied guests nevertheless costing us “warnings” from AirBnB and threatening our status. I think it doesn’t say we expect a 5-star review but just an accurate one that reflects how they felt about their stay. If most people feel according to the chart that the 4 star description best represents how they feel then I’ll take it no problem (but not out of spite because of a post explaining our ongoing problem with AirBnB’s system).
But the fact is that is how AirBnB does it and most guests do feel that 4 stars means completely satisfied with no complaints (as did I), but maybe not stellar or perfect or mind-blowing “Ritz Carlton-type” 5 stars. Either AirBnB needs to change their standards or explain it to the guests that they start with 5 stars then deduct for each significant issue …or else us hosts have to.
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said no one ever with all 5 star ratings
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Well, I have an all 5* rating and I do think that guests find it suspicious that there are so many 5* places on Airbnb. Guests have said as much. Not suspicious that any specific listing would have consistent 5* ratings, but that there are so many of them.
I doubt that many hosts would be upset with 4* reviews if Airbnb considered them to be fine and stopped acting as if we have done something wrong for providing what the guest considered to be a “Good” experience. It’s one thing to do your best to provide good hospitality, it’s something else to feel like you have to strive for absolute perfection and scurry around catering to a guest’s requests, or refund money for some minor inconvenience in fear of a less than 5* review.
People will see what they want to see.
My only two 4 star reviews came from people I have said no to. No you cannot stay two hours for free, no you cannot cancel the day of and get a refund.
I am working on my tact in telling people no. “Oh I am sorry the housekeeper juggles childcare and I cannot change her schedule on short notice” is my new go to answer on late checkout. I am no longer offering it for a fee as the entitled guests are put off by having to pay to stay.
RR
I only think it’s suspicious with the corporate run rentals with dozens of listings. We have multiple one host one home members here with 5 star ratings. It’s been awhile since I bragged about my numbers so let me drop them here: 598 reviews, 588 of them are 5 star. I’ve never asked for a good review or given any guidelines.
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And let me make clear, I don’t like the idea of providing guidelines for reviews as if guests are idiots (even though some are). This is a personal preference and it works for me. But if a host with a different business model feels that they need the help, then go for it. Airbnbs are not all the same.
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Then you’re not one that needs to worry about it. When you get people giving you 4 stars thinking it was a stellar review that is the problem. Happens to us a lot. I would be hesitant to give all 5 stars myself as a guest unless I knew that the system was different for vacation rentals. I would think 5 stars means best ever or basically perfect/outstanding.
Oh, I never said we liked it. I said it has unfortunately become necessary as long as people think 4 stars is very good and AirBnB thinks it means “lacking” in some way (and warns us as much). Two great disparities.
Huh? Of course people whose listings have those ratings aren’t the ones suspicious. I thought that was clear. The ones reading it are often suspicious. Just by the law of odds. I too find them suspicious and I have heard others who feel the same way. Not just on rentals but on a lot of things, especially when there are a lot of ratings. Even the best products on Amazon won’t have dozens of ratings without a single one less than five, although their average may be like 4.8 or in rare cases a full 5.0.
Oh, sorry. Misunderstood.
Thanks - please note that the formatting on our cover is different from what you see - we use nice big friendly fonts. Usually Lato. It’s a favorite font
Some hosts do not need such a system. Some do. It is what it is. And since Air is never going to change it, we all just need to do what benefits our business, to both serve and educate our guests.
Not so sure about AirBnB. They are going thru a lot of changes right now whether they like it or not (I have also expressed my displeasure with the confusing rating scale many times to them and other sites).
@SWLinPHX. I always appreciate a member who consolidates their replies into a single note or two. I give you 5 stars!
My “said no one ever” was a bit cheeky. I realize that managing multiple resort properties is very different than what I do in managing one guest house. And I realize a lot of it is luck and that at some point I’ll have a bad day and/or a bad guest. I’m at 154 reviews and I don’t think I’ll ever match @KKC’s almost 600 near perfect reviews.
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Just opening this up for discussion because I have no explanation…
To some of us, it never happens. So why would it ‘happen a lot’ to one host but not to another?
I do think that 5 stars means outstanding! Sorry to say, but if I was getting 4 star reviews a lot, I’d be looking to improve my rentals. That’s something I have control over whereas star ratings are not.
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No reason you can’t with your set up and competency. I give credit to this forum for helping me avoid problems. The ones who come here after they have bad reviews will always have them on their record. You are ahead of the game.
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Sorry, but we beg to differ. Your experience (or that of the few who use forums, out of the majority of hosts who do not) does not speak for every host. Again, been doing this 16 years and many guests feel 5 stars means perfect, outstanding or best ever (as I would myself). Those who think that are very apprehensive about rewarding 5 stars. I think we’ve beaten this dead horse so I’m very confused how you find this so hard to understand, when this thread and others exist for that reason, and many have commented they have that same issue, and GutHend (who made the original ratings guide) made it for that reason. Do you think we are all lying or that your standards, rentals and expertise are above and beyond all of ours? Sounds like you are implying there must be something “wrong” with our rentals (if anything, it is that we charge too little). We don’t share our listings on discussion forums but I could easily link to them to prove otherwise with our reviews. But as stated before, everyone’s situation is different and it is quite presumptuous to questions someone’s honesty just because it doesn’t match up with your experience. Perhaps you are being less than honest when you claim to never get anything but 5 stars.
And with regard to what a host has some control over, I again beg to differ. In case you haven’t been following the discussion, what we are “doing” about it is explaining what the ratings mean so that guests can leave the rating that reflects their experience, not one they thought was good yet indicates a problem on AirBnB. I don’t care what rating we receive as long as it is the one they intended to leave after looking at the chart – and as long as I know we provided a beautiful place in an ideal resort community with excellent service. After that the ball is in their hands but if they leave an unfair review without any reason or notice we will not have them back, and most want to return.
Having said that, I do find it strange how you say you think 5 stars does mean only perfect or “outstanding” then turn around and say anything less than that indicates the host did something wrong or the place needs improvement. Your rating scale sounds very strange and like nothing we’ve heard before if you rate 5 as “outstanding” but 4 as problematic or lacking. I guess you see everything black and white. That’s where we apparently differ.
I have avoided a less than 5 star review with a guest that the smoke alarm went off and “ruined her whole experience” the poor little snowflake. So besides coming over in 5 minutes and dealing with the problem the next day at checkout I texted her this: Thanks for being a great guest, sorry about the smoke alarm last night. I will review you this afternoon when I get the email from AirBnb, I would appreciate it if you could take a moment and do the same. If I could get your email address (the one with air is fake/temporary) I would like to send you special offers from time to time, 3rd night free that sort of thing. Thanks again for staying!
I send a version of this to all departing guests, I think the thought of getting a night free makes them think twice about the review.
RR
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@JJD I have to differ with you on this. Because I have discussed with my guests about the rating and review system, I know for a fact that many guests feel they are giving a good review when they rate 4 stars and if they are informed that hosts get threatened by Airbnb if their rating falls below 4.7 or lose their Superhost status for anything below 4.8, they are shocked. The good guests are offended by the thought that Airbnb tells them that 4 stars means “Good” and then turns around and lets hosts know that it is considered not “Good” but “Not good enough”.
They are not at all offended by being given this information and when they are aware of this, they then rate 5*s to anyplace they thought was fine and would book again. Not because they have been cooerced into giving a higher rating than they think the place deserves, but because they have zero desire to hurt the host, who they were quite pleased with, and consider that the listing was all they had hoped for and wanted. If they instead feel the listing didn’t quite measure up, they will rate accordingly.
It is Airbnb that creates this situation by their hypocrisy, it has nothing to do with a host not going the extra mile.
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About presuming and implying… In the other tread you were presuming that you are the only one here with experience and the only one running a professional business. Implying that I am just a hillbilly having a hobby 
. No need to defend, it’s probably all in my mind 
.
Anyway, I totally understand that my star guide does not fit your business 
. You are totally right in that department 
. I only wanted to say that I think your star guide does not suit your business either. It’s too long, has a way too negative vibe and IMO will not get the job done. You need to rework it so it’s shorter, less negative and adequate for what you are offering.
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Someone called it “hostsplaining.” LOL.
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VERY darn clever, sir! We will absolutely be stealing this for future use.
Fully agree. We do not expect that Air will ever change their ways, unless they lose a LOT of hosts and business to other platforms. Unless that occurs they will continue business as usual with their horrific 99% Guest Centric policies.
Some are lucky enough to get loads of 5 stars. Others need to have some type of “guest education” in place. All of us are managing our own businesses and should do as we feel is best to serve our needs.
We deserved our first 4 star, upped our game accordingly and earned Superhost. The other two 4 stars were guest mistakes, encouraged by Air’s capricious policy of telling them outright at review time that “4 = good”.
Sorry but 5 stars = "listing is accurate in all respects and there were no issues (or a minor issue that was immediately resolved by host). They should put something extra in place for a guest to indicate “exceeded expectations - over and above 5 stars”.
Or - better yet - just tell guests PROPERLY exactly what the stars really are - instead of the current system.
Anyway, it’s all useless. Air will continue to do whatever they want, protect Guests and some of us (most?) need to do as we need to protect our interests and ratings.