Hosts reviewing other hosts

I stayed at someone else’s Airbnb this weekend, and I treated them as I like to be treated- 5 star review, compliments, only private feedback on replacing a light bulb that we could not find at the store. They don’t want my amenity tips or critiques or really any extra communication at all!

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I will try the air review chrome extension Thanks for mentioning

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This say it’s ‘on my desktop’ but doesn’t appear on either the Airbnb app or if I go via the Airbnb website. I’m on an android phone.

@Jess1 this is a chrome extension. it will appear only when you browse airbnb website in Chrome. it will not appear on the phone, no matter the phone. you have to use a desktop/laptop.

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Our experience with hosting other hosts has not been good ! Out of over 100 guest bookings, the only bad reviews we have had have come from fellow hosts. Other than that we have 95% 5star and SH rating. Out of the 4 hosts, two of those had wanted discounted or free stays and the third one gave 5 stars except for location, while the other gave us a 5 star. It may be coincidence, but the 3 who gave bad reviews had listings that were inferior to ours. The one who gave us a 5star had a listing similar to ours and had hosted over 150 guests, whereas the others had hosted from zero to five. Could be jealousy, but two of them had lied in order to obtain a refund from Airbnb, who , thanks to photos and other evidence denied their claims. Coincidentally those two came from the same small town. I know I should not discriminate but if we have any further booking requests from that area, they will be refused unless they have a history of positive reviews.

We are the opposite. We don’t treat hosts any differently to other guests, they get the same communication, same level of service and the same price. So far, 5* overall from all, a couple gave us 4* for location and value, and given the circumstances of their stays, happy to take those on the chin!

Personally, I think some folks get a bit fixated on the fact that the person is a host/superhost. Forget that, they’re just another guest, albeit one who knows a bit more about your job than your average guest; and like any other batch of guests, you’re going to get the odd bad one, eventually.

JF

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Ah, no. (Lately,) they tend to be hypercritical and cranky.

In the beginning, they were golden and generous with invaluable suggestions.

Your’s might, ours haven’t been; nor I suspect those of many other hosts.

JF

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It’s lovely you’ve been so lucky, unlike the rest of us commoners posting here.

I’m starting to get the perspective that Hosts are tougher in their reviews of others Hosts and then passive aggressive about it.

No, it is not a new trend.
Hosts have always been the worst guests since the beginning.

Nastiest, worst review was from another host. Why - I refused to discount and allow her children to stay for free.

I’ve hosted at least 2 hosts or former hosts. The first one was wishy-washy, asked for a discount, disregarded the rules (then told me in her comments that I should change them), said she was going to stay for a month, but only booked for two weeks (thank goodness!). … Overall, I’ve been really disappointed with hosts. They should know better. >:-/

I’ve had 3 other hosts make inquiries, 2 asked for significant price decreases, and one wanted more guests to stay than what my listing is appropriate for.

2 - I got 3 booking inquiries for last 2 month from different superhosts/hosts asking to break my rules. All of them wrote extra sweet letters asking if I can accept them in the first case - with a child, second case - with a dog and third inquiry - if they can have a party. In my rules I have - No Children, No Dogs, NO Parties. I did not accept those 3 different requests.

I’m 0 for 3 with hosting other hosts and wanted some perspective. Something or another has happened with every single one that has made me disappointed with other hosts. One didn’t communicate her arrival time or respond to messages, one changed dates at the last minute, and the other booked 1 guest but brought along her adult son (surprise!).

It’s probably the luck of the draw, but of the three I’ve hosted, there is a pattern. I’m hosting a coastal location near a popular city, perfect for a weekend getaway. All have been local city host guests who voluntarily disclosed that they are using their AirBnB gift certificates on my listing. I suspect that they are thus not “valuing” their booking like they might if they were using their own money, which is making me annoyed with AirBnB for giving hosts gift certificates.

I’ve hosted hosts who are young and have illegally sublet rented apartments in big cities and have been evicted for doing so. They seem pretty clueless and are just into the opportunism and quick profit it provides, they don’t care about the serious responsibilities of home ownership.

I didnt want to be a sh specifically after reading here the horror stories of guests think superhost should go out of their way for them, which I won’t be doing with my prices.

I am one of those hosts that does not like to hosts (super)hosts. Why? Very simple, we cannot ever live up to the standards most hosts have.
Other hosts do not seem to grasp the value for money thing. They expect the same kind of place as they are offering, but seem to forget we ask only 30% of their price.

Or they book something at the same price level their place is in, but forget their place is in some little s****ole in the middle of nowhere, where property prices are 1/5th of where we are.

And the worst is that they do not say anything about it when they are in your place, and you are having a nice conversation over a beer. No, they backstab you in the reviews. So now I avoid other hosts as much as possible.

Yes, it makes me wonder what I, and the thousands of other hosts (who have hosts as guests), are doing different :thinking:

JF

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At the risk of being shot, I feel it’s a cultural, possibly also a demographic issue.

I had a German SH here last week with her family. We had a splendid chin wag over a bottle of Picpoul, comparing experiences. She said that she sighs with relief when she knows a booking is for Brits, because we are so well mannered.

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Nothing to do with luck @PuppyLover it seems the majority of hosts have positive experience with other hosts.

I have had about 15 hosts staying with me. All lovely guests who gave me five star reviews across the board.

I agree with @JohnF point you should treat an inquiry from a host, just as you would any other guest, if they don’t fit your criteria or there are red flags, then don’t host them.

A lot of your quotes @PuppyLover refer to guests who had red flags all over them - I wouldn’t host them whether they are hosts or not.

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It’s also worth considering the kind of stay and how much experience the host has. I’ve hosted well over 600 people so my experience should be more valid, right? My sample size is much bigger. But I can only compare to listings like mine. And short stays, and small rooms and…

We hosted another SuperHost. Not only were they one of the rudest guests we’ve ever had, they were critiquing our 3,400 sq ft home with pool and garden by the standards they were running their single guest house with outdoor bathroom. They refused to understand why we don’t keep glass stemware in the kitchen because THEY provided a wine glass to their (single) guest. I had to remind them that we are situated on a half acre backyard surrounded in grass with a tiled pool. If glass were to shatter we couldn’t see it and we would be liable. That is why we keep BPA free stemless options. But we bought them a set of restaurant quality wine glasses anyway. They gave us four stars. I do suspect jealousy played a part.

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Oh, please people, have a heart! I am a host and honestly i gave everybody 5* review except one person.
I (we, hosts) know how hard it is to be in this business. Why would I want discounts and stay for free? Why would I want to bash fellow hosts?
Doesn’t make any sense to me. What would I have to gain? These people, these so called hosts, who did so, were probably horrible human beings to begin with.
And if I compare listings - and of course I do - ill do that in my head and only to learn something new. perhaps to steal a color schema or an decorating idea. I’ll never say anything to anyone. We all learn on the job, right, no matter how much training we have. And I’m sure every single one of us made mistakes.
Now if I travel how do I hide that I am a host?

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Just what I was thinking, @adrienne12! I should think one thing we at least learn from being a SH is how to read a listing well enough to know whether it will suit us or not. And unless a host is downright lying about what they offer then anything that may fall a bit short of my vastly superior standards I look on as my fault for not reading the listing carefully enough!

Exactly. Anyway, I’m far too much of a timid Brit to ask for a discount! I’ve also always given 5* and I think everyone has deserved it. I have sometimes privately made suggestions as long as I thought they would be welcome, usually from new hosts who have asked me for them and have been thanked for them, often small things that they hadn’t thought of. I’d NEVER criticise a Host’s decor or location.

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You know, I really truly thought that society had moved on from the bad old days when people were categorised and thus despised, hated or feared because of the groups they belonged to.

If the conversation in this thread included ‘I won’t host Jews’ or ‘the French are the worst guests’ or ‘all Chinese people want discounts’ or ‘obese people never clean the place when they leave’ or whatever, then we’d all be appalled.

But bad-mouthing a random group of people who just happen to be hosts is okay is it?

Anyone who has been hosting for any length of time knows that people are people. End of story.

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Imho hosts are the worst guests I actually use my cancellation quota to cancel host bookings

I don’t get it if I were a guest in an airbnb I would be incredibly nice to other hosts. For example leaving 5 stars but if there was an issue I would mention only in private. Oh well.

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So what you’re saying is that you’re not “incredibly nice” to your other guests?

JF

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oh goodie We get a Brit tonight!

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