Hosts need to start leaving honest reviews!

Do you mention it in your review if guests are several hours late and ring the doorbell in the middle of the night instead of following the self-check in instructions they confirmed receiving? I am just getting back into hosting and can’t remember midnight doorbell rings are just a part of hosting.

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Do you know what it’s called? I try and search back through their reviews and track them back, but it’s laborious.

Does a guest know if you give them a thumbs down?

I would certainly mention it.

Did they say why they hadn’t used the self check in procedure?

It’s called Air Review in the Chrome store;

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They did not. My husband answered the door and reiterated how to get in (they have a separate entrance).

Your husband is more tolerant than me, I certainly would have asked them in no uncertain terms.

I do hope they were apologetic.

Yup I’m a great believer hosts should be more honest, even if in a nice way, like “I understand you left in a rush in the morning, maybe next time consider getting up a bit earlier to wash dishes and pans and dispose of rubbish”. It’s a warning for both parties.
I do wonder how one time, after having a couple staying for one night and trashing the place (drinks on the walls and more), I gave them a bad review and said I wouldn’t recommend them.
The moment it went public their booking disappeared and reviews along with it, as if I never hosted them. Still puzzled about it.
Airbnb couldn’t tell me how that happened after many a phone call (often with people who hardly understand what i’m Saying).

I advocate for honest reviews, and yet, I do struggle with it sometimes, out of sympathy for nice people who do stupid things unintentionally or don’t yet grasp the Airbnb concept because they’re new to it. But I did recently leave a short, frank comment about a guest who tried to sneak in a third guest and then blatantly lied about it over breakfast. She didn’t know that I had already met the third guest on her way out very early that morning (grabbing breakfast foods as she went). The original guest flatly denied it when I advised that she’d need to add the third guest to her booking. I replied that I had met her very early that morning, that she had been very nice and honest, which I appreciated, and that I’d be adding a $15 additional guest fee to the booking, which she should approve. She mumbled something like, “Oh, yes, well, it wasn’t quite decided yet whether she’d stay on any more nights, so…” She did approve the extra person fee. What made it hard was, they all three proved to be polite, tidy, quiet, respectful guests. But the dishonesty crossed a line that needed calling out.

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Thank you for your honest review.

All for $15? SMH.

Lying is tricky stuff. You have to be smart, have a good memory and be clever. It’s hard to believe she tried to deny it when confronted. I can see trying to get away with something but as soon as you’re called out, just fess up!

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Yes, for me, it was less about the $15/nt, and more about the expectation of respectful use of my home and respectful engagement between guest & host.

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Of course they were nice. They were trying to put something past you.

Sometimes when I have settled with a guest (such as they agree to pay a resolution fee) then I consider the matter settled and don’t mention it in a review. I feel like they made good on what they did wrong and don’t need to pay twice.

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They wanted evidence of the house rules being broken, which was pretty much impossible. They offered to cancel on my behalf (with penalties), and after speaking to the guest may or may not remove the penalties.
This was the first time calling them, and I never cancelled on anyone after hosting 100’s of guests.

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AirReview is the Chrome extension that lets you see the guest’s reviews of other hosts. I consult it before I write any review.

I consult it before I accept any request!
Yesterday I told a guest in a message,

Yes, I can take your reservation!! Based on your great reviews and your wonderful reviews of other hosts, I’m happy to have you stay…

Or something along those lines. Just to start to condition the guests that their previous host reviews are being noticed and evaluated before acceptance.

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I downloaded the chrome extension, and my Airbnb account stopped working properly (messages wouldn’t load, other problems). I had to disable the extension before my Airbnb account would work again.

I had a guest leave the house fairly messy. Our house rules are to leave the house tidy, no smoking.
Cigarette butts all in a plant pot outside - we clearly state to smoke away from the house and burn marks on an oak coffee table.
Guest claims friends are to blame - do I tick yes or no on the recommend option?
He has paid for the damage and has been very easy to communicate with.

We can’t answer that, would YOU recommend this guest. I prefer smokers not book my place at all and I’d definitely be annoyed if they booked and disregarded my guidelines and burned a table. Were they cigarrette burns? Inside? That would be a definite thumbs down as smoking inside is a big no.

Hi K9, the guest who booked apparently doesn’t smoke, but his friends did, dumping fag ends in the flower pot and dumping ash in the recycling.
As for the burn marks, who knows.
Would I accept a second booking, probably not.

Then it’s a thumbs down.

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It’s tricky with a group of friends. I’ve just had a group of four young women in a suite of two rooms and shared bathroom en-suite to both. I sensed that one of them in particular was angry and hostile about something but the lead guest was lovely. The bathroom was flooded, probably an accident but they didn’t tell me, or the lead guest apparently. I found a pile of sopping towels and a bathrobe on the bed, tumbled up with the duvet, so I put this in her review but also that I hoped she would learn to ensure her fellow guests knew the house rules etc., with a hopeful thumbs up.