I just got a booking request and when I clicked on the guest’s profile before accepting, their photo was there, not just the circle with the letter in it.
Wonder if it’s a glitch. or if they are letting us see guest photos before confirmation again.
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You can ask a friend to make a request to you and replicate?! … This would be really interesting…
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Ssssshhhh… keep this glitch a secret…
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I get this every now and then. Always assumed it was a glitch.
Was it a repeat guest? Which would make sense for them to show you.
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Nope. Newish guest, says “1 trip”, no reviews, no profile info.
isn’t no review if they’ve done 1 trip a bad sign? most hosts can easily leave a review unless they’re reluctant…
I would not consider it a bad sign, no. Plenty of hosts don’t bother to leave reviews, having nothing to do with the guest’s behavior, or the guest might have had a booking for which the 14 day review period is not up yet.
I’ve had several guests who showed trips but no reviews, or showed more trips than reviews, and they all turned out to be fine guests.
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I think if new guests don’t bother to review their hosts, then it is highly likely they can go quite a few trips without any getting reviews themselves. Probably indicates that they are average guests - neither brilliant nor dreadful. I’ve had a fair number of guests recently (all perfectly good guests) who have x trips but no reviews - not one left a public review after check out.
Please explain. A review is given whether or not the other person gives one.
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There are some hosts who say they don’t bother to leave a review for a guest if the guest hasn’t bothered to leave a review.
As if it’s some gift exchange with the guest, rather than a consideration to future hosts.
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True, but it is not compulsory to leave a review in order to continue to use the platform. The world seems determined to make everyone leave a review for everything they do/buy/contact customer services for nowadays.
As a host, the reviews I find most helpful are the honest ones about less brilliant guests. Usually where the booker turns out not to be the actual guest staying. I take the lack of reviews but lots of trips generally as an indicator that the guest didn’t communicate (at all) but probably also didn’t trash the place.
Why would you assume such a thing? Especially when you acknowledge that some people are just review-weary.
Has that been your personal experience, that guests who showed more trips than reviews didn’t communicate at all?
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Can you explain this in more detail? Thanks.
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The trip could have just ended and the hosts hadn’t had a chance to review yet? But I might generally agree with you if they have been a member a long time.
Almost without exception. But then we operate self contained cottages with instant book and self check in. So I think that maybe these are just guests who want the anonymity of a hotel/ agency booking with the space and comfort of a home. I message upon receiving the booking, before arrival with check in details, after arrival to check everything is ok, before check out to hope they enjoyed their stay and after departure to thank them for looking after the place. Plenty of scope for communication if they want to.
I just think guests that don’t communicate are showing they are not especially invested in the host/guest interaction and therefore less likely to leave a review. And so long as said guest is ‘perfectly fine’, maybe the hosts don’t bother to review either because there isn’t anything to flag for other hosts and no reason to feel engaged in supporting the guest’s track record.
After all, and no doubt this will be shot down in flames but I’ll write it anyway, it is actually better for hosts to receive no review than one that might be only 4 stars, so why encourage reluctant guests to leave a review (where you know they are explicitly asked to focus on what could have been better) when you have really no idea what they thought…
Whenever I have a guest who has been good, I always send a message telling them I’m giving them a five star review. I try to do that BEFORE they do their review so it hopefully puts it in their head to do the same for me. It’s not a guarantee, but hopefully setting up the idea of reciprocity is in my favor. I generally get five stars anyway, but I think this is a nice way to help push what might have been an occasional four star review up one notch. I just had a guest give a five star review but then some private feedback about the lighting in the room. She could have just as easily given me four stars and public feedback but maybe my note made a difference for her. Or maybe not. I’ll never know.
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Sorry, but I totally disagree with this approach. It is a form of coersion. Reviews are meant to be honest, not I give you a 5 star review and you give me one in return. It isn’t supposed to be a transactional process and negates the purpose of reviews being blind.
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I agree wholeheartedly with @muddy. Reviews have to be honest and unsolicited.
I’ve even heard of hosts who write the good review before even setting foot in the rental after the guests have checked out - when they have no idea of the condition of the place.
We were once staying in a rental and my husband happened to bump into the host in a local bakery. She assured him that she’d leave us a five star review - presumably in the hope of getting one for herself.
It was a tremendous place and I did write a five star review but when I was told that she had asked for one, I wished that I’d trashed the place. 