Hosts reviewing other hosts

I have to disagree a little with @helsi regarding the stereotypes. For example every time I get an indian guest I know up front they will be good guests because most likely they are in IT and thought me out because I am in IT and I won’t have any pb with them regarding the no_shoes_in_the_house policy because this is how they do it in their own house.

As a Guest-Host, I give my hosts the review that their property and service deserve. I will also, in the private comments, offer suggestions of things that we notice which would make a guest experience better.

Case in point – we just got back from a 2-night trip to the middle of the State. The listing was way out in the country on 5acres, a detached cabin, and advertised as ‘shabby chic’. It was beautifully decorate in that style. But the place was so dimly lit that when it rained all day Sunday, you could not read a newspaper inside – 40 watt bulbs where 100s were needed, bulbs burned out on fixture not working, etc. And the window mounted AC was so noisy you could hardly hold a conversation with someone 8 feet away.

They’re getting 5 stars for the listing – exactly as described. But in the Private comments I will be mentioning lighting levels and a few other things.

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Completely disagree. Realtors drive nice cars because they want to appear successful. They also frequently drive clients around looking at houses and so they would want them to be comfortable.

Jealousy might be at play but I kind of doubt it. I think that we might be more critical because we know how much time we put into our own listings. In a situation where I [a host as a guest] pay a similar to price to rent as what I charge guests, and I know that my house has more amenities or nicer furnishings etc. I’d be more likely to give less than favorable review. I would never give someone a bad review because they had a nicer house than mine, lol, regardless of the situation.

Example: we set up our house for Airbnb guests, but everything in it is brand new (the house itself also brand new). We put away all of our personal belongings that might make it feel like someone else’s home. Last summer my step-sister got married in a small lake town and we stayed at an ABB. The hosts left all of their half-used condiments with messy lids, all of their own loofahs and sponges and personal soaps, shampoos, etc. in the bathrooms. We would never dream of leaving our house like that, so we mentioned it in our review.

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Lol, I find the opposite true (RE broker here). People like to associate with successful people. When I am not driving my Tesla I am driving my husbands Mercedes. And I do not want petty clients who would not hire me because of what I drive.

RR

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Or because they are successful…

RR

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Haha, very true. I was responding to the notion that they’re driving cars they can’t afford. But yes, absolutely, actual successful realtors would drive nice cars too :wink:

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Aside from tax write off advantages, I always associated Realtors driving nice cars because they were ensuring that their clients are comfortable while touring potential listings. They are providing a service and want to do it the best that they can.

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Mentioning it in the review sounds fine. It’s facts. What light did you paint it in, though? What ratings did you give and which ones were affected by the personal belongings (the clean and the dirty)?

You’ve just proved this point!

I always dread getting other hosts as guests precisely because of this judgemental attitude when they compare their place with mine. The fact that my listing is in a different city/area/country with different pricing norms and different clientele doesn’t always occur to them.

I agree with whoever said it is usually inexperienced hosts who are the most judgemental. Those that have been in business for a while recognise that nothing is ever perfect and, like @adrienne12 says, they know how tough it is to get a bad review.

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I should be clear, we did not give them a bad review. We gave them all 5 stars, but mentioned it in the private comment section. They were brand new to hosting (I think we were their 4th or 5th group) so we viewed it more as constructive feedback.

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Ah, well in that case you deserve a SuperGuest badge :slight_smile: That was really good of you and I’m sure they appreciated it.
Actually, I’ve done the same. I think we were actually their first guests (my ex booked the place because it was so cheap…that’s why he’s my ex, lol). I wrote a really nice review but did mention a few things privately.

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And you should have, since they were so clueless or inattentive to not provide any information about how the heating system worked. You should have simply stated that, because it sounds like the host needs a wakeup call.

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Well, I am a dinosaur then!! Never been called that before!
My B&B IS MY HOME and my guests like it. It is what B&Bs should be. All the Airbnbs seem to be what we designate as ‘Self catering’ which is an entirely different concept from the original Airbnb.

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Quite right too. That’s exactly the sort of place I had in my home way back when and it was a great experience for me and, I’m sure, for the guests too. Nowadays, I deal in the self-catering thing but there’s plenty of room for all types of accommodation. :slight_smile:

I looked for AirReview in Apple App Store and nothing like that came up. Where do I find that app? Thanks!

It’s a Chrome extension.

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@Mema It’s a really fantastic app. The developers are airhosts themselves and offer it for free. Please consider donating! It’s worth it’s weight in gold.

You need to be using Chrome as your browser for it to work. Just do a google search from Chrome and then download it. It will change everything because then when you g to the guests’ profiles, you will see their reviews of listings underneath the hosts’ review.

I’ve been a guest only twice, but my strategy for a rather lousy stay was to be fairly generous with the quantitative part of the review, less generous with the written part, and really let them have it in the private feedback.

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Honestly, as a host, even though i’m nervous how hosting one would turn out, I would try to be as gracious and understanding. I would give good reviews unless I would see something very severely outstanding. If the place was great, I do not leave personal feedback unless the host asks.