You must respond because this will make you future guest wonder if you switched cleaners or something and perhaps they wont book you.
Keep in mind your reply is for your future guests, not this woman.
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I would respond it I was in this situation.
Curious, has this guest left other reviews that you can see? Is this a pattern for her?
Zero apologies - especially as she blatantly lied and slammed your accommodation.
So true,
Sorry youāve had a poor review on the cleanliness front. If youāve checked it all out and think your guests are being unfair (which it sounds like you do) you do have the right to respond.
Even if youāre not interested in appeasing the unjust complainers, it might be worth fighting your corner - to make sure potential guests get to see your side of the story.
As others have said - if you do decide to address the issue keep it professional, keep it brief and stick to the facts.
You might be a little nervous when your next guests arrive (even though it sounds like you have nowt to worry about) but you could maybe carry out an extra freshness check just to put your own mind at rest!!
Happy hosting!
This is a very interesting point. I was feeling that it would seem strange to me to see this ālack of cleanlinessā review without a hostās response and I think @adrienne12 has tapped-into the why of it.
Unfortunately you will have a few challenging guests it goes with the territory. In the last two years of hosting weāve had two problem guests. I think a short reply about your attention to cleanliness would show future guests that this is an inaccurate review.
Sorry about this
There are so many threads here about the whole should-I-shouldnāt-I thing and generally the consensus is that a host is just drawing attention to the poor review if they respond.
Host replies usually tell me more about the host than they do about the guest.
If a host has plenty of great reviews then one rubbish one will be seen by potential guests as being written by a nutjob - and most hosts donāt want to have the type of guest who believes nutjobs anyway so nothingās lost.
As you have a cleaner and donāt do the work yourself, can you be absolutely sure that your cleaner isnāt taking shortcuts? The shower liner, for example, shouldnāt smell of liner, it should smell of laundry detergent. Are you sure that the cleaner is laundering everything every time?
The guest sounds like a nutcase to be sure, but a bad review is a great nudge to a host encouraging them to check and double check their systems.
Please please please donāt take reviews like this to heart. The guest isnāt having a go at you personally, in fact it shows more about their character than yours.
Hosts need to have super-thick skin. You can do it. 
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I love KCCās suggested response. I am glad that I read this thread.
If we ever get a Guest who brings their own sheets and complains like this DURING their stay, they will be in for a negative review - delivered at the last minute of the 14 day timeframe.
Hosts need to know about red-flag Guests with unrealistic expectations, especially those with a history of unfair reviews.
Just remember there arenāt unlimited cancellations. So be careful in your choices. What I can do at 500+ reviews and survive is not the same as what a new host can do.
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I have a friend who always takes her own linens when she travels. She actually prefers staying in Airbnbās rather than motel or hotel rooms because she feels they are cleaner. Even so she still insists on having her own linens on the bed.
She does not, however, leave the hosts bad reviews for cleanliness. She knows this is her own quirk and that most people donāt feel the same way about sleeping in strange beds as she does.
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Understood - but it is a possible red flag that might not otherwise not have been on my radar.
Iām very experienced at being a landlord but fairly new to STR and really value the shared experiences here.
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As I mentioned earlier (possibly in this thread), I take my own pillow and sheets because I have allergies to many fabrics. The only really safe fabric for me is 100% cotton. Laundry products can also trigger a reaction.
Iām certain that Iām not the only person with these issues.
F42.9 is the billable code for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder . It is a medical condition and can be determined to be a disability. It would be wise to carefully phrase that cancellation and/or review.
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Definitely not. Itās particularly popular these days. Thereās been a bunch of discussions about it on here . Also, Iāve had a few guets inquire about the detergent used on the sheets.
Noted and Agreed. The candor that I might share here would not be so with CS at air.
We had a guest recently, lovely guy here for two nights with his girlfriend, they were doing a road trip from Lisbon to Barcelona.
Not only did they bring their own sheets and pillows, but their own coffee machine, pots and pans, a thermomix, several boxes with dry goods herbs and spices, a box with DVDās and books, cushions for a sofa and a couple of other bags full of their āstuff from homeā. Oh, and a large suitcase each.
Unloading on arrival and loading on departure caused a mini traffic jam in our barriada!
Iāve got a photograph of their stuff stacked up on the patio while he went to get their car when checking out. It looks like someone doing a house move, not staying in an apartment for a couple of nights, unfortunately I canāt post it as it would be a breach of privacy, but it does make us chuckle!
Great guests and left excellent review but would I host them again, yes. Would my neighbours, wanting to simply get to work on time in their cars, want me to host them again, absolutely not
JF
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Most of my guests are driving and have cars full of stuff, and many have blankets, sheets, pillows etc. Iām often surprised at how much stuff they unload for one night, and then put it all back the next morning to drive on. Why they bring their own stuff isnāt really relevant; all have been 5 star guests.
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is public. Anyone can read this forum. On any given day we have just as many views from non-members as members. We all say things here we might not to someoneās face but just keep in mind this isnāt a closed group and we donāt even know who here is actually a host and who is not.
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We have a couple who are repeat guests and they are totally lovely. Although I like to think that the rentalās kitchen is well=-equipped, and although I live steps away if guests need anything, this couple always brings lots of cooking equipment including a professional knife roll and butcherās apron.
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This exactly. I have a guest who brings their own sheets, cookware, dishes, television, and cleaning supplies. They always leave me five star reviews and leave the home absolutely spotless.
It is none of my business why they bring these things - they are an excellent guest and Iād be happy if all of my guests were like this.
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Got to admit, when Iām traveling by car, I always bring my own feather pillow.
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