We’re in Andalucia… if we got marked down every time an ant appeared then we’d be lucky to hit three!
JF
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Another thing you really should stop worrying about…
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Just doing the math!
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Our guest from this weekend confirmed that she thought everything was great. She HONESTLY THOUGHT that giving us 4 stars was a good review. This was her 1st airbnb review ever.
Lesson learned.
From here on out, if a guest is new or only 1-3 reviews, there will be some very gentle coaching going on. We’ll also put a little something in the unit going forward.
Well it happens. I’m sure her written review was a nice, detailed review about how great everything was and that will really help since it will be at the top/on the first page.
I had a guest give me 1 star once. This was her written review:
"I am happy to share our experience at ______. In a word…perfect! ____ was there to greet us. She is warm and friendly. As a host, she is terrific! The room was very clean, nicely decorated, and one of the best European style showers I have seen. The shower is a large walk-in. Super cool! We also thought the bed was super comfortable. The thoughtful, practical amenities were impressive. From toiletries, multi-outlets, nice lighting, clear instruction on how to operate the lights and fan was helpful. There are so many lovely details. It’s an amazing space. My husband and I highly recommend it. We liked our stay so much that we are staying at _____ on our way back. Thank you, ____!
As you can imagine I was upset by 1 star. That was almost 3 years ago and it certainly did bring my rating down. Since she was going to stay again I made sure she understood what she had done and what effect it had and that it wouldn’t happen again. LOL.
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Would you consider asking the guest—through the Airbnb platform—what suggestions they might have for you about cleanliness (if that’s the criterion they rated as 4 stars)?
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He’s right, I remember it being bad, too… or maybe that was just inside the Tio Pepe winery/distillery.
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Feedback
Accuracy
4
Cleanliness
4
Communication
4
Location
4
Value
4
Check-in
5
This public review was in May, “Views and accommodations were great! Julia and Michael were very hospitable and welcoming! The pictures online are an accurate representation of the accommodations” We got 5* overall from this person, she was our 18th guest, and also wrote a nice note in our booklet. It’s funny> turns out we just found out she’s dating our friend’s son and brought him here for his birthday. Man, I was so miffed. changed her name on my phone to s------nononono
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Boy, I would just be heartbroken. Especially since it is obvious she didn’t mean to leave a one star review.
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Wow that really sucks - so she clearly thought 1 star is best. I assume that you contacted air and they would do nothing …
No, I didn’t contact Air. I contacted the guest who said she would call Airbnb. She claims they said there was nothing they could do. I suspect she didn’t even call them. She was on a trip and probably had a million other things she would rather do.
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My second ever guest left me a devastating 2* revenge review. This was at the beginning of our high season, and I still managed to get SH at the end of that quarter. To put that in context, most of my bookings are for last minute getaways for a few days. I have few made in advance.
@GutHend has a very good take on reviews that I think he leaves out for guests. It’s hilarious but to the point. Perhaps he’ll re-post for you, new job depending. I’ve lost my copy that I used to leave in the guest dining room; I think it walked with guests who laughed at it but felt enlightened.
Found it - thank you.
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Can you re-post it on behalf of @GutHend please?
With admiration for your tenacity on the search front!
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I am totally behind this theory. It seems very clear that many of my guests know they want to say something positive about my listing, but find it too much work to come up with something original. Many of my reviews have at least the same tone and at most the same words in a slightly different configuration.
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I’m with the other hosts. Put 70% of your energy into upping your game and 30% into educating guests. I can’t help but feel you’re blind to something. About half my guests are new and I haven’t had a 4* since last year.
When I first started hosting, I made a point of catching people on the way out. Approaching it as “hey, I’m new at this. Is there anything I missed? Anything you felt you needed?”, I found guests were generous in their feedback and gentle in their actual reviews. I also added a question to my guest book “If you had $100, what would you change or add to the suite?” I got A LOT of valuable feedback, which I implemented.
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Yeah, known as ANTalucia this year in these parts. Not to mention the midges (I think what the US calls “no-see-'ums”) that made our September a misery …
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You found them worse than previous years as well? Been a bit of a nightmare this summer, less so in guest apartments, more in our apartment upstairs.
JF
After 7 years I got one bad review. I am finished after seven years of good reviews. I have no defense although I have witness and the accuser/“guest” has none. Is there a court of appeal?
You may wish to repost this as a New Topic? It may not be seen as much here on the end of mine.
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