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Grr! Venting here guys… I have been informed by Airbnb that my last three guests have given me less than 5 stars for my location. So slap on the wrists for me! Haha! I’ll just pick my house up and place it right on the beach front and charge more money then…. Anyway… I am thinking of adding this ‘disclaimer’ to my listing and wondered if some of you would let me know your thoughts:
Please note before sending a reservation request:
Due to a small number of ‘Location’ stars in reviews having recently been lower than I would expect, please ensure that all the details in the listing are read and understood, and also take note of the studio’s position on the map. If the listing is read fully and guests then decide to make a reservation then it is unfair to then mark the location down. Furthermore if within the same review the listing’s details are also described as accurate then it does not follow to then mark the location low. The Location review score is subjective to what each guest requires; if a guest makes a reservation having read the details in the listing then they are choosing a location that they feel is a good fit for what they want. If a guests decides after their stay that the location was not ideal for them then the host is not accountable and therefore should not be penalised by a low review score which subsequently impacts on their overall review score. After all I can’t pick up the studio and move it
The studio is a good fit for you location wise if you want good quality accommodation on a quiet and friendly urbanisation with easy parking, a pool, appreciate fantastic views and don’t consider a less than 10 minute drive to the beach and village too far.
People aren’t reading all of your listing now, they certainly aren’t going to read it if you make it even longer. Also, whining about review stars is turn off to me. If you aren’t on Instant Book why not just have a conversation with those who inquire and discuss location with them then?
i think hosts have a right to be concerned about things that may affect their business. Of course guests, who typically don’t care, may not see it the same way.
I am not whining; it just annoying when the location starring system brings your overall review score down when, if the details on the listing are clear about the location and the location is clear on the map, there is nothing the host can do about it. Not all guests understand when comparing listings that the location is subjective i.e. you choose it because you think it is the right place for you overall. It makes no sense that the host gets ‘penalised’ because the guest chose it knowing full well where it was. I am simply trying to think of ways that I could try and this stop from happening, in the same way that I would try and improve if my Correspondence or Cleanliness score was low.
I have a new Accuracy story. Lovely German family … finally wrote their review which is about as happy as a review can be. Imagine my surprise that he gave me a THREE for accuracy, noting that the photos were not accurate. Really?
We got on so well, I wrote him to ask what was wrong with the photos and why did I deserve a THREE!!! His response begins:
Hi S, sorry, what a misunderstanding. I just wanted to express, that
the guestrooms are much nicer, than the fotos . . .
What ever you do, you can’t win: we live on a really central location. One business man gave us four stars for the location that he praised in the review. He walked 990 feet= 300 meters to his meeting. I don’t know what went wrong in his ‘long journey’ to the meeting to give us less than five stars for the location. But I’ve learnt not to focus on the stars anymore… A young student gave 2 stars when all of the rest have given 5* and been happy to have saved money on the transport… never mind. We’re getting on a vacation, because this “strangers in your house”-business is getting on our family’s nerves.
You are whining. Or at least your long, long drawn out explanations seem like whining when we read them. If guests don’t read the excessive verbage you already have, how can you expect them to read a map?
If i read the first sentence of your proposed explanation about stars and location, I would just click away and reserve with anyone else within five miles.
If I got that note from Air, I would have called them up, asked them why I got the note, and if it’s such a big deal that guests can’t read English or a map, then how much is Air going to pay me to move closer to the bloody beach!
@KenH, that’s a bit harsh. Star ratings are a legitimate concern.
On the one hand, Airbnb treats these metrics as Meaningful. On the other hand, it does bugger all to explain to guests (who, admittedly, might not care) how to interpret these metrics for the purposes of evaluation. And hosts are caught in the middle.
Or move the house every time a guest books according to their preferences. I have gotten dinged on location once for being too far from the beach and once for not being in the hills.
I think that the problem with the “Location” category is Airbnb sending warnings to hosts when they get 4-star ratings.
This category is useful for guests, when you don’t know a city, the location displayed on a map means nothing, there are filthy neighborhoods and pretty ones. But Airbnb should not blame hosts for that.
I left a 4-star for location in the past but had I been honest, it would have been 2-star ! Regarding my own listing, almost all guests rate the location 5-star but I would rate it 4-star myself.
Noooooooo! OMG I am continually amazed. Shame on you for having better than expected accommodations. 3 stars for you! What are you going to do? Leave it? Show his comment to ABB?
At first I thought, ah, it doesn’t matter. But it might. Averages are tough sometimes. Hard to get up. Easy to push downward. So I am actually in a DM on twitter with @airbnbhelp right now. They claim that they can fix this. When, how, through what means, I do not know. They wanted the confirmation code so a Case Manager can “get on this”
And now this “A member of our team will be in touch with you and your guest shortly. Thank you for your patience. Please let us know if you need anything else.”
However, I actually understand this interpretation of what accuracy can mean. And AirBNB gives no guidance to our guests on what the criteria is. (in fact, all the assumptions in this rating system are that we all make our places sound better than they are.) English is not his first language and isn’t that comfortable for him. In fact, he wrote the review in German since that is what he can do quickly.
. Anyway… I am thinking of adding this ‘disclaimer’ to my listing and wondered if some of you would let me know your thoughts:
