I actually printed out this article and put it into the guest binder. While it specifically addresses location, it also explains the philosophical difference between Airbnb reviews and hotel reviews:
1 Like
The article doesnât seem to be written by an âexperiencedâ host at all. It reads as though heâs pretty new to this business.
I would hate new hosts to think that, as he says, âTo an Airbnb host, this creates an extraordinary level of anxiety, and a somewhat antagonistic relationship with guests.â
It might to him but not to most hosts surely.
1 Like
As a guest Iâd wonder why youâre telling me how to review you, and Iâd likely feel LESS not MORE enthusiastic in the process. As a host, I just wouldnât.
6 Likes
Yes, you are being dishonest, which negatively affects all the rest of us.
People like tou make it impossible for hosts to identify problematic guests.
4 Likes
Yes, you are 100% correct. The review system underpins the Airbnb hosting model and those who either always leave good reviews, irrespective of how the guest behaved, and those who donât review at all are doing their fellow hosts a great disservice.
There isnât much Airbnb can do about the former, but itâd be an easy fix to deal with the latter. Any host who consistently doesnât review their guests should have their account flagged and warned the same way folks whose overall rating drops. Couple of warnings and then delisted. Gone. You want the benefit of other hosts reviews, but are too lazy to be bothered to reciprocate, then on yer 
JF
7 Likes
I think the whole internet review system is already broken. 5 stars, whether you are a host, a guest, or a tour provider has morphed to mean it was ok. There is no way to tell if there is stellar service.
The Airbnb that exceeded expectations was not a super host. Iâve stayed in both 5 star Airbnb and hotels that were worn with the service slipping.
2 Likes
Exactly why Iâve said over and over again Airbnbâs star rating system creates properties and hosts that are totally over-rated. An average place with an average experience is not 5 stars. A 5 star property and experience means an exceptional experience. This is why before booking anything we read through the details left in reviews to get a real idea of the property and the experience.
It is unfortunate, but airbnb has created this gamesmanship by connecting the reviews and punishments to hosts, causing hosts to worry too much about the review instead of the customer.
6 Likes
How do you know theyâve been five star guests when you send out the message?
I agree yes & no. Unless the qualifiers for 5 star are clearly structured & defined, itâs always subjective.
To tag onto hotel star descriptors, the Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC is 5 star, rooms start at over $300/night. It offers everything (for a price)-stellar service, concierge services to handle transportation, reservations, activity planning , a spa, indoor/outdoor pools, salon, amazing dining, world class wines, golf, boutiques, beautiful common areas and so much more.
The Beau Catcher Inn is also in Asheville. $125/night. Boutique hotel. It is on the edge of downtown. It is a 1960âs motor court. A local couple are renovating & updating & opening it a room at a time as funds allow.
The only amenity is a coffee bar in the office featuring locally roasted coffee & some breakfast pastries. It is clever, cute, convenient, different, & clearly a passion project. I love it. It is a 5 star hotel -no, but for its niche, it is a wonderful 5 star experience.
I could not rate it as average although it isnât a posh experience.
2 Likes
I donât. If they turn out to be 4 star guest then they will get a 4 star. That being said 98% of my guests are 5 star guests.
RR
1 Like
My first guest after reopening told me she would be leaving me 5 stars after reading this, posted on the kitchen bulletin board:
9 Likes
What would be your equivalent guest rating?
Perhaps
5 
There were no more than the number of people/animals in the reservation. The house was left in a state we could easily clean before the next guests. Payment received promptly
4 Showed up with extra people/animals. Had to ask for additional payment for additional people/damages.
3 Had to contact AirBnb to mediate issues. Would not have back.
2 Left peacefully after kicking out early
1 Called the police
1 Like
I might lump kicked out a police in the 1 category and drop using AIrbnb to a 2. I would see three as an unusual amount of cleaning, guest lied about minor things or ignored some rules, but no necessarily critical ones. My challenge as a homeshare host is what to say about the deathly boring guest who doesnât do anything awful, but left us sighing with relief when they checked out.
For the sake of other home share hosts you should review honestly. It doesnât have to be explicitly negative, just state what they did that didnât work well in your setup.
2 Likes
There is a problem with five stars. Some people gave us say three, in the genuine belief that that was the merit value of our offering. In truth our apartments are really only worth three stars. For a one star price 
Whereas the way it actually works is on a deduction system; everything is 5 star unless the reality falls below the description. But I dont care very much since our booking rate is high.
About reviewsâas usual I was snooping on the competition, then I decided to look at rentals sleeping 10 or more. Just curious.
One review for a listing (12 guest max) was glowing then it wasnât. It spiraled into, âthe ice maker is completely inadequate for our group of 17. The grill is too smallâIt was ok for hot dogs & hamburgers but we were had to cancel our plans to grill steaks. â
SMH
Too many people
Just buy a bag of ice
Almost No one has a grill large enough to cook 17 steaks at one time
After seeing a review like this, I wonder why we care.
3 Likes
Because the vast majority of people are fine, kind, responsible guests.
If we focus on the negative we are doing ourselves a disservice.
1 Like
Precisely ,Annet3176.
We have to put up with the young and stupid peopleâs ideas of what to complain about .
Some of the people who responded are a bit "shallow minded " . Most are not .
1 Like
Exactly John. I know that a lot of hosts make a lot of fuss about it but hopefully theyâre just venting. As long as Iâm fully booked I donât care about how many stars I have on my chart. Iâm not five years old.
3 Likes
This is dishonest and how guests wind up with less than accurate bookings. It is how hosts end up with bad guests. Itâs irresponsible and demonstrates a lack of care for what others might get subjected to. Staying in a strangerâs home and hosting a stranger in your house should be taken as a responsibility.
Donât offload onto others. Give honest reviews.
4 Likes