This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I’ve had 7 guests in the last few weeks and only 2 of them have left reviews. I always talk about the review process and how it’s important to both hosts and guests to ensure the best experience with not only me but any AirBnB host.
I’ve reviewed the good guests immediately and sent a note saying “Your 5* review is up and I hope you can leave an honest review for me before the 2 weeks is up.”
The only review I’m sitting on is the couple that came and made a mess - towels on the wood furniture, eating donuts and food in the bedroom, glass hard cider bottles at the pool, loud music, crumbs and mess everywhere. I’ll do theirs at 4* at the last minute and they only have 2 reviews but told me they have stayed in many AirBnB places, so I’m thinking those hosts didn’t want to review honestly.
Any thoughts on how to get the guests to leave reviews? Anyone else seeing this?
It’s conversational as I get so many 0 reviews or 1 review people and I ask them - conversationally - how they like Air and what they think of the process of booking. They usually ask about hosting and I tell them I love it (I do) and then we talk about making sure they bring any issues to me right away as I want them to have the best experience possible. NO ONE has seen it as pressure.
That’s what I suspect some guests might feel as pressure or make them decide not to leave a review. The way that is worded, to me, by mentioning that you left them a 5* review, may make them feel you are pressuring them to do the same.
I would just say “Thank you so much for choosing my place- you were great guests. I’ve just submitted a review for you and I hope you can find the time to leave one for me.”
By telling them they were great guests, they will assume you left them a good review and hopefully will reciprocate.
I’ve found the same with my guests. One even waxed lyrical like a free-form poem. Maybe it’s cause I don’t have a TV or even Netflix, so I get guests who are readers. They always seem to arrive with a novel or two. Avid readers tend to be more into writing than those who might spend their evenings parked in front of a screen, I’d imagine.
Yes, this makes sense. I asked this same question a week ago and suggested that my young, often tech professionals seem to leave fewer reviews. This idea was rejected in favor of “too much emphasis on reviews” responses as well as “too much pressure.” I do think some might not feel up to the “task” - especially when previous reviewers may have “waxed eloquent” as some of our literary or creative types tend to do! Nothing against Millenials & GenZzzz-ers;-)
I usually say “We’d greatly appreciate a review. It doesn’t have to be long - just a handful of words and stars. If you prefer, I can send you what you wrote in the guestbook to save you the work of writing something new”
Prior to the pandemic I left info on how the Airbnb review ratings work and in my check out note I reminded again. I did get reviews but not always. I decided this time around to simplify my messages and notes. The only thing I say when I send them the checkout info is “I how your stay was 5 stars.” (unless I don’t want them to write a review).
You know what…I’m getting just as many people writing reviews and everyone has been 5 stars.
We’ve had very few (domestic and international) Airbnb guests not leave a review, and we very rarely mention reviews, either in person or in emails/messages.
However, with domestic Spanish BDC guests it’s a different story, maybe fifty percent review, not much more than that. International BDC guests usually always review, the same as Vrbo guests do.
When we first started out we’d sometimes ask folks to leave us an honest review when we were checking them out, but haven’t done that for years.
Our attitude is that if someone reviews, great. If they don’t, we’re not that fussed.
I’ve just been noticing a trend and it doesn’t matter HOW I phrase it or don’t phrase it, they’re not leaving reviews after raving in the guest book or saying they had a fabulous time.
I know that there are many thoughts about asking for reviews, but EVERY hotel, hardware store, online store ASKS/BEGS for reviews after you go. I figure I’m more subtle and also new people ASK ME about the Air experience as a host and guest. “What do you expect from me while I’m here?” has been a big one lately. “Have fun, don’t hurt yourself, and let me know if you need anything. Here’s your door code.”
I wonder if they feel like they’ve done their bit by writing in the guest book. Maybe they feel like they’ve given you the feedback, and they can see how many others have already done the same… maybe they feel like they’re stating the obvious.
I haven’t ever had a guest book, so I don’t really know the draw. But as a guest, I can only take so many obligations. Your guests might be choosing the more tangible obligation, then skipping the one that actually impacts your business.
I’ve read that before- hosts saying that if they have a guest book, the guests will write lovely comments there, but fail to leave a review. So that seems to be a bit of a thing that you’re not alone in experiencing.
Might be an interesting experiment to remove the guest book for awhile to see if it has any effect on guests leaving reviews.
I just stayed in a listing that has a guest book and lots of recent entries. I went and looked at his listing and he has 13 reviews for Oct. I don’t know how long each guest was booked for but when I booked on 28 Sept for 19 Oct, that may have been the only day available. This is a shared listing.
All of this is to say that in my one anecdote it seems that the host is getting a lot of reviews and a lot of guest book entries. If I’d known this was going to come up I could have paid more attention to the dates in the guest book, LOL.
I don’t have a guest book, but guests sometimes make up their own – they leave a letter or sketch or, like the last guests, a 60-page photocopied collection of their favourite inspirational messages downloaded from social media. Perhaps we are remote enough here that they think I don’t see any social media and so am missing out on inspirational messages? Well, no longer!
Also there was the guy who wrote his review in my house manual.
Anyway.
I do find that when I am left a written note about how amazing the place is, there will be no review. It’s okay, especially now that we are not badgered about review rates.
I don’t remember anyone at all having left a written note and then also reviewing through the system, but I might be generalising.
I discovered that when tour passengers booked me because of Tripadvisor reviews and I asked them to sign my guest book they didn’t review me. But I took identifiers out of the remarks and snipped them, and used copies of the handwritten remarks on the back side of a rack card at all the tourist kiosks.
I haven’t rejoined the tourist bureau since restart, but will next spring before I print up rack cards for the B&B. Not entirely for here — friends in neighboring towns can get them in racks for me. QR code on the card will take them right to my Air listing.
I think there is “review fatigue” out there. I get asked to review so many things that I sometimes ignore the requests (not Airbnb, of course, lol). I can buy some stupid part for a household item on a website and get asked for a review. Many store clerks ask for a review and show the number on the end of the receipt. No one ever cared about my opinion this much in the past.
Most of my guests leave reviews, this is my checkout day text:
Good morning, I just wanted to thank you for staying and remind you that check out is 10:00 and housekeeping is scheduled. Thanks for being great guests, I will review you this afternoon when I get the email from AirBnb, I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to do the same. Save my contact information and book direct next time and save some money www.mywebsitedotcom.
Thanks again and we look forward to having you back soon!
I’m only 6 months into this new assignment, but did it before for 3 years in another state.
I’m hands off about reviews. Since most of the guests have reviews already, they know they can review you. I do not remind them, Air does that. Think I’ve had 3 non-reviews and while I’d like all to review me, it’s ok with me.
Have a friend that recently stayed in Montreal at an Air. She had quite a few complaints about the host mostly. I encouraged her to leave a review but I’m sure she didn’t. She said the host sent her a message asking for the 5* review. How tacky can you get?
I am reviewing all guests within a week. If they review me, of course I want to read it so I review them right then. This strategy is garnering me more regular reviews. Most people who have written in our guest book have also reviewed us online, I’d say. I never mention reviews to guests, just show them the guest book and say “we really love love notes!”
