I’m glad that some hosts have found it helpful but I think that since 2015 I’ve called it only twice. One was a techie matter - some setting or other and I don’t even remember what the other was - something to do with an errant payment or something, I think.
I think it’s great. As a guest however, I have to say that I don’t always leave reviews. A case in point, I payed over $3,000 to stay at a house in Denver over the Christmas holidays. I chose the house based on a few factors that might seem unusual. I had to have a dining room table, at least 3 bedrooms, a well equipped kitchen and a fireplace. The place we rented was lovely, but the host did not have a well equipped kitchen. I made do, and ignored dead herbs she left in the fridge for us. A couple of things bothered me: the windows weren’t covered. She mentioned putting towels or sheets over windows if it bothered us. One of the beds was uncomfortable for an 18 year old – you know that’s bad… Smoke alarm went off every time we cooked. The most irritating thing however was that she advertised a fireplace. When we got there she said we couldn’t use it because it hadn’t been cleaned. I was pretty pissed. I didn’t leave a review because I didn’t think it was a terrible house, it was actually lovely. But the host was misleading at best, and for that much money I expected a lot more effort. Just saying that sometimes not leaving a review is the nicest thing you can do.
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We don’t need people being nice, we need people being honest. It’s not Tinder, it’s not therapy. It’s a business transaction.
Leaving a review that says “Lovely house with underequipped kitchen. The fireplace which is listed as an amenity was off limits. I wouldn’t book this home again.”
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Do you think that it’s fair to others not to leave a review? That’s especially the case with the fireplace as I can understand that it could be an important part of the Christmas festivities. Did you message the guest to make sure it was working?
I’d also want to know about the uncovered windows. That’s pretty weird unless the house wasn’t overlooked in any way. But it’s only fair to let future guests know about these things so that they can make an informed choice. Did the photographs show window coverings?
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The only way it helps your search ranking is when a guest goes into “More Filters” then “More Options” and specifically enables the “Superhost” filter.
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“dead herbs” as in what 95% of people use? You mean dried? Why would any guest expect green plants?
In keeping with the theme of communication and reviews…nothing is more irritating then getting dinged on communication when they msg you at 2 a.m. and then say it was 6 hours before they got back to me… well yeah…I do sleep and do not always hear my msg app go off at that time of the night. Which is why I have in my manual to “call” me if there is an issue after 11 p.m. Question for those who have multiple listings with people coming and going how to you review every guest, honestly I don’t because unless you stay more than 2 nights you are just a blip…unless there is an issue. or do you just say, good guest left the room/home in good order…
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I don’t have multiple listings but I do have high traffic with lots of one night stays. I review 95% of my guests because I think it’s part of the deal. The one nighter pays just as much as the 10 nighter per night and deserves the same service including reviews. I also feel that I have an obligation to my fellow hosts. But as Allison said, airbnb will probably do away with guest reviews and I’m fine with that too.
If I had to do more reviews per day it would be more work but I got more money so yeah, I’d still do it. Simply saying they were a fine guest or just cutting and pasting a saved review and putting the stars is fine.
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"NAME, I hope you had a wonderful time! The Central Coast really has so much to offer, I hope you’re already looking forward to your next visit!
Just as a reminder, check-out time is 11 am.
Before you leave, I ask just a couple of favors. If you have dirty dishes, can you please load them in the dishwasher and turn it on. The detergent is under the sink. The cleaning crew will empty the dishwasher and put the dishes away. If you gather up your trash, please put it in the gray bin outside, recyclables in the blue bin. Since pickup is every Tuesday, can you please put the bins (that have anything in them) in the street before you leave (wheels in the gutter)?
Don’t worry about the linens - the sheets and towels. Leave the sheets on the beds and pile the used towels in the bathroom. The cleaning crew will take it from there.
Please leave a review on Airbnb about our Heart’s Desire and I hope you can rate it a 5-star. If it wasn’t a 5-star for you, please help me improve the experience for future guests by letting me know what would have made it a 5-star for you.
Thanks again for staying at Heart’s Desire and I hope you’ll consider us next time you’re in the neighborhood.
Allen Thompson"
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Allan, I am sure there is some reason for it, but I can help to think ‘why do you want your guests deal with the somewhat unsavory task of wheeling the bins outside?’
Your cleaning must come by fairly after checkout as otherwise you would not want wet towels piled up high …I am sure they would be able to take care of the bins …
I haven’t had a guest yet complain about my request to put the bins out, Alex. They haven’t all done as I requested but most have. I tend to think of it as not so unsavory a task and most guests are glad to pitch in. Interestingly, I have found the cleaning crew less reliable!
But the point of posting my standard before-you-go message here was more about the 5-star-rating request than the chores.
I really like the way you’ve worded the bit about “if it wasn’t a 5-star for you…” I might just borrow that!
Not really multiple but two apartments that are mostly back to back with short stays plus another I look after for a neighbour…
It’s just part of the routine. I keep a scrupulous super hi-tech calendar (sarcasm, it’s a regular paper diary) and all check ins and check outs are duly noted so that I know to leave an hour free if possible to attend to each.
When guests leave, I go into the apartment at once (before they are at the end of the street usually) for a variety of reasons but mainly to inspect the place and check that everything has been left in good order (this includes turning off any lights or AC or whatever).
I also do other stuff that only takes a couple of minutes like spraying any marks on linens, strip the bed (both apartments only have one bed), check the fridge, open a window to air the place, check drawers, under the bed and so on to make sure that the guest hasn’t left anything etc. etc.
The next job is writing the review whilst everything is fresh in my mind.
Like KKC I think it’s part of the deal and it only takes a couple of minutes.
After that, the guests are completely gone from my brain - the mental files are deleted 
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She left food in the fridge. Fresh herbs are green till they go moldy and brown.
I’m okay with what you drafted about “Communications and reviews.”
We live in the house where we rent out bedrooms, so we almost always have the opportunity to say to guests as they leave, “We’ll leave you an excellent review later today. We hope you’ll do the same for us.”
Of course we say that only when we’ll actually leave an excellent review—which has been about 99% of the time, after hundreds of guests.
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