How to Host: Get More 5-Star Reviews

How to Host: Get More 5-Star Reviews

These 5 simple steps can help you master the art of the stay—and attract even more bookings. 

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Superhosts, entrepreneurs, and interior designers Catherine and Bryan Williamson of Beginning in the Middle have built a business on crafting 5-star-worthy stays. Having hosted over 2,000+ guests, they are here to share their story and their expert tips on how to make your home memorable. 

 

 

Catherine and Bryan’s Tips to Getting More 5-Star Reviews

  1. Set expectations
  2. Be a rapid responder
  3. Make it theirs
  4. Add local flavor
  5. Field the fire drills

 

OUR STORY

Catherine: “For us, starting our Airbnb business and design firm was a happy accident we fell into. In 2013, we moved from New York City to Columbus, Ohio—that’s where Bryan originally grew up. We were wanting more space, as well as looking for a place where we could settle and create something of our own.” 

 

Bryan: “We bought a three-bedroom house—and found ourselves needing to pay off some leftover debt. But we really didn’t like the idea of having a full-time roommate.” 

 

C: “One of my friends knew someone who was listing out their spare bedroom on Airbnb and suggested we try it out. At the time, we didn’t really know what Airbnb was. Bryan and I thought: ‘Okay, if we could just get 10 nights booked this year that would be really great…’” 

 

B: “We listed it, and there was a huge demand. Soon after, we graduated to listing our whole house. We’d explore and stay at various motels throughout Columbus until we found the one that was the least bad. It got to the point where we were staying there for weeks at a time. We knew the whole hotel staff and crew. But of course that wasn’t sustainable.” 

 

Hosting is a form of artistic and creative expression for us. —Catherine and Bryan Williamson, Superhosts

 

C: “We paid off our debt and eventually bought another house. Fast forward a couple of years later, we’ve flipped and sold a few homes and kept our favorites on Airbnb. We quit our day jobs, created our interior design studio (Mix Design Collective), our vacation rental brand (The Village Host), and started our blog (Beginning in the Middle).” 

 

B: “For us, we truly care about creating a special experience for every one of our guests. And that passion for hospitality has enabled us to create a life we really love. As a host, regardless if you have the fanciest of houses, if you can deliver an exceptional stay, you’ll see your reviews and occupancy rates go way up.”

 

Here are Catherine and Bryan’s tips on how to get more 5-star reviews:

 

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01. Set expectations

C: “One of the secrets to getting a 5-star review is to set guests’ expectations before they hit the BOOK button. Our houses are old, and we’ve done a lot to make them feel homey, comfortable, and beautiful. But they’re not perfect, and so we try to give as much information upfront as possible. For example, we’ve got squeaky floors and squeaky doors.”

 

B: “Our bathrooms are on the smaller side. One of our units has a shared wall with a neighbor. We call that out so that people know to be courteous and mindful of noise. Parties are NOT okay.” 

 

C: “We have an old clawfoot bathtub that’s slightly higher up than a standard bathtub—in case guests have any accessibility needs. Some people might be bothered by these quirks. Other people might not care—but we try to speak to the person who we know will enjoy the neighborhood and the house.” 

 

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02. Be a rapid responder

B: “Communicating with guests quickly and clearly is an important part of the 5-star experience. It helps show your guests that your care is constant.” 

 

C: “People are only staying with you for a short amount of time—and usually it's for something that’s important—so you don't want someone to have to go half their stay without getting a response from you or getting something fixed. I’m very much a respond-within-5-minutes type of person, but if you don’t think you’ll be able to respond to people within a reasonable time, then consider bringing a co-host on board to help field your emails and messages. We do everything we can to show them that we’re here and that we care. And sometimes that means dropping what you’re doing to deliver the 5-star experience.” 

 

Learn about working with a co-host > 

 

03. Make it theirs

C: “When it comes to your decor and space, the most important thing is that guests feel like it’s theirs while they’re there. Spend the time and effort to decorate with furniture that feels unique—well-appointed finishes and touches.” 

 

B: “And that doesn’t mean you need to go out and redo the whole kitchen with marble, or get top-of-the-line everything. I think the most important thing is that it’s clean, comfortable, and clutter-free.” 

 

C: “It should feel like it’s been prepared especially for them. Take the time to clear out the personal photos, family mementos, knickknacks, junk, and anything that might feel like guests are in someone else’s house.”

 

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B: “One important element that’s worth investing in is a nice bed. Again, it doesn’t have to be an expensive mattress, but we’ll add a topper and include two kinds of pillows: a down and down alternative.” 

C: “For sheets, we usually do at least a 300-thread count, which is what a lot of hotels use. They should feel good on the skin and not like sandpaper—because at the end of the day people are booking your place to spend the night there. And as we know—especially as parents—a good night’s rest is a luxury.” 

 

04. Add local flavor

C: “When people come stay with you, remember that you’re not just sharing your home, you’re also sharing an experience in your city. We like to try to make it feel more personal where we can. Small businesses are a huge part of our DNA in Columbus—and so we have fun getting everyone involved.”

 

B: “We’ll sometimes leave guests a little sample of the local things that we love: local coffee shop gift cards to encourage them to explore the neighborhood. We stock our home with shampoo, conditioner, and face wash from a local company called Cliff Original. We have natural hand soap from a brand called Glenn Avenue. We have a set of The Columbus Book Project’s books, which were made by a local entrepreneur highlighting local artists. Columbus is such an underdog city, but it’s such a great place to live, to grow up, to visit—and has so much to offer.” 

 

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C: “We love to show people Columbus through our eyes—and we love it when we can create an experience that makes people say, ‘I would love to move to Columbus.’”

 

B: “Another idea we are exploring to bring in the Columbus community is to use our homes as an art gallery or supper club to showcase local artists who may not otherwise have their work seen. We want to display a couple pieces at each house and rotate them every few months. Get creative and think of ways your home can reflect the local flavor.” 

 

05. Field the fire drills

B: “Despite your best intentions and efforts to create a 5-star experience, know that emergencies will come up, and you’ll need to solve them—whether that’s a broken air conditioner or disappointed guests. One of our worst situations we had was this major pipe burst. It flooded the house during a guests’ stay. They kept calling us…”

 

C: “… But my phone was dead.” 

 

B: “… And it was on their wedding night.”

 

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C: “It was really bad. It was a huge learning experience for us. When those things happen, apologize and use your best judgment whether they should be compensated or if a gift like cookies, a bottle of wine, or a gift certificate to dinner would help. If guests genuinely had a terrible time, then we’ll refund them, but that normally doesn’t happen.” 

 

B: “We try to use the golden rule of giving our guests the experience we’d like if we were staying in our own place.”

 

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B: “Hosting is a form of artistic and creative expression for us. We put our heart into these spaces and then we put it out into the world for people to interact with it. It means so much to us to feel the appreciation from our guests.” 

 

C: “Getting a 5-star review just validates everything we’re doing. When we’re in renovation mode, you hope that someone will appreciate the extra work we’re pouring into it. And I think if you're solely focused just on the numbers of a real estate investment, then it's easy to dismiss some of these extra touches.”

 

B: “Hosting is not easy. It takes a lot of work.” 

 

C: “But it’s also been so rewarding and life-changing for us. It’s allowed us to pursue our passion for interior design and discover our love of hospitality. It’s given us the ability to start our business and grow continually. I think if it wasn't for Airbnb, we would have had a much harder time navigating through the world of small business ownership and getting off the ground. It’s helped us realize our niche, which is that we really love renovating spaces for other people to enjoy.” 

 

B: “We’ve been able to exercise our entrepreneurial spirit and exercise our creativity. The best of both worlds is to be able to do something you’re passionate about—and to be able to do it for yourself.” 

 

C: “We hope these tips help you get even more 5-star reviews.” 

 

Happy hosting!

Catherine, Bryan + Bianca

 

Try incorporating Catherine and Bryan’s tips into your home then update your listing. Not a host yet? Become one today.

 

Check out the full #howtohost series here

 

Book a stay at one of Catherine and Bryan’s Columbus homes, follow @beginninginthemiddle on Instagram, or visit their blog

141 Replies 141

This is frustrating! Luckily there is a 2 week window for both the host & guest to give reviews.  I would send them a message saying something like “We really enjoyed hosting you - thank you for taking care of our home. If you have a few minutes to write a review for us, we would really appreciate it! We just left you one, too.”

 

Airbnb will send out a few automated emails throughout the 2 week period reminding both parties to write reviews as well, so don’t worry just yet!

One thing we discovered as GUESTS was that,in only two cases where we had a bad experience and the host knew it, they thought that if THEY did not leave a review then no one would see ours. As hosts, we expressed that concern to AirBnB, and they assured us that our review would go public at the 2 week window. Our goal was of course to alter future guests in a helpful way versus trashing anyone. In both cases by NOT reviewing is, the hosts lost a chance to give any rebuttal. ABB has vastly improved their review system from the early days 6+ yrs ago. 

Hi 

what I have done is to leave them a nice text thanking them for their stay and that I left them a great review and if they enjoyed their stay.....could you write me a review also 

and with the little extra thought ....almost always a 5 star review 

Mic3
Level 1
San Juan, Philippines

Hi Sandi,

 

Dale is correct. Your guest still has a 9 days (maybe less now) to complete the review. Just keep in doing what you are doing it will all work out. There are many reasons guests are not able to leave reviews...may it be they are still on vacation and leaving a review is the leas on their minds...or to just completely forgetting about it for some reason or another. The important thing is that they took their time out to write you a note and that says a lot about your place and your hosting so you can be happy and just do the same thing to your next guests 🙂 

 

What I do is I send them a thank you message for staying with us and that I hope they enjoyed their stay and am hoping to host them again I the future. Normally that sets the tone for me for them to give me a review right away. If that doesn't happen wait a few days and see if they do write a review and if they don't (because of the reasons above) you can message them like George has suggested " Hey I left you a review, it would be great if you left me one too, it would help my a lot. Thank you! "Hey I left you a review, it would be great if you left me one too, it would help me a lot" and you can add "since I am new at hosting, 1 review can really help jump start my business. Thanks a lot and I appreciate it" or something like that. ha ha. If it still doesn't work, don't feel bad as not all guests will leave a review even if they loved your place and your hospitality. 

 

Hope this helps and I hope hosting works out for you 🙂 

Send a message letting them know the review period runs out after 2 weeks and you would really appreciate it if they have the time to do a review and thank them for staying with you.

 

Always try to see your guests off and sound them out as to how they enjoyed their stay and tell them you would really appreciate them doing a review 

Sandi,

One thing you can do is to transcribe verbatim the nice comments in the note they left, then include that text in a comment to the guests, saying that to make the review process easy all they need to do is copy and paste this text (their own words) into a review of your property. Also let them know how valuable their comments will be to you online, since you are just starting out. That often does the trick. People get home and get busy. Making it easy can help.

Also: Thanks to the authors of this article for sharing their tips!

I would text them a friendly reminder. Its better to have NO review than a four star or less review. 

They probably are busy, as in getting back home and into the swing of things. ABB keeps sending them reminders to do the review. Do theirs, they get a reminder. 

 

Let them know gently when staying that you need reviews...you're new. Maybe leave a booklet you make up with ALL the info for your ABB and a little blip about Reviews...Five Star importance, etc.

We do a couple of things for reviews.  We have a reminder by our guest book that we leave in the cabin (we get some great comments and suggestions through that book!), and when we send them instructions two days out, we include this as the last line in the instructions: " Finally, send us a quick note when you've checked out, and leave us a review".  

Not every guest will leave a review, but I believe we are running around 85-90%.  It takes a while, but the more reviews that are out there, the more reviews folks tend to leave.  Good luck!

Ask every happy guest for a 5-star review.  

On their day of checkout, thank your guest for choosing your home and taking care of it (assuming they did). Tell them you're giving them a 5-star review, and hope you've earned theirs. Thank them for helping you jumpstart your business and achieve Superhost status.         This works quite well. Happy guests want to help you.  

Hi Sandi,

I have had this happen a few times too. I know they were super happy but they didn't write a review. One said that the reviews don't matter, it was what they left with in their hearts for us that mattered most. I thanked him but told him that we would still love a written review. On the very last day that he could... day 14... he wrote one of the most beautiful reviews we've ever had. Anyway, I wrote to him twice through the AirBnB asking him for a review (after waiting a week) then when he still didn't respond I called him. That's when he told me the review didn't matter.... anyway I've done this on a couple of occasions. Sometimes guests don't see the importance or understand the importance of the reviews for the hosts. Sometimes too before they leave our house I ask them if I can do anything else for them and also ask if they could take a minute to make a review for us... that works well as well.

Sison0
Level 2
Quezon City, Philippines

I email them after the stay to thank them and prompt them for an honest review with an offer of a discounted rate for future stays after the review is submitted. You get better than 60% chance of a review, they get a discount for future stays, win win for both!

 

Hi, Sandi - I have two suggestions:

 

First, text or email your guests on the evening before, or morning of, departure. Something like "Time flies and you will be leaving tomorrow! My check out time is 11am but if you decide to leave earlier, please let me know so that I can alert my cleaner. Thanks for staying with me! Please remember to review my place on Air BnB - it affects my status as a host. Have a great trip home!" You can set this up as a saved message on the Air BnB dashboard or on your cell phone.

 

Second, in your house manual with all the info about your wi-fi password, etc., end with something like this:

"Check out time is 11am on the day of your departure. If you’re planning to stay in Sydney until later in the day, I can usually keep your luggage while you go sightseeing, etc. Please call or text me about this.

RATING YOUR STAY: Air BnB will ask you to rate your stay here within 2 weeks after you check out and I want to earn a 5-star rating in all categories. So, please – if you need anything – don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you!"

I can't seem to paste it here, but in my house manual this wording is followed by a formatted screenshot of the Air BnB rating system showing five stars filled in beside each category: Accuracy, Communication, Cleanliness, Location, Check-in, Value. This is from over a year ago, so I don't know if guests are shown the same review system anymore, but it gives guests a visual which helps them remember that I want 5-stars, and that they should call on me if there's anything wrong, and that above all I want a review. I sign with my name, phone number and email address.

There's actually a third thing: I text my guests the day after their first night stay and ask "How are things going? Do you need anything?"  I try to do this from my cell phone directly, not through the Air BnB app. That way, I've taken the time to note the guests' cell phone number from the Air BnB dashboard, we are directly connected, and I can follow up if they do not leave a review after a week. Sometimes guests are busy with their next destination, or new to Air BnB, and they don't know about how important reviews are for you. Try texting them to say "Hi, XXX - I notice that you haven't yet left me a review on Air BnB. Would you mind taking a few minutes to do so? Air BnB expects super-hosts to get reviews 100% of the time ... and I want to be a super-host! Thanks!"

Finally, when you do get a good review, take a screenshot and make it part of the photos of your place. It's good PR and, again, a visual reminder that reviews are an important part of the Air BnB experience.

Good luck!
Maggie

Washington, DC

Sandi,

Did you review them? People forget so I always try to review them and that nudges them to return the favor of reviewing you! Just a tip. Hope it works out.

All the best,

Ashley

Be patient when people are traveling they may not have time to review immediately. They do get a couple of reminders from Airbnb also.  I always do a thank you note when a guest leaves on their inbox and that often reminds them to say thank you in the form of a review. Having said that some guests never review 😞

another hint if you had a bad experience with a guest write a review on you tablet, leave a few days and then edit, copy and paste. Helps get things in proportion. 

I.m sure you WILL get great reviews. Enjoy hosting. 

Sandi, I'm also a new host this year in April. I've discovered that when the inquiry or reservation comes in it indicates the month/year the person was verified. I've been surprised at how many just signed up in the current month and I'll be their first Airbnb experience!

With this piece of info, I feel it's my "job" to help them understand that Airbnb reviews are equally important for them as it is for the host. Some hosts will not accept reservations for guests without any reviews to read. Since I started saying this I get a review every time.