Has anyone else experienced an uptick in guests not leaving any reviews? We have had five renters this spring and only three have left reviews. Last year we had 10 guests and only two didn’t leave reviews. Most of our guests this year are new to Air. I’ve read similar posts in the past on this forum and often the feeling is to just leave it. Better no review than a 4 (or worse). We have a 4.9 now and don’t want to lose our super host status. But it also feels really weird that people stay and then decide to ghost on the review. Just wondering if it is me or if maybe others are experiencing something similar. Thanks!
Have you left a review as a guest?
I have seen it become quite onerous, with lots of things to rate.
Some of us over over being asked to review everything’s and everybody!
5 Likes
Yep, the review process is long. I too am utterly over being expected to review everything. I suspect guests are too.
3 Likes
I’m currently on a trip and have stayed in a few Airbnb’s along the way. I haven’t Airbnb’d for a while so I was a little surprised by the number of extra steps now involved in leaving a review.
As well as the category ratings and private/public feedback, there were questions I’d never seen before, such as “Do they have a TV”. Apparently this is so they can ensure that “the listing is still accurate” - but all the time I was thinking “when will these questions end?”
So yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if guests are generally leaving fewer reviews.
It takes me about two minutes to write a review for Airbnb guests so not particularly onerous. 
1 Like
People are burnt out on requests for reviews and we pay the price. Anytime I do anything on line, on the phone, or even sometimes at a retail store, I get a request for a review.
2 Likes
Thanks for all the great comments. Appreciate the feedback and insights! I love this forum!
We always leave our guests reviews and thankfully have had a really great group of guests that all fully deserved the five stars.
So last questions —- do I reach out to guests again and specifically ask for a review? We have a prompt at the end our our check out email about the review but I have been hesitant to push for one since a bad review is worse than no review.
Has anyone seen that follow up prompts for reviews tend to get you lower scores?
Thanks!!
I had the same issue and so I started talking to newbie guests about how important the review process is for both hosts and guests and I’d start by asking if the rest of their trip was with ABB places and said that my review (their first) was for fellow hosts and will add to the comfort level of hosting newbies. Often it led to nice conversations.
But not always a revew. 
Stop chasing SH. At the end of the day, that only means something to ABB and is a whip used to beat us hosts into allowing guests to behave badly. Chesky has forgotten that hosts are his bread and butter, not guests.
Nope. I don’t do “follow-up prompts” with my guests. I have a conversation about their past experiences with ABB (if they have any) or their current expectations with ABB as they stay with me or continue their travels. I don’t mention it past the first meet and greet conversation - otherwise it looks like you’re hustling for a 5* review and that will backfire - and mention it when they leave in the morning that I loved having them as a guest and I’ll be reviewing them the minute ABB prompts me after checkout.
TWO conversations only. Otherwise it looks like you’re pestering them. And that leaves a bad taste in a guest’s mouth.
1 Like
I never mention reviews to guests, I figure it’s their choice.
90% leave reviews and most here are not new to Airbnb.
Thanks all! This was exactly the input I needed!
I almost always get reviews. I have a fun sign in the kitchen that says.
We appreciate your review of our home. Please leave us 5 stars if you think we deserve it.
So I believe it helps to prompt the guest to leave a review.
I read her post as agreeing that the guest review for the host is long. Then adding that she personally is over being asked to review “everything” not having to do with Airbnb but with products and services.
I agree that the Airbnb guest review for hosts can be long but their followup questions after the actual review can be skipped. I don’t know why people complain about something that is optional. It reminds me of people who post here about how they are too busy to post here. LOL.
I had 5 bookings between the 1st and the 7th of June. I reviewed all of them right away and I’ve only gotten 2 reviews from them, so far. So that would be well off the pre pandemic rate which was around 70%. However, their review window hasn’t closed yet. Also one was a repeat guest who reviewed me the first time he stayed and perhaps he doesn’t think he needs to do it again. One was a local who I gave 1 star across the board and wouldn’t host again. I’d be shocked if he reviewed me. So maybe it’s not fewer.
2 Likes
I stayed as a guest not too long ago and I was surprised at how time consuming it was to complete the review as a guest. I suspect that many folks start it and half way through decide not to continue. As a host, when I review a guest it just takes a couple of minutes but as a guest reviewing a host it took me about 7 mins. They even asked if the host left cleaning supplies, cooking oil, etc. It was very detailed.
1 Like
Does anybody know if these kind of questions are tailored to the listing, or just general? For my listing I never provided Cooking oil As we have no cooking facilities, and we have no TVs.
1 Like
Not in general. One recent guest did not leave a review but it was on her 2nd stay. I didn’t even expect to get a review from her on her 1st stay because I noticed that she had not left a review for any of the 3 hosts that had left her one.
However, a couple of days before the end of the review period of her 1st stay (and I hadn’t reviewed her yet) she left me a great review. And I thought “oh, what a compliment to get a review from the non-reviewing guest” but she gave us 4 stars for value…and then promptly booked 2 more stays with us 
So I think she’s just an odd duck and shouldn’t be considered in the statistic.
1 Like
@ Helsi Not onerous for us! I meant the feedback AirBnB requests from guests. It’s irritatingly long and detailed. Idk if you’ve ever stayed as a guest at an AirBnB but the review process, as a guest, takes some time to get through.
1 Like
Yes I’ve been an Airbnb guest about 8 times. I don’t find the guest review particularly onerous personally.
I have a review rate of about 95% of guests staying with me.
And review all my guests.
You don’t have to do that last survey part. You can just do the star ratings and then leave a review. You don’t even have to go as far as leaving private feedback. Just rate, review and complete.
edit to add: It would help if they made that clear during the process.
2 Likes
I’m aware. I’ve been a guest probably 4 dozen times at least. But are the guests really aware they can skip those parts? Also, just the fact it is there makes some folks feel they “must” do it.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I get “dunned” for feedback from just about every major retailer I do any transaction with, and every eating establishment I visit, not to mention any health care organizations I interact with. Cleveland Clinic is especially pushy about wanting feedback and their surveys are LONG—10 to 20 minutes to complete. Quite frankly I’m over it. Are they really that interested in improving the customer experience? Or are they just collecting statistics so they can brag about how good they are? I’m sorry I don’t feel like wasting any of my precious time helping these organizations and businesses with their PR efforts.
So, I get why guests don’t leave more reviews. I haven’t actually collected data, but my impression is that fewer guests are reviewing than used to do. I wish more guests would leave reviews, but I’m certainly not going to ask them for it. Airbnb does that enough on our behalf.
5 Likes
How often do they ask now? Since I almost always review right away (on both sides) I don’t know if it’s stayed the same.