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In the last 3 years, I have had 137 reviews :
5 stars : 128
4 stars : 7
3 stars : 1
I believe that I am not doing badly. Then why am I really upset with a first 4 star rating received in a long time? I asked the guest if she would like an air matress ,since it was her and her mom. She said they would share the Queen size bed. I told her check in was flexible, that I was usually home from work at 6pm but could sometimes get away during the day. She asked for a 5 pm check-in! I got a lock box and left precise instructions for a self check-in. While at work , before the self check-in time, she emailed me to say they had checked in early and asked for nearby restaurant suggestions which I gladly provided from work. When I arrived at 6pm , I offered to give her a map with suggestions on what to see and do if she liked. She did, so I sat down with her and helped her plan her tour of Halifax. I offered the use of my washer and dryer if they needed to do laundry. I then gave them their space and told them if they needed anything, to just ask me and text me if I wasnāt home.I left coffee and a selection of asian teas out for them ( I believe the Mom is from China if not the daughter as well, if not Canadian of Chinese origin) The house is centrally located, beautifully decorated, with really comfortable beds and spotlessly clean. I sent her a message thanking her for her 4 star reviews and telling her that if she had any suggestions for making it a 5 star home, that I would appreciate her feedback. (her written public feedback on Airbnb was short but positive).
Go ahead : tell me to take a valium, or have a drink and get over it! I realise I canāt continue hosting if I will freak out when I get the rare 4 star rating.
Iād recommend a good quantity of red wine but whatever your favourite beverage is will be fine
Just donāt worry about it.
Whatās your favourite book of all time? When I look at Amazon reviews of my absolute favourite book, there are plenty of negative reviews but it remains a best seller
You would have had a 5 star plus from me! File this under āsome people just canāt bring themselves to give a top rating.ā Their problem - they will never be satisfied! You went above and beyond.
When I get a review like that I like to console myself by looking up yelp reviews of the five star resorts around here. Seems there are plenty of complaints from ungrateful guests to go around.
I get so many four star reviews and I have given up asking why.
Maybe I would get a five star if I were oceanfront on a white sand beach. You know, like the places that charge $1000 a night? But even then people will find something to grouse about.
Hello everyone! Iām new to Airhosts and I am having exactly the same kind of day as Halifaxy here.
I have been hosting since 2012, am a SH and have plenty of reviews. So it shouldnāt bother me when my guests rated me 4 on location because in their words, āwe think is still a bit far from where we wants to goā. What do these guests expect? That we pick up our house and move to where they want? Ugh. They were first time guests on Airbnb so itās not like they had a point of comparison. They used my laundry at 10 pm, complained it was too hot on one of the nights (what am I, a sun-catcher? use the room fan duh!). They also used one of the fancy-ish glasses I provided in the room for drinking water as toothbrush and toothpaste holder in the bathroom. On check out day, the girl knocked on my door and then opened it without waiting for a response from me (I live on the same property).
I politely gave her a piece of my mind about āLocationā ratings after she posted her reviewā¦was that petty?
Also, is it allowed that I feel better now that I know Iām not the only one feeling miserable about a 4 star from todayās review?
This is what I wrote: āThank you for your feedback. The guests can see approximate location of where they are booking. So if someone wants to be close to downtown they should not book a place that says Airport location or if a guest wants to be closer to Banff exit, they should book a place in the Northwest. Unfortunately, I cannot pick up my house and move it. So I expect that guests are doing their research and reading the entire listing before they confirm their booking and not penalize me for where my house is because they decide to choose this place. Since you are new to Airbnb, I hope you take the time to learn how ratings work and what they mean as majority of the hosts I know bend over backwards to ensure their guests have a perfect stay. I am still glad you enjoyed your stay. Have a good one!ā
No, youāre right - it really shouldnāt bother you. Iāve mentioned before here recently that I believe that our rental is in absolutely the best location. After all, Iāve lived here for over twenty years and never wanted to move because itās perfect.
As you say, the guests know (approximately) the location when they book. They also have the option of messaging the host first to say āhow far are you from the beach?ā or whatever. They chose the location. We just have to put the whole thing down to daft guests.
Regular readers are fed up of me telling this story but I was once given four stars for location because the road to the beach was under construction - so caused delays of two or three minutes, Like thatās my fault.
For my wonderful location, I think I have a few three stars too.
So yes, we need to lobby Airbnb to create some sort of house-moving mechanism that moves our places instantly to wherever the guests want to be. Beam me up, Scotty
I too have some 4 stars for location. Why? Because you have to take a bus to the subway. How many times do I mention this in my listing? About four. If I were on the subway line, there would be no free parking and I would be charging more. Funny thing? I have 100% 5-stars for value. To be honest, my location just is. This is where I want to live. I love my neighborhood. Yea, the bus is a pain, but it is my reality. I am more concerned that people feel that they have gotten what they paid for, so I value the value rating higher than location.
Yes it shouldnāt bother me. Just feeling the burnout from constant hosting as this is a busy season for us. Looking forward to post-Stampede weekend off. Until then, wine is my friend!
Misery loves company. Iāve been kind of cranky waiting for the less than 5-star review I know is coming in from a couple who recently stayed. He wrote and said his wife was getting nauseated over an odor in the apartment and they could not find the source.
I promptly sent my housecleaner over. I was concerned she was using products that I specifically told her not to use but she verified she didnāt so I was puzzled. When she met with the couple, they tried to describe the odor and said it smelled like āwet dogā. She said, āBingo, thatās exactly what it is!ā
She told them about the old German Shepard retired police dog who lived two doors down whose owner takes him for a walk every day and a swim. The owner never washes the dog and he stinks up the hallway and elevators. I totally understood why the wife was getting ill over it but there was nothing I could do. It didnāt smell in the apartment because we have a fire door and it keeps odors out but if they are in the hall and the dog had recently been through it, thereās no escaping it.
I keep getting the reminders from Air on the countdown to do a review but Iām not doing one first. Iām sure the writingās on the wall for me. Itās just not fair.
Oh bother. Getting a bad review because a neighbor had a smelly dog is a new low. Something thatās completely irrelevant and unrelated to what you provide should not get to be graded.
Right now I am dealing with crap neighbors who fight and brawl. They are young couple in their 20sā¦ they also make a ton of noise in their carport facing my guest suite, banging around and coughing at 5:30 every morning. They have been heard yelling at, swearing at and berating their kids. Two guests have mentioned the surrounding noise. One guest said she was a retired social worker and wanted to call CPS on them. Two weekends ago they had the mother of all fights, one that went on all weekend, complete with F words and screaming kids as it was going on. Cops were called by several neighbors.
Itās not fair that I make myself crazy making my offering perfect and it can be all undone by these crap renters, who are supposed to be moving within the month.
My last guests, a couple in their 60s that were home a lot, left a fabulous review stating my place was quiet and tranquil. Did they not hear these losers fighting!!!
After I recently got a bulleted āpro/conā list review from this bā¦ I reworded and shortened the listing description and added: āAt this price please donāt expect perfection. Please do expect a clean, comfortable and affordable place to stayā¦ā
Along with the bulleted list were several paragraphs describing her experience staying at my place that included tips on parking, suggestions for improving the decor and mentioning hair in the shower that was I suppose technically IN the shower but it was actually in the drain pipe under the grate that was not attached.
To be fair, at the end of this lengthiest review ever in my 2 years of hosting she said she liked it and would be returning! Of course she would! The room is huge, clean, KalKing bed, nice areaā¦and CHEAP. And tons of mismatched towels!! Surprised she didnāt mention that
Arghhh, i detest the Pro Con people. They think they are writing for a travel guide or something. And they think because they left you a few pros you will accept the cons as constructive criticism.
I hosted my first Glampinghub hub guest who said she loved everything but then left a list of ways I could improve to make āeven Better.ā Errrgh
@konacoconutz ā Oh boy, when I put it in perspective, your neighbor situation is worse than my stinky police dog. We try and we try but all these outside influences that we have absolutely no control over are taking us down and affecting our livelihood. Itās so wrong.
@J_Wang ā Where have guests nowadays developed or learned that they have the right and freedom to provide a host with bulleted lists of pros and cons about a hostās home and may investigate areas such as drain pipes for stray hair! Who created these people and why are they multiplying and walking among us!
Wine, schmineā¦Iām into the hard stuff tonight ā chocolate milk!
And at the top of the list would be telling a-holes like her to go stay somewhere else next time so they could share their expertise with other appreciative hosts. :o
I realise I canāt continue hosting if I will freak out when I get the rare 4 star rating.
