Newbie-first two reviews below 5 based on what I do not offer

So did you put this in the opening paragraph, where I have my 15% discount special showing? Or do you have it in the “space” description?

Sorry everyone. I didn’t see I could reply to everyone in one comment section. I ended up doing a whole bunch of replies. I am obviously a “newbie!” sheesh…

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will post a picture of the curtain on Sunday as that is when my guests leave. I did add the curtain into the “space” section but not the summary at the very top. Maybe I should do that too?

I have wondered about the space for six people. As I wrote in my response to my first guest, I really didn’t think any adults would book bunk rooms! So I really designed it for kids and parents. If you were in a hotel you would only have one bathroom. When adults started booking it I realized I should probably respond and say “Hey, there are just bunk beds.” But I think the price, the view and the beach access are just too good to pass up in these parts, so that is why I am getting more adults, I’m thinking.

I just need to make sure they understand that when I confirm their request to book.

As a host who doesn’t offer a lot of the standard Airbnb amenities I have taken to messaging guests with a reminder of what’s on offer as soon as they book and ask them to reply confirming they’re happy with arrangements.

The message is saved into default messages and takes 1 second to fire off.

Interestingly a lot don’t respond - so I have a second message saying if you don’t respond by x time I will have to cancel your booking. Suddenly a reply confirming it’s ok appears.

Guests still rate me down for what I don’t have. The difference is they can’t try and get a partial refund because ‘ohhhh there was an unexpected cat I was allergic to!!’

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Interesting how we all come up with our strategies. I used to wait for confirmation before accepting the request but all that waiting around drove me mad. Now it’s up to the guests to cancel if they realise it doesn’t suit their needs. I have a flexible policy so they’d get everything back, but so far nobody has cancelled. And yes, I too still get dinged for these things occasionally, but that’s life I guess. I’m not as hung up on reviews as I used to be.

Just curious, if you had to follow through and cancel due to unresponsive, would you call Airbnb and ask them to do it for you without penalty? Have you ever successfully done this for this reason?

They’ve never not replied when I’ve explained I would need to cancel.

I’m on instant book so I technically have the right to cancel unlimited times, there’s no need to involve Airbnb.

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I put the cliff notes at the top of the RULES because guests will get a pop-up before reserving asking them to confirm they’ve read the rules. The same info is covered in better detail in the “space” section of my listing.

I figure if they didn’t bother to read any of the listing, this is my last chance to spell out things that could be a surprise. :wink:

FYI, it’s CliffsNotes, not cliff notes.

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I think that you might add more seating in the living room - maybe an L-shaped sofa that can seat 5 plus a chair. It looks like there is room there for that. Then it would accommodate everyone if 6 guests are there even if it is a bit cozy.

If it were 10-15 years ago and looking to travel with my kids your place would be ideal for us. It’s obvious you have only 1 washroom, so it’s up to the guest to decide if that is enough for them if they’re there with 6 people. If they need more space or another washroom they will book elsewhere. So I’d keep it the way you have it regarding beds.

I’d base the rate on 4 guests and charge extra for the other 1 or 2 guests. That way people would be aware that your place is more ideal for 4, but you would take up to 6 if needed.

Since you don’t have a kitchen sink I agree that offering paper cups and plates may be better than the ceramic cups (although I would prefer the ceramic myself) - and a large garbage bin to go along with it.

It looks like you’re getting bookings, so you really should decide to go for it and put in that door instead of the curtain.

Best of luck!

I think that for a lot of guests, unless you have 5 star accommodation to match all of their expectations, you won’t get 5 stars. It doesn’t matter how little you charge or how exhaustively you explain the horrors of your space on your listing, if it isn’t the Ritz Carlton then no 5 stars for you.

It’s more complicated than that because I used to be a superhost and in fact offered less.

What has changed is how much I give of myself. In the beginning I cannot deny I was very attentive and took every 4 star personally. I had to withdraw somewhat as I thought I was getting obsessed… now I’m less likely to get a 5 star review but I know it’s because of the boundaries I now have in place.

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@SB9671111 I am not sure I agree. I have had five stars from the rest of my guests once I put in my binder what the star system means with Airbnb. It was only the first two guests that I did not have this star explanation sheet. It really seems to help to explain how it works. So far every guest has given me five stars since I put in the sheet, so I am back up to 4.5 in my rating now.

@CanadianHost My door is going in next Monday! Just have to wait for the door to come in. I think that will help a lot. They will still have to go through the door to get to the bathroom (the door openings are kitty corner) so I will still leave the privacy curtain up. But the noise issue should be greatly reduced.

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Glad it’s worked for you. How do you explain the star system?

Agree with you @Katwave, being defeatist doesn’t help anyone.

I’ve tried to hint at why I aim to provide 5-star service in some of the literature I send them. But it’s probably not made much of a difference.

+1

@YYCgal Here is what I have written for my star sheet. I actually show pictures of the stars as well. :slight_smile: But this is just a text file for you.

WELCOME TO OUR AIRBNB – HORIZON HOUSE

We hope you enjoy your stay

Because Airbnb relies on guest ratings when evaluating hosts, please rate us accordingly. Airbnb Corp only looks at the overall rating when evaluating. The other categories you rate are for other guests.

Five stars – You enjoyed your stay and would like your host to have a good rating. This is the rating that Airbnb wants for all its hosts, or it sends email warnings to the host. Our hope and desire is that you experience a 5-star stay with us!

Four stars – You liked the place and the host, but there were some things you weren’t happy with. A host will receive a warning email if they receive a 4-star overall rating by a guest.

Three stars – You may think this is an average rating. However, when a host receives 3 stars, it is a death toll by Airbnb Corp. A host will receive a warning email and be “at risk” if you give an overall score of 3 stars or less. Only use if you think it was not up to par.

Two stars – This is also bad. You have to really be dissatisfied with your stay.

One star – Obviously this is super bad.

Always be honest with your review, but keep in mind what it means to a host.

Thanks!

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Do you mind if I borrow this? I’ll adjust it a little to make it work for us, but I really like how you broke it down without being patronizing or desperate.

Thank you for sharing! It sounds like your review rate from guests is 100%. I doubt that my guests would read the information. Do you use some sort of prompting to get your guests to read up on the rating system or just leave it up to them to review it?

@Alia_Gee Of course! Let me know if it helps you at all. I do actually point the sheet out when I show guests my binder. It is the first page they see. I make sure I am here when guests check in so I can go over everything.

@YYCgal As I mentioned to Alia_Gee I actually go over the binder, including this front page, with my guests. I also ask them if they are new to Airbnb. So far, I have had brand new guests so I think it helps to explain the system to them. That also puts it in their minds to do a review when they leave. And, yes, my review rate is 100% so far!

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Thanks! We don’t have a binder (it’s a private room), but I’ve been writing cheerful goodbye emails to folks lately and that seems to have improved our review rate.

I am basing this on 300 stays in 4 different accommodations I have on airbnb over 2 1/2 years. one is 5 star, the others are 3-4.

Regards,

Silvie