One thing that may happen is that sometimes pictures make a place look bigger than it is. I think I recall after you retook the pictures someone said they made the place look bigger. My guest room is only 10x11 and my pictures make it look bigger, or so at least one guest told me. I describe it as small to try to manage expectations.
1 Like
Could be that. Hilarious to me because I listed the square footage and used about every word for small that I could think of in my listing (and the reviews all have some variation of these words as well now) : quaint, small, tiny, cute, charming, cottage, cozy, limited space, adequately-sized, compact
2 Likes
Ohā¦ did anyone tell you? Guests donāt read. You can say it a million ways from Sunday and they will still mark you down over something you have disclosed a thousand times.
2 Likes
I agree, @Mike_L ā Itās part of our job to educate AirVirgins as to the meaning of Reviews and the number system. I got a ding the other day because a guest couldnāt watch his Netflix show ā it was our fault that the provider was off the air, of course!!
1 Like
Pretend youāre a cast member of Frozen and let it go, let it go.
If this guest didnāt expand on their comment in the private note to you, fuhggedabboudit and donāt let them take up space in your head for another nanosecond.You are doing great!
3 Likes
I still get upset when I get a not-great review, although much less than I used to. But I have followed up after the review came in a couple of times. Not long ago I sent a follow up message to the guy who booked a party of 4 and gave me 4 stars on Overall, Location, Accuracy, Value and (the kicker) Communication.
Why Communication? BECAUSE HE HATED USING THE AIRBNB APP, as he stated in his private comments.
So when the review came in, I felt like I had to say something. Regarding value, I responded that Iād checked the prices at the very worst nearby hotel and confirmed that 2 double rooms would be about the same as my cottage, not including the $20 a night the hotel charges per car for parking.
His poor wife responded that she should have never allowed him to do the review, and that she so hoped this wouldnāt prevent them from returning in the future. Ha.
This party was annoying to have around, noisy and inconsiderate, i.e. they āharvestedā over a dozen Meyer lemons off my tree long before they were ripe to make margaritas, and he complained to me saying, āthose were the worst limes, ever.ā Sad, because there werenāt a ton last year in the first place, so it was just a waste.
Sometimes you have to let it go, but the couple of times Iāve either asked for clarification or responded in a message Iāve either learned something from the guest about my rental or at least felt better for saying something. With this guy, I said that I hoped if he ever booked an Airbnb again he would be kinder to his host. His wife said she was mortified. No, they arenāt going to book with me again. Sigh.
3 Likes
Good decision! Harvesting your Meyer Lemons before being ready-to-pick would totally frost my butt, especially because they take months to ripen! ā¦and plus that, theyāre mine. That goes for my Tahitian (Bearrs) Limes and Ruby Red grapefruit also.
1 Like
I know, right? They bloomed a little early last season, or maybe the bees were late. Anyway, nowhere near as many as in other years. I joked with my husband that I had given each lemon a nameā¦
1 Like
Awwww! I know, one year it was really sparse and I tied a ribbon around the 8 stems of my lemonsā¦they are always huge. We came back mid-summer and damn if they werenāt all gone.
The gardeners! (grrr!)
Last summer they took all my grapes.
I give up.
1 Like
I did this a couple of times when I first started and received less than 4 star reviews from a couple of guests really bothered me. I may even have suggested snarkily to some guests that next time they stay in a hotel. I am deeply embarressed. Now I donāt even look at their ratings on things like cleanliness for a few weeks so I have forgotten who they are.
One thing I do do is have a section in my guest hand book on reviews and I ask that if people give less than a 5 star review that they tell me in the private review what I did wrong and how I could do better for future guests, especially for cleanliness. Location should just be ignored since you canāt move your property (unless of course it is a caravan).
Iād actually message them and ask, but perhaps thatās because Iām still a fairly new host. Iād probably use that line with them too, and say as a new host Iād welcome their feedback as to why we only achieved 4 stars on this occasion and what was missing/ wrong /inaccurate so I can correct it.
The f***ing dust they caused by leaving the door wide open during their stay. There wasnāt a single speck when they arrived but their review is written about the state of the place when they left!
Yes, I had one I wanted to slap this week, and yes a first timer. 144 brilliant reviews and her crappy one. I wrote a scathing review so donāt worry, no one will have to put up with her again!
Your listing is adorable!
I baked chocolate ship scones for guests in our upper unit Airbnb (when we had to inconvenience them by turning off the water for several hours after the pipes burst in our lower unit.) They were very gracious. Then after they left and I went to clean the unit, I saw them in the trash. I thought maybe one got dropped on the floor, but no, there was 3 completely whole ones in the trash and one left in the container on the stove.) I was so sad. First off, I get rave reviews for my scones from friends and family. Secondly, my family had some from the same batch, so I knew they were tasty. If they were put off from food from a host they should have just left them all in the container. food waste is a pet peeve.
2 Likes
At least they told you why.
I wish they would make it so that if anything is not rated 5 stars that the guest will have to provide more detail. That would give us a chance to be perhaps clearer in the listing. Also, accuracy and cleanliness are two things that can be addressed by the host, if theyād let us know.
Value is the least useful rating and should be removed. Price is the one thing they 100% knew upfront, and it tends to change frequently, especially with smart pricing enabled. What cracks me up are last minute guests who think it is too much, but had I charged a lower price they would have never get to stay because it would have been booked months ago.
1 Like
But my description WAS accurate! They just didnāt read it!
Smart pricing isnāt very smart.
Iām struggling with a similar issue. I canāt find this thread, but Iām driving myself nuts with the 3 and 4-star reviews Iām getting. I mostly get five stars in the brand new studio. I wish I knew guests behave this way before I took on this old condo.
You ask it the private messages box. Iāve asked a guest to tell me just where the dust was sheād commented on so I could address the problem.
Quite often they make very helpful suggestions that I follow. One person rearranged a cupboard and I was really happy with it as I hadnāt considered that arrangement previously.
1 Like