In my opinion, your written response is perfect … it addresses the few things she pointed out with an even-tempered response. No more is needed.
It may seem very subtle, but I would omit the “however.” Just state the facts and don’t qualify them. That way it sounds less defensive. Otherwise, I think it’s fine. I have so many guests tell me they didn’t bother to read the entire description. It’s definitely a pain.
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I thought someone had posted that leaving a “would not host again” does not mean that your your listing is blocked from that person. Is that true or not?
I always give the best, most positive review I can- because then no matter what you come off to others as a kind, positive person. If they are truly awful people there are clever ways to let that be known “John Doe left before we could say goodbye, we hope he enjoyed his stay”. Stuff like that, where you don’t say anything bad OR good. that = “don’t host this guy” to other hosts. Don’t worry what they say about you.
I once had a guest request 300$ because we didn’t allow her and her boyfriend to stay well past check out time, she complained all about HER disappointment and that it was insulting of me to suggest that we could hold their bags while they bussed to the Mall of America (we live half a block from a main bus line and a 9 minute drive to the mall)- Airbnb sided with my refusal to pay because not a single one of her complaints was about our actual unit.
THEY REMOVED HER ONE STAR AWFUL REVIEW so we could keep our Super Host listing!
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I would post 2 less out door photos and more/any of the bathroom. Get rid of the photo showing dead grass by the house with the deck far away in the shot- I’m a landscaper and its not doing the listing any good. If the bathroom isn’t shown I am going to assume it’s gross. (If I missed bathroom photos, let me know)- also, what does the front door look like? A view of the front door says “welcome to our home”.
I hope this helps!
Like you, I like to be a positive and kind person.
So I think it’s important to acknowledge what you appreciated about the guests’ conduct.
But I’ve been coached here when my draft review language was seen as being vague or ‘nice-signaling’ that the purpose of the reviews is to inform other Hosts about the guests’ behavior so that the Hosts can evaluate whether they’re a mutual fit.
I would add that in my opinion the review is a way to inform the guest what was appreciated AND what wasn’t right. If the guests’ behavior was just a little off, a private note might be the best way to do that.
Bottom Line: Reviews aren’t a way for us to feel good about ourselves as people, or only to signal to others the kind of person we are (or the guest is as a person) but instead the behavior of the guest so that others can evaluate whether they’s be a good guest-Host fit and some appreciation as well as critique (if warranted) of the guest’s behavior during the stay.
We can do this fairly and still come across as fair and positive people by sticking to the facts.
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I like this reply because we have no sink:
“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.”
When we spent a small fortune to completely remodel our basement so it wouldn’t FEEL like a basement, we installed a bidet, a huge shower, and a 5 gallon filtered water dispenser; hot, cold, and room temp.
We purposely did NOT put in a kitchen sink (yes we call it a kitchenette) because I do NOT want to end up with a basement permanent rental. In lieu of the sink, we (who live upstairs) supply a dirty dish bin which guests put out in the hallway DAILY because we wash their (pretty much breakfast only) dishes ourselves daily. The guests appreciate it and don’t really notice that the advantage to us is we get to come into the unit DAILY to make sure everything is going well and nobody is wrecking anything.
Thank you! That’s very helpful.
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There are other Hosts here who have a unit without a sink, and they too do the dishes daily for their guests and have had no complaints.
My suggestion would be to not use any word with ‘kitchen’ in it. Regardless, state very clearly that there is no sink other than the bathroom sink (i.e., no kitchen sink).
Given that you’ve spent a fortune to remodel your basement I would revisit the decision not to provide a sink – for example, water and a ‘place’ to clean veggies and fruit, to drain pasta (does the guest put the colander in the bathroom sink? Or in the tub a la Seinfeld’s Kramer?)
You can avoid a permanent basement rental by not renting it permanently. I don’t mean to be a smart ass here, but I’m not understanding the rationale of not putting in a sink so you don’t ‘end up with a basement permanent rental.’ By the same logic you could not put in a shower and tub.
Which others? If a guest’s behavior was objectionable, why care whether you come across to that guest as kind and positive? You probably wouldn’t want to host them again, and they should be made aware that their behavior wasn’t okay or they will just go on to do the same thing to other hosts.
A response to a bad review is a different story- responses appear on your review page, not the guests, and are read by future guests. So they should simply be written as very brief and factual to correct misinformation or lies, or to indicate that a legitimate issue has been fixed.
Your reviews of guests are used by other hosts to decide whether to accept a guest. They aren’t read by future guests. Your example of "If they are truly awful people there are clever ways to let that be known “John Doe left before we could say goodbye, we hope he enjoyed his stay”, is not a subtle way of letting other hosts know that you wouldn’t recommend John Doe. It tells me nothing and in fact makes it sound like the stay was fine.
Hi,
Since we can’t see what they say about us, I err on the side of trying to be positive or very, very minimal. When Airbnb asks if you’d host them again I say “no”. I don’t want a bunch of nasty, judgey reviews written by me all over my page. It doesn’t look inviting.
Luckily we’ve never had any dangerous jerks so I’m not going to be petty and complain. The one bad review we got, as I described (the one where she requested 300$ because we didn’t let them stay or check out for free all day) Airbnb removed their review entirely so it was like they were never here.
If the people are so awful I have to warn other hosts, I shall. So far, I haven’t had to do this.
Margi
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Err on the side of ACCURACY.
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Your reviews of other guests show up on THIER profiles, not yours.
When hosts decide that they need to be ‘nice’ rather than honest, it degrades the review process for all of us.
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I understand this ‘feeling’ but it goes against the purpose of the review.
Even if the guests are nit picking or unkind, your duty as a Host is to leave an honest and fair review. It’s not supposed to matter ‘what they say about us.’
No one is suggesting that you be ‘nasty’ or ‘judgey.’ Please don’t be. Or petty – don’t sweat the small stuff. But overall: Were the guest clean? Did they communicate appropriately? Did they follow the House Rules?
As Sergeant Friday said in ‘Dragnet’ : “Just the facts.”
It sounds like you’ve had very good guests and really have not had to face giving a review that ‘was negative.’ But one day you might and the Hosts here will be happy to coach you on leaving a review that is fair and accurate without at all being nasty or judgey.
Oh yeah! Duh, thanks. No one’s been that big of a problem, luckily for me- but thanks for reminding me where their review goes!
Margi
The reviews you leave for guests are meant to be an honest account of your experience with guests- the review they might leave has nothing to do with that. If the guest leaves a review that misrepresents the listing or your hosting, you have an opportunity to leave a factual response if you feel it’s necessary.
Leaving low stars and marking that you wouldn’t host them again, just because guests can’t see that, without explanation in the review of why, is hypocritical and does no one any good.
Star ratings are very subjective- one host’s standards and expectations may be quite different from another’s. And a guest may not be suited to a homeshare situation, but be fine in an entire place. Being factual by explaining in the written review allows other hosts to decide whether the stated behavior is something that would be an issue for them or not.
If a guest leaves a mess behind them, saying “These guests were total pigs” would indeed come across as nasty and judgey, but “It would have been appreciated if these guests had cleaned up after themselves” does not, and is simply honest info that other hosts need to know. It also informs the guest that their behavior wasn’t acceptable, so they don’t go on to do the same thing in their next place.
Unearned “nice” reviews is how bad guests get passed around, continuing to be accepted by hosts who haven’t been warned.
Reviews are not intended to be a venue to make oneself look like a wonderful person.
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Ahh! Thank you. I wonder if that is what @Margi meant when she said ‘I do NOT want to end up with a basement permanent rental.’
What you say makes great sense (as usual). If some kind of sink is permitted, like a bar or laundry sink, that would seem to be a creative and legal workaround.
I would not interpret that statement as anything other than what you said. It’s no better than the “better suited to a hotel” comment - what does that mean? I’d rather know they left the house extra dirty, they brought extra guests, etc. Then I know whether their prior misdeeds will be of concern to me as a host.
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Yes I agree, Muddy- since we live upstairs and we do their dishes every day (the joy of no kitchen sink) they know we’re looking at the place every day when I put away the dishes!)
So, so far, zero people have left a big fat mess.
I’m also careful about how to review because I do check how the guest has reviewed other places as well as what their reviews are. As a guest, I check how hosts have reviewed guests as an indication of what to expect of them as hosts, especially if I’ll they are living on site.
Therefore, I don’t want to come across poorly if potential guests are reading those comments. Yet, I want to warn hosts of a potential issue.
The other issue is that I know decision-makers read reviews and base local policies accordingly. If I say a group was noisy and that got into the wrong hands, that would go against all of the STR hosts in our area because it’s evidence against us all.
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If I review them do they get a message like we do to review us back in order to see what we said?
I’d like a gentle reminder to go to the couple who just checked out of my place