Explain reviews to me

Cyndy, remember that there are many hosts here. Some who have been in this business for a long time and some who are new or relatively new.

Some hosts have guests in their homes, some have separate places.

Some hosts are very successful in their businesses, some are (at the risk of incurring wrath) hobbyist hosts.

It’s up to you to decide what your hosting style is. And it’s up to you to decide whose advice you follow.

We’re all different and there’s no right and no wrong - we just give our opinions and describe the way we handle things.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide. Take everything on board, then decide what’s best for you and your business.

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True. and this is why it can’t hurt, every now and then, to write a nice “thank you” response, that will throw you off the scent! haha. I probably only do this every 5 reviews, and I don’t think i’ve ever responded to a review that had some nitpicking in it, i just ignore those.

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Responses are not to be addressed to the guest who wrote the review- they appear on your profile, not the guest’s- the guest may never even see it. Responses are written for the benefit of future guests, to correct misinformation or lies in a factual way.

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I use soft-eyes while scrolling to find the response that is lengthier than the thank you responses, haha.

But seriously, I’ve never decided against a listing because of a negative review that a guest left but I have skipped some listings because of a response from the host. I’m okay with a simple “Thank you so much for your feedback, the AC has been repaired”.

It’s just too easy for responses to sound defensive, catty, overbearing, rude, desperate, relentless, pandering, insulting, passive-aggressive or unhinged. Even when it’s obvious that the review wasn’t warranted, seems unfair or the guest was clearly a problem, I still don’t want to deal with a host that makes an unprofessional retort. A response also tends to give credence to a review I would’ve otherwise glossed over.

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I agree that many hosts write knee-jerk, defensive or aggressive responses to less than positive reviews that do the host more harm than good. But I don’t agree that hosts should never leave a response. It’s just that many aren’t capable of understanding when one is really warranted or how to keep it brief and dispassionate.

Hosts who have pages of good reviews really don’t need to leave responses to an outlier review- any potential guest who wouldn’t see it as an outlier and dismiss it, is likely a guest you wouldn’t want anyway.

But a new host who has hardly any reviews might want to make it clear why a review is misleading. And as responses are read by future guests, it’s not a bad thing to point out that actually reading the listing info can help guests avoid disappointment when their expectations don’t match was in fact clearly stated in the listing.

I don’t think that how experienced hosts who are also experienced guests filter and read reviews and responses is necessarily representative of how the average guest does.

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I only comment on a guest’s review if there is something that is not correct. That review will eventually move down the list and if you write a comment you bring too much attention to it.

For example, guest gave me a weird review and mentioned the str was in a city that it’s not. All I commented on was the correct location of the STR.

If a guest makes comments like the knob or the uneven step, etc, that’s your cue to fix them. Don’t expect the guest to work with that. Don’t acknowledge it in your comment. Just understand that when you first start, you don’t always see what the guests see. In the beginning I got a few 4s and one 3, but it’s been years since I’ve gotten anything but 5s.

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‘Guest didn’t read the listing’ or ‘it’s clearly noted in my listing’ or words to that effect are meaningless in a reply to a less-than-perfect review.

Several year ago I remember a review that said “Great location. An easy walk to the beach, shops restaurants, famers market, great restaurants…” and a few stays later a review that said “If you stay here you’ll need a car as nothing is nearby”.

So which is the case? In case a) the guests found it easy to get around without a car but guests b) didn’t.

There’s no right and no wrong there, just different people seeing the exact same thing in different ways and in both cases, the review reflected their own experiences.

When people are asked to give a review, they do just that. If six people in a company are asked to proof a brochure, for example, they’ll all have something to say about it. They don’t want to be the person who says “yeah, it’s great just as it is”.

Exactly. Every guest stay is a learning experience.

Consider interpreting this review as free market feedback. If you take each ‘negative’ comment by a guest as an opportunity to consider how you can improve your communications and/or substantively ‘guest proof’ your property, you will be far better off than rebutting guests. In time your guests will say that you have thought of ‘everything’ when what you’ve done is listened carefully and responded with actions.

For example, do you just say ‘kitchenette’? By that word alone I would not know that there is no sink. Should you say more – like includes only the very basics: induction plate, toaster, . . ., no sink . . . If there’s really no sink, you might want to consider your options to provide one because I wouldn’t think that the word ‘kitchen’ belongs in a place without a sink. And while the only sink is in the bathroom, say so.

Does the knob need to be fixed? Are there other small repairs needed?

Is it difficult to get to the door? If there are three or more steps do you have railings? Does it comply with the building code? Would it help to have some gravel at least near the door to make it easier to navigate? Is it slippery? If so, is there something you can reasonably do to make it less slippery? [I hope you have commercial insurance but this guest is giving you valuable information, that they found it slippery, difficult to get to the front door. If you think that is reasonably true, can you fix it? What can you disclose about it?]. Are there trip hazards? Is your property SAFE, inside and out? In a fire could someone easily see how to evacuate in the dark (consider 24/7 LED lights that illuminate the way out and any stairs, solar-powered lights outside can also show the way in the dark)? Safety is Job 1.

Consider this $13 outside solar light. We have them set to be triggered by motion so that they show outside steps.

Does your listing say it is a small shower (if it is)? Maybe provide floor measurements or find a funny way to describe how small it is. People here can be pretty witty, so tell us its size and show us a picture and some of us might be able to help.

View this review as an opportunity to ‘up’ your hosting skills.

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I like this one.

Thank you so much for your feedback, the AC has been repaired

But a new host who has hardly any reviews might want to make it clear why a review is misleading. And as responses are read by future guests, it’s not a bad thing to point out that actually reading the listing info can help guests avoid disappointment when their expectations don’t match was in fact clearly stated in the listing.
Yes!

Yes, I could be more clear about the sink I suppose. I have a pic of the area and specifically mention only a mini fridge, microwave, water dispenser and coffee maker.

I don’t understand the ground/ yard/ steps to front door though. It’s very well lit, only 2 steps. I think there was morning dew on the grass. Maybe that made it slippery.

I think it is better to take @JJD 's advice and stuck with “Thank you so much for your feedback, the AC has been repaired”

But the review is an opportunity for you to take another look at your listing to make sure that what you wrote was clear or how it could become more clear. Sometimes it’s a matter of spacing, styling.

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Well, that’s the process. You read the review and evaluate where you could do better, or where – here by the front door – the issue is not yours but the guest’s.

On the ‘no sink’ you really do need to mention that there is no sink. That is a BIG omission. We have a kitchen and we mention the appliances. But we don’t mention that the kitchen includes a sink, because that is a given.

Though when you think it’s the guest’s own issue, it’s a good idea to keep the comment in the back of your mind in case the guest had a valid complaint but didn’t say it well.

I just noticed that you have only 3 reviews and this one dropped your rating to 4.33. I want to give some practical advice, though it may come across as harsh, it is practical.

The written review is irrelevant, it would be futile to respond to it. It’s doubtful your listing will even be seen with only 3 reviews and a 4.33. It’ll be at the bottom of the search ranking and it’s hard enough to trust a new host without having to get past that low rating.

It is unimaginable that you will be able to get the number of 5-star reviews that you need for your rating to increase merely enough for it to not be delisted by Airbnb. You could try lowering your price to rockbottom but it may not get you good guests, good reviews and definitely won’t get you a return on your investment.

I recommend that you delete this listing and start fresh by re-listing it as “new”.

It is not typical advice for a small-time host but at the end of the day it is still a business and you need to save it. I’ve noticed that it is what hosts who appear to have investors do because investors want to make their money back. You are also an investor and also need your business to be viable. It is not viable as a new host with a 4.33 with 3 reviews.

The advantage you have over those ‘big hosts’ (because they don’t get better, they just start over all of the time) is that we can help you tighten up your “new” listing so that you can avoid getting this kind of review again.

Whether everything or nothing in the review is true or not, they are all things that can be tempered by your listing, photos and communication with guests. And maybe also using the air review app (I can’t help but wonder if the review is typical of what she has left other hosts). In this business, reviews equal profit (or not) so there’s no shame in avoiding guests who leave reviews like this.

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@Cyndyrr327 You might want to share your listing with this group. There are many very experienced and savvy hosts here who could give you excellent advice on how you present you property.

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Our studio listing doesn’t have a full kitchen. It does have a little bar sink but I go to great lengths to explain and then overexplain and then mention several more times that there is not a full kitchen in my listing. If you care to see it, let me know, I’d be happy to send you a link in a PM. Surely, it’s not a masterpiece but it has worked. I’ve not had a single complaint or bad review.

Also, if someone books more than 4 or 5 days or if I get the sense that they didn’t read everything or are expecting a full apt then I send them a message right way. I ask if they noticed that there isn’t a full kitchen. Several times they hadn’t. Twice they said that they didn’t mind but were glad to know so they could plan appropriately. And twice it was a dealbreaker and they canceled right away and thanked me. It’s two cancelations but it’s not a bad review.

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Yes, your example is a good one of the type of review that hosts mistakenly respond to. There’s nothing “bad” about a review where the guest mentions things factually, even if those things are clear in the listing info. It’s actually helpful, as it would ward off future guests who would find, say, a 15 minute walk to the nearest store to be onerous.

To me, the only reviews that can benefit from a response are ones which misrepresent the listing or which mention something that does require the host’s attention. In the first case, the response should briefly and simply clarify the misrepresentation, in the second, it should indicate that the issue has been fixed.

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I once saw a response to a very lengthy and nasty review that was two paragraphs of the guest just railing on the lack of pool maintenance, the shallow depth of the pool, the lights in the pool not working, there was no diving board, the temperature of the pool and even that the pool got too much shade in the afternoon.

The host’s response: “We don’t have a pool.”

It was true, they didn’t.

:rofl:

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I suggest that you set a limit to stays (for example, 5 days) so that folks who are looking for longer stays do not find you.

Your saying that the only sink is in the bathroom reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer had a garbage disposal installed in his bathtub. I remember the looks on everyone’s faces around the dinner table when he explained that he prepared the meal in his bathtub.

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With all due respect @rolf you know that I didn’t start doing this yesterday. I do very well with the studio. It alone pays the mortgage every month and I still have a perfect rating after 4 years of hosting so I can’t imagine why I would change it up.

My minimum is 4-6 nights depending on the dates. Sometimes avoidance can be the answer but it can just as easily be communication.

Besides, do you really think that there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that I’m winging it? When it was THIS forum that raised me? I do not comprehend lack-of-well-thought-out-solid-plan :robot:

:rofl:

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