This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I was leaving reviews on Airbnb and not really paying attention. I leave the same review for almost all guests: “Great guests, left the apartment clean and in good condition. Will always be welcome back.” I do them in batches, and I just paste that into each one.
Well, I was doing them today, hitting Control-V without really looking. And after 2-3 guests I realized I was pasting in this: “Am incercat sa cumpar o inghetata de la Friandise. Cand am intrat erau doua femei in spatele tejgehelei.”
Translation: I tried to buy an ice cream cone from Friandise. When I walked in there were two women behind the counter.
Hilarious!!! That’ll teach you to boilerplate copy-and-paste!!! All I can think is for you to call Air and explain that somehow you got caught in some translator and pasted the wrong things, and can you fix it please. Only problem is, can you find exactly which ones got sent the spurious text?
Really! I must be SO old fashioned. I write reviews specific to individual guests. We’ve only had 40 guests so far over 4 months. Perhaps after 40 months I will be doing ctrl. V as well but I hope not.
Me too and I’ve written over 400 guest reviews. I’ve typed out each one. I’m sure I use certain phrases over and over and many reviews sound pretty rote but each guest is a unique individual and deserves their own review. A guest doesn’t care if I’ve written 4 or 4000, they only care about their one review.
I try to be original but when I haven’t met the guest or had very little interaction with them I usually say, “Although I didn’t get to meet so and so, they were great about communicating ahead of time with us and left our place neat and tidy. They’re welcome back any time!”
I feel the same way. I write each review individually, but unless something was bad and worth noting I end up with the standard, “So and so was a good guest. Left the apartment clean and tidy. Communicated plans well. Followed house rules. Would host again.”
There’s no right or wrong way to review guests imo. It depends on whether you have IB or not, whether you share or have self contained accom.
For me if I have met a guest then I try to reflect that unique experience in my review.
I try to write personalized reviews, but with guests it is often true that “All good guests are the same; every bad guests is bad in its own way.” I rent out separate units in my house, so unless they were talkative or we ended up hanging out a bit, I don’t have much to say for most of my good guests (and most of them are really good!). Clean, communicate clearly, respect check in and check out times, Respected house rules. Seemed nice.
My apartments are in Florida, and I am in Eastern Europe. I have Instant Book enabled. Guests get the keys in a lockbox. I use a professional cleaning service with a staff of ten, and I only get notified of the exceptional cases. So there is little opportunity to personalize the reviews.
As a gentle suggestion, it often happens on internet forums that topics turn toward the negative. When that happens fewer people are willing to contribute to the discussion.
There are advantages and disadvantages to every approach. You can find a wide variety of experiences on Airbnb. As an example, many of my guests like the ability to check in very late at night, even in the early morning, without feeling like they are inconveniencing someone. As with everything on Airbnb, the key is to accurately describe what you are offering so that guests know what they are getting.