How do you stop worrying about maintaining 5 stars

[Militaryhorsegal]

I disagree as long as you set your minimum for what you wreathes want and the don’t limit your maximum. And…be sure to check
It regularly that it has not been put below your minimum. When I first started it often went below my Minimum so I turned it off for mahout a year and a half. I now have it and it works well, but I still check it.

[Militaryhorsegal]

I do similar. I also usually end up adding a house rule or tweaking one, sometimes both.

[Nya]

I think this needs to be on a T shirt!

[Nya]

Good idea, I changed the rules to ask that you dont go through my things (thought that was a given) or eat my food. I dont mind seeming high strung or like joey tribianni I’m very agreeable just dont eat my food

[Nya]

Thanks for the advice, sometimes it is a little easier said then done but I know its coming from a kind place.

I have a lovely kitten and do all the breathing, body scanning, muscle relaxation, nature walks, gym but sometimes people really set me off.

Its not so much the food its very cheeky but i just didnt give the crumpets they had eaten for breakfast but its the lies it makes me feel like im crazy and as a mentally ill person its very imbalancing. I should also say these people also partly broke my shelf then left me a note saying it happened by it self and I should be careful

[Magwitch]

Hey @Nya, you sound like me when I first started out. Too cheap and trying too hard… !
There are some really good threads on here about the mistakes we all made at the beginning, here’s one of them:

How to become Super Host

I need help. I have been an Airbnb host for 2 seasons. I have met and hosted wonderful people. I have had people return. I have worked really hard to be an exceptional host and provide a clean and attractive home/space. It is rural and in a country setting with beautiful mountain views and only 35 minutes away from a popular national park. My goal is to be a super host but fall short. I have friends in the area that also are Airbnb hosts and they have achieved super host rating in a much shorte…

Just search for “doormat” ! It’s kind of embarrassing how many of my own posts contain that word but it’s a truth - people don’t respect someone who tries too hard and acts like a doormat. And if you’re too cheap, they won’t respect your place. I’m a budget listing too and I love my budget guests but there is a sweet spot - if you’re TOO cheap, people somehow think it’s not worthy. Weird but that’s psychology for you. Pay more and, as long as it’s decent and you haven’t clearly been ripped off, you will value it more.

I guarantee that if you stop trying to please guests and just focus on making sure everything is clean, comfortable and exactly as you describe in the listing, you will be a lot happier!

Also, I suggest that you dedicate a shelf or an area of the kitchen that is for guest use. And make it clear during the house tour that everything else is off limits. You do it nicely “Everything here is for you! This is where you can keep your food so that we don’t get mixed up over whose it is” Etc. YOU need to set the boundaries, otherwise how are they supposed to know what’s ok or what isn’t?

[LoneStar]

What’s it like to own the most-visited Airbnb in the world

The article also list some really beautiful high-end Air rentals, but the most visited AirBnB is relatively humble… What’s it like to own the most-visited Airbnb in the world [image]

This is the most popular AirBnB listing on the planet. It has a 4.86 star rating.

Just saying: If you haven’t found a better reason to stop sweating this, here it is.

[Flyboy]

I dont even look at stars anymore TBH. I only look at reviews from emails and life is better

[Barns]

JOEY DON"T SHARE FOOD! Type ‘friends joey’ into google, then click the pizza slice!

[Nya]

Hey all just wanted to give an update they left on Friday and left a review straight away gave me 4 stars for communication, outstanding hospitality and a 5 overall.

For anyone struggling with mental health and hosting Id say I’m happy that I was clear from the start on what should be used, and that I let them know straight away that eating my food or going through my stuff wasn’t okay all in all it turned out well. Even if it didnt I know I’ve done my best and stuck to my boundaries. I think you can be as “unreasonable” as you want in your own home. If you dont like whats going on say it, the consequences wont be as bad as letting things you don’t like carry on.

Thanks everyone for all the tips and advice!

[Kat_Hansen]

Glad it worked out for you, Nya. It’s hard to tell a person with anxiety not to get too worked up over 5-star ratings (I, too, have anxiety).

For me, 5-star reviews and Superhost enable me to set a personal benchmark. If I do everything I can to reach those goals, I can be fairly sure that I am offering the best service to my guests. There’s a lot I will do to meet those standards and make guests happy, but I do try not to drive myself nuts striving for perfection. Welcome to the biz!

[sarah1]

Double your nightly rate and let them eat the yoghurt.

[alkira]

@Brian_R170

I figure once you get a review that’s not 5 stars, then you no longer have 5 stars and you can never really get back to 5 stars (except by rounding error), so you automatically stop worrying about it.

Also, ask yourself: Why did I get into this business? Was it to maintain a 5-star rating? I hope not. The only thing that matters is whether you are meeting your own goals for price and occupancy rate. A high star rating typically means that you are doing the right things to ensure your guests are happy and that will help you meet your price and occupancy goals, but, you can consider your star rating irrelevant unless it drops low enough to affect one of those two things.

Hi Brian
Everything you say is true, except that if you are a Superhost, if your rating does drop you lose this status plus all the perks it offers (more exposure etc.) so there is an added amount of unnecessary pressure which makes hosting a lot more unpleasant if we take star ratings seriously. Personally, I loath the whole star rating thing, but I suppose it is a general guide on how well we do things.
All the best
Al

[Charmed59]

In my particular market AirBnB is not yet popular for full house rentals. So for now I list on other platforms. However I use AirBnB quite often as a guest. I must admit, until I read this forum I didn’t realize the whole worry about 5 stars, nor did I realize guests were rated. (And was pleased to find I have a 5 star guest rating.)

When I search on AirBnB I know where I want to be and search by location, meaning maps. I find the lists overwhelming, despite filtering for all my needs, so I narrow it down by searching in particular locations that sound interesting to me.

I look at the pictures, check the amenities list to ensure I have my must haves, read the first 3 paragraphs of description, skim the rest, and then read the reviews, especially recent ones. If there is a bad review I look for more recent ones that often rebut their claims. Or echo them, but in a nicer manner.

If the complaint in the review doesn’t apply to my stay, say the street was closed due to repairs that are long completed, or the duvet was stained but has now been replaced, I’m not going to give it a second thought.

All this to say for this guest a super host rating means nothing, and a 5 star rating versus a 4.5 star rating means little if the complaints were things that don’t apply.

[Militaryhorsegal]

@Charmed59 If only more guest were like you…

[KKC]

@Charmed59

for this guest a super host rating means nothing,

You sound like a great guest. I do filter for SH because it does some of the work for me but it’s great that you are doing the work yourself.

[tenrooms]

Couple of ideas that may help in your situation. 1. Buy a small plastic bin, label it ‘For Guests’ and put their items in the bin. 2. With a bold sharpie marker label your food items. Put Nya on your items and Guest on theirs.

I have a house share and in one drawer near the fridge there are several Sharpie markers for the guests to label their food items. If something is not labeled it could be fair game.

[JJD]

@tenrooms

Put Nya on your items and Guest on theirs.

I completely forgot that Nya was the OP and thought that Nya maybe stood for “Not Yours A**hole”. I thought it was a little harsh.

[KKC]

@JJD

Nya maybe stood for

Or she could put “Nunya” on the bins… LOL

[tenrooms]

Everything can be funny. N Y A .