Compliments to the host

[Airbnb]

There’s nothing like getting a “job well done!” when you’ve worked hard. And so many of you do go the extra mile to create magical stays for your guests. Our team that works on reviews knows how much positive feedback matters. So during one team brainstorm, they came up with this idea: What if we gave guests a way to quickly and easily specify what was so great about their stay with a host? We could identify the most common themes that guests love about their top-rated trips and list them out for guests to choose from. Fast forward to today and their idea is coming to life. Here are the top seven themes that emerged:

Now when a guest gives their trip an overall rating of 4-5 stars, they’re automatically prompted to give a little more detail about what made it memorable. Guests can choose as many of the seven compliments as they like, and (as always) they can elaborate on their experience in their own words in public or private feedback. So the next time you wow your guests, here’s what they’ll see:

And we’ve added a special “Compliments” section to your review summary when you’re viewing it from the Airbnb app on your mobile phone—so you’re sure to see what they appreciated about your space and your hosting style. The team is adding the final touches to this feature on the web, so soon you’ll see the Compliments section when you’re on your computer as well.

There’s more soon to come. We’re working on ways to make these compliments show up in guest searches so that they can see what makes your hospitality shine. It’s another way to help set guest expectations and reach your hosting goals. Whether you already have a few compliments, or you’re looking forward to that first one, we’re cheering you on.

[Sabrina209]

I get that too!  3 or 4 stars for “Location” when I show up on the map, have the location as part of the room name, AND note distances to attractions in my welcome message.  SMH.

[Kim388]

I admit that I wondered whether all these options  is necessarily a good thing

[Michael2484]

I tend to have very high ratings but find negative responses come from two sources.  First just grumpy, unhappy people who read certain amenities not provided then trash you for what you literally note is not available - AND discuss with you ahead of booking in notes.  The second, possibly related, is that the search and navigation process for those booking is really quite clumsy.  That's a sad note on a multi-billion dollar company providing a booking navigation service.  This problem at once makes it easy to complain about the experience but also masks the highly unique features of a property, hidden within dozens of comments that load poorly on many phones. 

AirBnB provides the programming front for us - they need to up their game on this front (their primary task).  The system feels five years old already compared to other service and sharing sites.    Hopefully some limited updates are on thr way.  I like the company and my guests, but site navigation and amenity highlighting are not up to date. 

[Susan1028]

@Michae0l

Yes.

Thank you.

[Cindy203]

Yea! You hit it spot on. Airbnb needs to put more effort into their programming font. My experience is guests don’t read thru entire description offered on site. This is why they complain, they didn’t take the time to read listing. Also I provide train schedule, bus schedules, maps to all area attractions, grocery stores, gas stations etc.. guests never even open book. Airbnb says they came  up with this emoji system for hosts. If it was for us, they would have requested our opinion first. This opens the door for more critical abuse from guests. 

[Raymond-And-Kathleen0]

Well said Jerry

[Katie449]

The "Location" rating generally annoys me. What is a perfect location for one guest is a terrible location for another. My description is crystal clear about the type of property and distance to points of interest.
I recently had a guest book a week then return a couple weeks later for a month. She gave a poor rating for location. Since she knew exactly what the location was from having stayed, booking a second time only to rate the location poorly is not credible.

The location rating should be removed from the items that can be rated.

[Sabrina209]

AGREE!

[David3220]

Agree!!!!

[Alexis-and-Momo0]

I cannot agree with you more. WHEN WILL AIRBNB LISTEN TO THE VERY CORE OF THEIR BUSINESS (THE HOSTS) AND BAG THE LOCATION OPTION ALTOGETHER?! Location is something out of our control; we cannot help where our home is located. It is also not our fault that guests do not read the listing or view the map (which in my opinion makes absolutely no sense whatsoever) so why should we be punished for their ignorance? My listing clearly states that we are 25 min walk/5-10 min drive, bus or train ride to the city center (which is not even far for a relatively big city) and we have several supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. within 5-10 min walk so it's not like we're in the middle of nowhere. Our location is about as good as it gets as far as being in a quiet yet central location and I can't see how anyone can complain cosidering how affordable our place is. Aside from clearly listing the location in the description, I also mention it in the house rules and as well I've resorted to including our location in the welcome message to new bookings. Yet still we get people who are somewhat surprised by the distance when they arrive. It truly boggles my mind. Luckily we've never received anything less than 3-stars for location (only a couple of times) but I think anything short of 5-stars is insulting considering we can't help where we're located yet still make every effort possible to make them aware of the distance. Hosts have been bringing this up for the longest time so how long is Airbnb going to ignore the issue? 

[Catherine901]

My listing is described as Escape, Relax, Disconnect...with additional notation that there is no internet. They all still ask for the password, lol. 

[Susan1028]

Haha!  yes!  @Catherine0  I have a similar vibe---but provide smart TV for the relaxing music.  It's less complicated and more physically secure than than setting up a closed sound system .  What they do with it is thier choice.  The password is posted right next to the unit, and I state it again in the check-in message, and 90% still ask for the password lol...

I think everyone is way too distracted...

[Roslyn5]

I do think location is a tricky one. I also  battle with that. I just feel if the guest has read what you have written about location its something they now know and must accept and not give a rating on it as so much about location is completely out of the hosts  control.

[Susan1028]

Exactly

[May113]

Yes, I had a couple of guests who commented that the location was not that convenient, but in fact it was their own miscalculation how far their target location was from my house that they described it as "inconvenient". That was not fair for me because in reality my location is only 3 min from freeway exits, with grocery stores, eateries, services, & entertainments all within 3 miles radius. Not fair for me as host.