I’ve never fallen below the 4.7, so I’m not sure.
There is a host near me whose reviews and rebuttals are so bad that they are hilarious. It is incredible what he got away with. Filthy, cold, possibly unsafe, and up to 20 people with one bathroom.
THIS is the kind of host you hope will explode. Not somebody with a 4.7.
But darn it all, he always made it to Pg. 1 because he had so many guests! Air’s algorithms created this hot mess.
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Lol, I’ve searched for hosts with low ratings and have been astounded at what I’ve found too. People complaining that the place is dirty, has mice, roaches, and someone the listing is still active. At $10 a night you get what you pay for I guess but some of the complaints allege that the place is a step above a homeless shelter.
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Face it: it’s hard work to be that disgusting.
Which brings me back to the 4.6-4.7’s. You could be new (nitwit bait) or you could have had dozens of reviews from a whole year ago, when 4.0 or 4.5 was doing well. What it means as a host is that you won’t be taking on anyone who is a possible risk of less than 5.
Now I would NEVER do something like that (coughing loudly). Every Tom Dick and Harriet can c’mon in, and my outstanding customer service (very loud cough) will convert the most demanding, rude, and ridiculous guest into an angel of 5 star gratitude.
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I found I had to become more choosy and set more boundaries to get superhost.
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Does anyone know any specifics on this? It’s obvious that you don’t automatically get de-listed for falling below 4.7. How does this work? Is this a real standard or just words in the ToS that aren’t really enforced unless Air feels like it? Are they more lenient in markets with lower inventory? (My suspicion.)
This is my feeling too. There’s a listing in my neighborhood that’s been under 4 stars for at least a year. He has horrible reviews: mice, no toilet paper, can’t lock the front door, etc. But he is the cheapest thing in a well-priced area and he just keeps on booking and collecting bad reviews.
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At some point people only have themselves to blame.
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Right?
But he’s always booked! It’s nuts.
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I have seen plenty listings below that point.
AirBnB knows their setting is unrealistic for certain listings and areas.
Yes, a high rating is possible if you focus on 1 type of guest. But as soon as your guest gets diverse then it will be very hard to keep the 4.8 average.
I have seen listings that perform very well in winter during ski season, but in summer they have a lower score. I have also seen it the other way around.
For me worst season is the off season, then you get the bargain hunters, modern gypsies and “lonely planet”- chasers. They are very hard to satisfy because they most often have no clue of value.
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There are so many little cabins crammed in together at so many places, I think that’s where all the bargain hunters end up in our area. There are twice as many budget places available as places priced $150+. They just search the plentiful inventory of dusty one-room shacks and pass us by.
Most (okay, many) of the listings in my town are below 4.7. One of them is 4.29 and they still show the listing on the first page.
Chris has a point. I’ve said dozens of times that I think I have few problems because I have “travelers, not tourists.” People have asked what that means and it means I have people passing through. I have 1-2 nighters. Although it’s true I’ve had tourists with no problems and longer stays with no problems about 80% of my guests are just passing through. Even the “tourists” aren’t coming to see El Paso.
Another thing I think is that less than 5 star guests stay at less than 5 star places. I won’t (or won’t so far, would I ever be desperate?) stay at a less than 4.5 star place. Everywhere I’ve ever looked there are plenty of 4.5 star plus places. If the good places are all taken I take my chances with a hotel. Like the Microtel in Miami OK with the guy who let his door slam every time he went in and out and the terrible shower pressure. 4 stars!
Our market here in Savannah is saturated. Airbnb finally took down all the listings managed by one individual who had consistently low ratings and was known to not have properties prepped, send incorrect door codes, etc. I had guests book with me last minute because the one they booked with her was so substandard when they arrived. They weren’t happy with Airbnb’s response time as CS attempted to reach the host, so they just booked a new place (mine) while they waited for Airbnb to get it together. When I looked at her listings, none was over 4 stars, and some averaged around 3.5, all with the same general litany of complaints.
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I think you and Chris have hit the nail on the head. The key seems to be that you get to host the target customer you pictured when creating your listing.
By that I mean, you looked around your house, your proximity to the highway, and found a niche for travelers, with the bonus that they can bring or board their dog. You built your place with the needs of these folks at heart: ease of access and independence.
By contrast, I get almost exclusively tourists. I pictured girlfriend groups and couples coming to town for wine and brewery tours or weddings. The reviews show that I serve these guests really well. But a business traveler or road-tripper? I didn’t build my place for them. I can still offer a clean bed, but we’re an hour from a major highway. They may not find the value in beach towels, cruiser bikes, or sparkling wine on the back patio that my regular wedding/brew/winos do.
The frustrating part of Air’s review system is that they want us to both take it seriously (look out, you got a 4! The sky is falling! Do better!) and not take it that seriously (Oh, that’s just 1 retaliatory review, it won’t hurt that much. but it does. The guest said something purposely misleading but that’s their experience.)
Air said they were going to do something about retaliatory reviews. I’ll be curious to see if they actually do!
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LOL. That’s true. But then I don’t take their warnings or price tips seriously either.
So the secret to success it to host the target customer. Do you think Airbnb’s search helps you do that? Like groups of 4 searching for a three day weekend are going to see you higher in search than 1 person for 2 nights on a Tues-Wed (possible business traveler)?
Too true.
I’m in a tiny resort town, so the fact they put my city name into the search box is a filter that says “I’m a tourist!”. I get tourists all summer long, even on weekdays.
No, I don’t think Airbnb’s search helps.
Their marketing strategy is a mess. On one hand they want each host to be all things to all people, like the Holiday Inn. On the other, they recognize that they have different types of travelers and created “collections” to highlight them: Work, Family, and I’d argue Plus is basically a “Style” collection. But they end up muddying the waters by encouraging hosts to specialize in all the things.
So they end up with this mess wherein you’re supposed to have kid stuff, a work space, styled like a boutique hotel, and show your unique personality…but not too much, because the Air Plus consultant wants you to redecorate to match the same Pinterest board they send to every other Plus host.
The smart move is to tailor your listing to attract the sort of guest you’re best suited to serve, but I don’t think Air does much to facilitate that in their search results.
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Good observations. People stay with me because I am where they spend weekends and vacations. Air know nothing about our locale nor about Ideal Guest. If the algorithm understood that, it would stop prompting me to add the missing amenities to complete me in the work and family categories. Pretty sure nobody needs wifi in my house when they are here for riding their Harley, a horse, or a kayak and I am never going to add it. I am sure I get pushed below listings with “better” amenities that almost nobody cares about there. Maybe their kids do, but moms tell me they love that we offer the chance to get their kids’ faces off the screens for a whole weekend. I provide a chance to really connect as a family they don’t otherwise get. Family collection pffffffffft.
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I stayed once in an " always booked" place which was the worst stay ever. The only good part was location . I paid 75$ when everything around was 150$ and more . I really hoped it would be at least moderate cleanliness…it was not . Bathroom was so disgusting I still have nightmares about it . When I booked there was not a single review about bathroom …then don’t remember why I somehow read his reviews again and after I left there were many many bad reviews about that damn bathroom .
Sounds like the same kind of place. His price is nearly 1/2 of everything near him and he just keeps getting the bad reviews but no de-listing. I did notice some reviews mention that he’s friendly too. I think it mostly shows that some people just need or want the low price in a convenient area - it would probably be a dis-service to some travelers if they de-listed him actually.
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