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So I have had a lot of first time AirBnB guests this past month and the one thing that is really frustrating is the number of 4 star ratings I have gotten,Sometimes the 4 stars don’t even match what they give in the individual ratings or what they say in the review. For instance - they will give me 5 stars on everything and then give me 4 stars overall or they will praise the place in their review and then give 4 stars.
Right now the percentage of overall 5 star rating is at 81% - and that is only because during the winter I had rented out the third room to a couple of guests. If I only include my main listing - then it is at only 79% overall 5 star ratings.
It is just frustrating because there isn’t anything more I can do for many of these people. I got a 4 star rating from a family who stayed here - again their first AirBnB experience. I let their kids even use my boogey boards. They sat with me on my deck and talked after their family day at the beach and boardwalk. I gave them NUMEROUS recommendations. In return - they gave me 4 stars and yet this was their review…
“Robert was a wonderful host and certainly helped us out with our first trip down to the shore. He had great suggestions for us and made sure we had what we needed to to make our trip special. The rooms were nice and spacious and we just what we needed after long days at the beach or the boardwalk. If you’re looking for a good place to sleep with a great host then Robert is your man. Good location too with a nice park right down the street. Thanks again Robert!”
How does that review correspond to 4 stars?
I got this one from someone else - who even gave me 4 stars for communication.
“Robert was very flexible with check in time, that we modified several times. The rooms are very comfortable upstairs. The terrace was a perfect place for a quick breakfast in the morning, as the dining room was being redone. It was perfect for a 1-night stop.”
They stayed one night - and gave me four stars not only for overall experience - but even more confusing, communication. Using the dining room isn’t even part of the listing - that is on a case by case basis once someone arrives, but I don’t list it as being something guests are entitled to.
What is concerning, is that I have seen on past posts that people have said that AirBnB will threaten to delist your listing for having too many 4 star reviews.
Often people don’t understand that a 4 star review means. They might think it is equivalent to a 4 star hotel. That is, good. You could explain it to them.
Uhh, this happens all the time. 5 stars in every category and then overall 4. I think people think it refers to the quality of their vacation in general or something. Or a person points out in the review that the apartment is clean, and then gives me 3 stars for cleanliness. Or I allow for an early check-in, and then get 4 in the check-in category… Or someone praises me as a superhelpful host who gave tons of recommendations, and then 4 stars in communication… You see my point. I stopped wondering long time ago.
I think us hosts need to start calling these guests out. When they leave nice reviews but low ratings we should posts a sarcastic thanks in the public comment for other hosts to see. Respond with this “Your low rating does not match your kind words but I am happy that you enjoyed your stay”. This way we can check their past stays to see the sarcastic thanks and decline their reservations by saying that we are not comfortable hosting them because of the reviews.
Interesting notion. You mean, leave a public response to the guest review? I wonder if prospective guests would see that. Because that would not be desirable.
Same problem…Does Airbnb calculate the final score: 5 vs 4 vs 3? I had a guest, all 5’s + one 4 =“4”? And another: mostly 5’s some 4s (b/c “not a 5 star hotel”) wonderful comments, but FINAL SCORE WAS “3”?
I have many other concerns about Airbnb management…for a later date.
Airbnb seems to have created a culture where hosts are more concerned about their star rating than the hospitality they provide. Isn’t there something wrong here?
I stopped wondering long time ago.