I don’t see how nothing (no review) is in any way helpful to hosts.
It’s better than leaving a great review.
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Funny that some hotels are starting to do contactless check in. We’ve stayed recently at places that have an app and your door opens by putting your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone against the door lock!
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We sometimes get zero-com guests. It’s weird, but we don’t have an issue with it. We only mark them down on communication if we discover they broke something and “failed to communicate it” to us.
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I prefer them too, in many ways.
It does seem though that guests can’t win - some hosts complain about gabby guests who are ‘needy’ and ask loads of questions and others complain about guests who don’t communicate.
It’s all swings and roundabouts in the end though. Sometimes it seems that I spend ages dealing with one set of guests and then I hardly see the next guests. (The tricky part is when I have the former type in both rentals at the same time. 
)
Just as hosts vary, so do guests. When I’m a guest, I’m more than happy if I never see the host.
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After thousands of guests I have decided that everyone is different. However, some who don’t communicate can be hiding something…a dog, cat, older child, smoking drugs. I am not a policeman. And good manners are definitely not a universal standard.
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This is my most recent weirdo no-communication guest who did not leave me a five star review.
She now has 3 stays and no reviews. That should raise an immediate concern in the minds of other hosts.
Of course, she can still instant book hosts like me who have places that have appropriate mechanisms in place to prevent damage from guests.
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It raises far more concern for me that you did not leave an honest review about a weirdo non-communicator.
As a request to book host I have had excellent guests whose past hosts couldn’t be bothered to leave them a review, so no, I would not be “immediately concerned”- you haven’t done other hosts any favors.
So don’t be under the misconception that you are “helping” by asking for your reviews of guests who don’t leave you 5 stars removed to “punish” them. It’s entirely self-serving- some sort of revenge you are engaging in for unknown reasons, as it doesn’t do anything to change a less than 5 star review you were left.
You said in a post above that you give every guest 5 stars if they leave the place clean. Perhaps you should start leaving honest reviews of guests that you’ll have no cause to regret, leaving a response to their less than 5 star reviews if you feel it’s warranted.
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You are just making this up. Why? I don’t know.
I’ve been hosting for 9 years and have seen over 1000 reservations, requests and inquires for my place. A member who has been on Airbnb for years and has no reviews is quite common. Since I never kept a spreadsheet detailing each ones details I can’t give an exact count but I wouldn’t be surprised if half haven’t had any reviews. Another portion have a joined date several years ago and no reviews.
Just as likely an explanation is that their lazy/irresponsible hosts didn’t leave them reviews.
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I know that there are lots of potential and new hosts who read here frequently so for their sake, I want to point out that guests who joined Airbnb years ago and have three stays and no reviews are not necessarily of concern to hosts.
There are plenty of indolent hosts who have no interest in contributing to the Airbnb review system in order to help other hosts.
There are hosts who simply never leave reviews for some reason. Some hosts have the misguided idea that if you can’t say anything nice, say nothing.
If a guest has stayed with selfish hosts such as these, then their lack of reviews is easy to explain. And many guests have joined years before they first used Airbnb - including me.
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I’ve definitely had guests like that. But their profile wouldn’t say “3 stays”. (However, as you say, it wouldn’t cause me concern).
One guest said she’d stayed at lots of Airbnbs, but always travelled before with her husband, booked under his account. But she had a long-standing account because she liked perusing listings all over the world, like you’d thumb through a travel magazine.
Another joined planning to go on vacation, but got a new job and couldn’t get away.
And there’s nothing wrong with asking a guest why they have a long-standing account yet no stays or reviews if a host is suspicious (which there is really no reason to be).
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Now I think about it, I doubt that I have any reviews as a guest. We travel as a pair too, using his account.
And I’m pretty sure that he had his account for years before using it.
Or, like houseplants, they call Airbnb to ask that their review of the guest be removed as some sort of punishment for the guest not leaving a 5 star review, under the erroneous and bizarre notion that the guest profile showing stays but no reviews will lead other hosts to decline them.
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I do say with my welcome and check in details “it would be great if you could message me once you’ve checked in ! “
At least I know they have been able to use the code to get in , that they are now in the cottage and the duty of care I believe ensues from there. It’s very rare that they don’t let me know they’ve arrived. Often they exclaim over how cute the cottage is etc on arrival.
I generally check in on the second day later afternoon to see if everything is ok. Do they need anything or have any questions.
I have of course had the silent types too.
As Murphy’s law would have it, usually that’s when fate intervenes to ensure that I have to meet with them in person ! Broken gadget etc lol.
All the best to all you brave hosts, weathering the chatty and unchatty guests stoically.
Talkative ones can be tricky in other ways I guess. I guess there’s always the out : “ I’d better be going now. I have 3 loads of washing to do”.
Ha ha.
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On the flip side are guests who keep messaging me with questions after they arrive regarding issues that are clearly stated in the information guide. As soon as the reservation is confirmed, I make a point of sending a message that says,”Please make sure to read the information and rules regarding my home that are available on this site. If you don’t see them, let me know and I will send you a copy. Please also make sure to share this information with all of your travel mates. Thank you.” When they text me questions like where are the towels, I know they have not read anything. There is also a binder open in the living room for them to refer to. As far as non-communicative guests go, I always ask questions both before and after I accept the reservation. If I get no answer, why would I give them five stars for communication? If they don’t answer before I accept, I decline, stating that I needed more communication. Then all of a sudden they start responding.
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I have a similar message that I send on the day of check-in but before they arrive. It starts with “Hope your travels are going well. Maybe let me know when you make it in safely (if you think of it)…”
Sometimes it gets me an update on arrival time (without even asking), which I really like so I can adjust the lights/temp/curtains if needed; however, it also often gets me that “we’re here and we love it” comment which sets my mind at ease.
At this point, I have my system down and can run it smoothly without any communication from the guest at all, so I don’t “need” them to communicate, but of course, I do like to know that they are ok and hopefully happy.
I tend to adjust my communication a little depending on the level of communication I’ve been getting from the guest. If they aren’t very communicative I don’t want them to feel pressured to communicate. For instance, in my day-of message above that part “(if you think of it)” is added so they don’t feel that they have to let me know but I’ll leave that part off if someone has been particularly chatty and friendly, I’ll just say, “Let me know when you arrive safely” and leave it at that.
It’s the same for the message I send the day after check-in. I ask if they’ve found everything, are comfortable, etc and truly (!) I would like a friggin answer please, but, nonetheless, the guests who haven’t been communicative usually get an add-on of “no need to interrupt your day getting back to me if all is well”. Communication is like anything else, I try to provide guests with what they want, not what I want. If they don’t want to communicate, I try to let them off the hook, but some really go too far with it and it can be annoying.
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Hi JJD
That sounds very thorough.
I ask them for an ETA so I can have the room at an ambient temperature.
I find it works well.
All the best with your venture !
Cheers
Julie
As a homeshare host, I actually enjoy a lot of the talkative ones- I’ve found them fun to talk with and have heard some fascinating stories and had a lot of laughs with guests.
I only had one who would have over-monopolized my time had I let her. I don’t find it difficult to say, “I’d better get to work now” and head out to my upholstery shop, or start gardening, or whatever.
Totally agree! It’s the whole gamut of the human experience.
Cheers
Julie
I just had a guest who booked a 4 night stay and he checked out after 1 night, there was no communication, no explanation, no complaints, no asking for refund, but he wrote a review today… I have no idea what to expect in there
As soon as you review him you’ll see it, so you don’t have to wonder. Leave him a review and let us know what he said.