The bungalow wasn’t luxurious, but the beds were super comfy. Lots of crawling insects in the basement bathroom. The bungalow was able to accommodate 8 people. Our coffee pot only held 3 cups of coffee. There was a keurig machine with 3 pods of regular coffee. Our group was 5 adults for 2 nights and then down to 4 for 2 nights. It was the cheapest coffee maker ever made. I was never giving them 5 stars but a bit shocked they asked for one. Screen shot of the message they sent to me. I think there are 4 owners of this airbnb…or one host and 3 co-hosts.
So there’s your Personal Response to him, "We enjoyed staying at your listing, but simply can’t giv a 5-star review, because: although beds were comfy the place isn’t luxurious…lots of crawly…coffee pot too small, too few pods, etc.
Then give a 3 or 4…
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They are foolish to use the word “luxurious”. It’s too subjective - to me, it brings to mind the Ritx (well, what I imagine it would be like), with deep, plush carpeting, high-end everything, a butler, etc.
Do what @KenH said.
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A host from Berlin who used to be active on the Airbnb forum, who also travelled a lot staying at Airbnbs, said he used to give other hosts the benefit of the doubt and rate 5 stars, giving private feedback about uncomfortable beds, not enough coffee, towels, tp, etc., assuming the hosts would take it to heart and step up their game.
But after looking back at those listings months later, and seeing that guests were still making negative comments in the public reviews about the same things he had mentioned to the hosts privately, he stopped being so considerate and started making his complaints public.
I think directly asking guests for 5 star reviews is quite tacky, although I don’t find anything wrong with those review guidance notes some hosts use which basically explain to guests that while Airbnb tells guests that 4 stars means good, they then turn around and tell hosts that 4*s isn’t good enough and they have to pull up their socks. The guest is then still free to rate as they like, but with some knowledge behind it.
As a homeshare host, having had in person conversations with a few guests about Airbnb’s disconnect between what they lead guests to believe and how they deal with hosts, I’ve found guests to be grateful for the info and shocked that hosts would be taken to task over 4 star reviews. But I always say to guests that of course they shouldn’t be reticent to leave less than 5 star reviews if they felt it was deserved.
The lack of adequate coffee, and other basic supplies for the size of the group and length of stay is definitely not 5* territory, IMO.
I also see a lot of new listings where they’ll list for 10 people, and have adequate beds for that many, yet only have living room and dining room seating for 6, and 4 pool loungers. I don’t know what these hosts are thinking- how does that make sense? Where do they think all those people are going to sit down to dinner together?
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Rule number one for guests and hosts should always be “always leave an honest review”.
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As a rule (in the past), I would never want to hurt a host by leaving negative comments publicly. In addition to my comments…my bedroom did not have any bedside lamps and used stools as bedside tables. It had a large tv stand, (tv was missing) to put your belongings. I dont watch TV very often so I didnt care , but it looked tacky. I found one tall lamp that i dragged into the bedroom to discover it didnt have a bulb…but i did find a good bulb in another lamp. The bathroom upstairs did not have an electric outlet so you had to plug in, in the hallway. The blowdryer was so cheap that the drying capacity was that of a gentle summer breeze. I have very thick, very long hair, so it was useless, so I borrowed one. As Muddy stated…there were 6 chairs and not sure where the other guests would sit if we had a party of 8. At the end of the day we loved our stay because of the company and we were celebrating a birthday. We all stated we would stay again, but would chip in for a decent coffee maker. The beds were fabulous and that made for a good nights sleep.
From all the guests who were not informed of the issues at this Airbnb, a sarcastic ‘thanks’ for making their visit unpleasant. Honest reviews help people decide how they want to spend their money for their stay. Many folks are very happy with mediocre settings, or very happy with things that don’t concern them such as not working televisions. However, not having a good quality hairdryer when it is advertise as an amenity is a Red flag for some people. Giving an Airbnb a five star rating when it is not warranted is a disservice to our community.
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That’s the sort of thing you should be able to see in listing photos. If a guest just doesn’t pay attention to the photo details, I don’t think it’s fair to complain about in a public review or mark a host down for (even though it’s something basic that you feel really should be provided).
I.e. Promised or pictured amenities that in fact are not there or non-functional, or mismatch between number of guests and adequate amounts of supplies and furnishings: Mention in public review.
Things you feel a host should have provided, but were not promised nor pictured, like bedside lamps: Suggestion to host in private feedback.
As I always read in bed at night before going to sleep, I wouldn’t even book a place that didn’t show bedside lamps in the photos. And I can’t believe how many rentals here in Mexico do not have bedside lamps or even bedside tables.
It sounds like this place @Thunderlake stayed was poorly and unattentively run in general- obviously the host/cohosts really don’t care that much to present a place that rates 5 stars, yet ask for 5 stars.
I almost wonder if this is a situation where the host is remote and isn’t aware that the cohosts are falling down on the job.
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I don’t get those who advertise their listing as ‘Luxurious,’ but honestly, they are just bare minimum in my opinion. They set their guests’ expectations high, which led to huge disappointment later on. It’s a guarantee of a not-so-good review.
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