I know that a lot of hosts are getting hurt by fussy guests who give threes and fours in their ratings. However, I’ve been astounded by the many many guests who give us fives all the way down the line. So this is obviously not a complaint. Our house is homey and comfortable but not immaculate (the guestroom and bathroom are very clean). I honestly think that the fact that we live in the same house makes a big difference. We are welcoming and friendly but give people their space, we provide a good cup of French pressed coffee and a muffin in the morning. And that’s it. And our rates are very reasonable. So for those starting out, please keep in mind that you don’t have to be perfect. I will add that when perspective guests read our reviews and see our ratings, is probably pure pressure for them to provide fives as well! Good luck, everyone.
Personally I think that’s a huge part of your success. So many rentals these days are non-contact places. Guests let themselves in (no greeting or house tour) and never meet their host or even speak to their host during their stay.
And it’s not easy to give low star ratings to hosts who have welcomed you warmly ,helped you have a great stay and been on hand if any problems have arisen.
On the other hand, if the guest hasn’t had any real communication with the host, let alone met them, then it’s easy to deduct stars.
Airbnb, as far as I know, was founded on the idea of personal relationships - much better than a faceless hotel.
Today though, so many hosts want their businesses to run as automatically as possible.
Coincidentally, we were recently discussing how many of our hosts we’d actually met - and we travel a lot. We’ve met very few.
So my guess for your excellent record of five star ratings is your personal attention.
As a homeshare host myself, I had a perfect 5 star rating since I started hosting in 2016. Just got my first 4 star this season from a senior guest who never should have booked my place due to his mobility and vision issues. Everything he complained about was clear in my listing info.
So yes, I agree that homesharing with a welcoming, friendly, and relaxed attitude, taking your cue from the guests as to how much interaction they want, coupled with actually enjoying hosting people in one’s home, tends to lead to 5 star reviews.
Homeshare hosts who just do it for the $, though, and prefer that guests stay exclusively in their designated space, are not sociable, and don’t actually like having strangers in their home may not get so many 5 star reviews.
Like when my friend booked a homeshare in Scotland. She checked in, got settled in her room, then headed for the front door to go for a walkabout. As she passed the living room, and saw the host sitting there watching TV, she took a couple steps in and asked "Whatcha watching? ", just trying to be friendly. To her, it would have been rude to just pass by without saying anything.
The host said frostily, “The living room is off-limits to guests”, and turned away.
Needless to say, my friend was left feeling very uncomfortable, stayed out of the house as much as possible during the 3 days she had booked and definitely didn’t leave a 5 star review.
Hey Rachael52,
Really appreciate you sharing this! It’s a good reminder for new hosts that it’s not always about being perfect warmth, respect for guests space, and a simple touch like good coffee often matter more.
You nailed it mentioning perspective guests read reviews, social proof works both ways. Once they see a pattern of 5-star stays, they’re more likely to match that score unless there’s a big reason not to.