Yes, they get in the way, and it’s always the same thing
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You have probably thought of this… but could it be feasible to open another account and start over?
I couldn’t function with IB forced on me.
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I don’t like how it looks when hosts respond to every review. I know many say it’s a marketing opportunity. To me it looks like the host needs to have the last word.
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I must admit it’s not clear what the point of the response is, much of the time. If the host wants to say something to the guest, he/she doesn’t have to make it public. And usually the response adds little or nothing. And if anyone wants to know how the host feels about the guest, there is the review the host has left for the guest. Perhaps the idea is to make the host look good - see, I’m friends with the guest - but I wonder if anyone cares.
Though @Malagachica and @brook2adks have addressed it as being a way for prospective guests to get more information about the host. But hardly anyone actually personalises their responses (including me). It’s usually just the same thing many times.
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This is my view, too. I have never once replied to a review and I’m so glad I never started to do it as smtucker says! When I’m looking at listings and have to scroll through pages of ‘Thank you for the lovely review, it was such a pleasure. Snuggles sends kisses to you! Blah blah blah’ I’m tempted to move on. On the other hand, it can indeed reveal a lot about the host and therefore useful. Difficult decision for you faheem!
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The other thing is when you look at listings and the host misses out a reply to a review you wonder why, particularly when their review of the guest is good.
Well, if I could think of anything sensible to say, it would be a different matter. But I increasingly feel like a prize idiot saying the same thing multiple times. And vacuous things at that. I don’t think I’d make a very good politician or talk show host.
I think my original thinking was that it would be polite to thank the guest for the review but
a) I could do that privately
and more importantly
b) the guest doesn’t care.
Probably most don’t. I did get a thank you from a host once and it was nice to see but I think it would get old fast. In any case I’ve stopped thanking guests for reviews.
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Whenever I receive a good review I thank the guest privately. This has the advantage of the guest not seeing that I repeat myself.
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So. You have your answer. Stop doing it! It’s an interesting subject, though. The whole ‘replies as marketing’ approach made me think.
Oh… if this replying is a part of marketing, I’ll start just now.
We’ve calculated that our family of four will need 100 (future) guests for our dream trip to New York and we wouldn’t expect anyone here in the winter: so tanks for the reminding, I’ll do start answering to the reviews.
Well, just remember to take the bus from NYC to Washington DC when you come!
Heh. That’s funny. And an expensive dream trip.
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I only use it thank EXCEPTIONAL guests, like the ones who took me to dinner at a bucks up resort restaurant. I’m sure they spent almost as much on dinner as their whole reservation cost!! Eeek!
That’s something I would thank them for privately so other hosts don’t read your public comments and expect the same. When I do something special for a special guest (pick them up at the airport or train station, give them rides, etc.) I ask them to not mention it in review because I don’t want others to think everyone is due the same.
LOL. In what country? You can be quite vacuous and get the nomination of a major party in the US. Believe me!
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I did reply to some at the beginning but after a few reviews I quit… You all might be interested to know that our start, @Mearns replies to most of his guests. I noticed one he didn’t and wondered if that meant anything. Maybe he will chime in and tell us why he does it.
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Hah. No, I meant I wouldn’t make a good politician (or talk show host) because I’m not comfortable saying vacuous things.
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Where have we heard THAT particular phrase!!! Ackkkk!!!
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If it’s any consolation at all, I have always used instant book (voluntarily) and I find that most guests contact me first before booking, It might be something like whether I can accommodate check in or checkout times beyond the normal ones on the listing. Or how far away we are from certain place. But whatever the question, it means that we can have a ‘chat’ first. Then, if I remember correctly, I’m allowed three cancellations per year if I don’t ‘feel comfortable’.
From these messages, I can often get an inkling of what they are like and if, for instance, I think they might be party people, I’ll talk about ‘our quiet little community’ to put them off 
I also mention that I live onsite (just a few steps away) and this puts off anyone who might be considering partying or bringing a noisy dog or whatever. They know that Big Brother will be watching them so choose to stay somewhere else
This said, I’m pretty hopeless at evaluating guests from their messages so even if I didn’t have IB I’m sure I’d get it wrong!
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