This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
We ask all our guest for suggests and criticisms on how to improve our home so we can make the airbnb experience better , we do ask them to leave all criticisms in private and not in the review .
I tell all our guest that we only give 5* REVIEWS in the hopes that we receive 5 * reviews with nice words to follow .
So far , so good . Except one guest did not like that .
Are we doing something wrong ??
Thanks in advance
I don’t directly ask for 5 star reviews. The day they checkout I send them a message “we hope you enjoyed your stay and thank you for being five star guests.” I actually read on this forum of a host that did that so I copied the idea and it’s worked well. I prefer more of a subliminal message. I think that some guests might think that asking for five star reviews might seem a bit pushy.
Reminds me of certain of my former students who always thought they should get an A. I guess that’s why I don’t like it either.
I do add that "we all get 5 * reviews and that how life should be ".
I let them know they are getting a five star review .
I think it’s a matter of philosophy, the “5 for 5” deal probably started with Ubers. How do you rate guests who are crummy, or have you had the skill and good fortune to avoid those? Or do you rate them 5 but say something in the written review? The pushback is that rating any bad guests highly with no review comment doesn’t help your fellow hosts screen for them.
I provide a little explanation of what the Airbnb star rating system means, so as it is not confused with the star level of a hotel, from budget to luxury.
What @Ritz said, but only if they were indeed 5* guests. This includes, but is not limited to, inspection of your space prior to sending the message - Please leave an honest review of the guest(s)!
I struggled with this earlier on. I settled on a welcome print-out in the room, with info, recommendations, etc. I end it with:
“we strive to provide you with a 5* stay! Please let us know if…”
Subliminal but not pushy.
Thank you for the replys . All good .
Keep in mind that we offer a trade off , you get 5 and we get 5 , everyone gets 5 *s .
We have over a 100 , I believe , we’ve 2 airbnbs . We have a 5 star rating until recently , but , that’s coming back up .
Please don’t subject future hosts to potentially bad guests! That’s why we review!
Reviews are meant to be honest, not some mutual admiration society. Your attitude and practice with reviews makes a total mockery of the review process.
And shilling for 5* reviews is also really tacky. I’m surprised more of your guests haven’t been offended by it. If a host said that to me, I’d knock off stars for communication and overall.
Thank you , Muddy , interesting .
I think there’s little honesty in the reviews , anyway .
And , I have had a couple or three not so good and I was honest in their review .
People are mostly reluctant to leave a bad review . That just being positive thinkers .
And I capitalize on that idea . So , " Everyone gets a 5* review " .
Think positive 
What if a guest doesn’t deserve a 5-star review? Do you still give them 5 stars? If so, shame on you for passing your garbage on to the next unlucky host.
A truly terrible approach. Why would you offer a 1 or 3 star guest a 5 star ratings if they had damaged your home or partied?
The whole point of the guest review system is to leave honest reviews to help warn your fellow hosts of bad or picky guest behaviour.
I would never dream of asking a guest for a five star review and am not surprised if you will annoy some of your guests by doing so.
I’ve been hosting 5+ years hosted hundreds of guests across multiple listings . Had SH status within the first quarter and haven’t lost it since.
With the odd exception of unreasonable guests - you don’t need to ask for a five star when you’ve provided a five star experience.
Certainly not from you, that’s for sure.
JF
I don’t even ask guests for reviews much less ask for a 5*. I’m new at this location and so far everyone but the first grieving widow has left me a review and I’ve reviewed them. A bit presumptuous to ask for 5* in my book.
I just mention in our check-out that we strive to provide a 5 star experience (which is true!) and if there’s anything we can do to improve please send us a private message. Some of the suggestions have been very helpful, others… not so much LOL. But I’d never promise 5 stars in exchange for 5 stars!!
Not everyone deserves five stars. It’s like a teacher giving away As to all students regardless of the effort they put into the course.
It’s not fair to give a crappy guest a 5 star review, it sets a low standard. That same guest will expect a 5 star rating from his next host but he will still be a crappy guest because he was falsely rewarded and thinks his/her actions are acceptable such as leaving dirty pots and pans.
Ridiculous. Hopefully there are other hosts who do the same and hopefully you get their one-star guests who have been marked by a previous host as 5-star guests. Then you will see how your strategy needs re-thinking.
@muddy 's reply was perfect. I too would mark down a host who asked for a 5-star review. It’s better just to give 5 star service.
I message thanks for being 5 star guests, but sometimes I have not even seen the place yet. If it turns out I was wrong I will review appropriately.
RR
I wonder how Airbnb would react if a guest complained about your approach. We do not talk with guests about reviews. I know from involvement with other consumer surveys that using the language that you would like to hear such as “excellence” can make difference. We do mention 5 stars a few times in our written material for guests. Since ours is a home share we get to inquire as to whether the guest needs anything or observes any problems while they are here. 99% can be taken care of immediately.
I have 622 reviews, 613 of them 5 star. I didn’t ask a single guest for a review, much less a 5 star review. I never promised a 5 star review. I never put off any guest by pandering, pressuring or bargaining.