Making reviews more fair for hosts

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Making reviews more fair for hosts

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 Many of you have asked us how Airbnb can protect hosts from one-off bad reviews. When this question came up at the most recent Host Q&A, we told you we were working on ways to make the review process more fair for hosts. Specifically, we made 2 promises:

  1. We committed to launching a tool to detect outlier reviews—or one-off bad reviews. A common example is when there’s a discrepancy between the overall rating and the category ratings provided by a guest (when a guest gives a host 5 stars for cleanliness, accuracy, and the other categories but a 2-star rating overall, for instance).
  2. Based on your feedback, we also committed to exploring ways to help guests better understand that the location category rating is meant to be objective. The location category rating doesn’t impact your overall rating (or Superhost status), but we know it’s important to you, and we want to make sure the whole system is as fair as possible.

 

Today, we’re excited to announce two improvements to the review process that directly address these issues. Since these changes have been introduced, we’ve already noticed a tangible uptick in more accurate, fair reviews for hosts, and we hope they solve some of your pain points. Here’s what’s new:

 

One-off review alerts

We’ve added a step to the review process for guests when they give a host an inconsistent overall rating. For instance, the guest may have given 4-star or higher ratings for all the categories (cleanliness, accuracy, etc.), but then give an overall rating of less than 3 stars.

 

The new pop up screen asks guests: “Is this right?” And goes on to explain that they rated their overall stay lower than they rated it in specific categories. It gives guests an option to either change the rating or ignore the alert.

 

This new alert has led to higher overall review ratings for hosts. Since we launched, we’ve seen a 2.8% drop in 3-star reviews and a 3.9% drop in 2-star reviews. While these percentages may seem small, they’re driving real improvements in the accuracy of our review system, and hosts are benefitting.


Location, location, location

We’ve heard from you that the location rating can be particularly frustrating because some of you have experienced guests dinging you in this category, unexpectedly, after great stays. This category is tricky. It gives valuable information to prospective travelers, which we don’t want to lose. At the same time, we hear your concern that you’re being graded for something you can’t control: guests’ opinion of your location. This opinion is inherently subjective—one person’s “rustic rural retreat” may be another’s “too far from public transportation.” So we made it more clear in the review process that guests are rating the accuracy of your location description, rather than the location itself.

 

Now, when a guest goes to rate you in the location category, if they give you less than 3 stars, they see an explanation: “Was the listing’s location not described accurately?” So far, this has led to a 0.8% increase in the average rating for location.


While we were working on this, we also made similar improvements to the value category. If a guest gives you less than 3 stars there, they’ll see this message: “What would have made this listing a better value?” This has led to a 0.25% increase in the average rating for value.


These changes were designed to begin to address your concerns around unfair reviews, and to help make sure that guests understand what ratings mean. We still have a journey ahead of us to keep making the review system better, and you’ll continue to see updates from us on this throughout the year. Thank you for hosting!

1,283 Replies 1,283
Nina444
Level 3
Mytholmroyd, United Kingdom

Someof us  host remotely and use cleaning companies. A mark down on cleaning is for usas emplyers to address and a one-off poor review should give hosts room to improve. I had one cleaner who got a couple of 3 and 4 star consecutive reviews, I spoke to them and the issue was resolved. Had I known when the guest arrived, I would have sorted it.  I always message guests to see if everything is OK on arrival. In my rules I say please report any issues immediately, I can do no more.

 

I had one woman who marked me down on cleaning and on the quality of bed linen only a week after another host had stayed at my property and said how it was sparkling clean and they appreciated the quality of linens but it's the poor review that brings down the average. Rogue reviews are unfair.

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

Thanks to all my fellow Hosts who have taken the time to read my comments & like them,

It's appreciated to have worldwide support.

Thanks @Airbnb  Airbnb for providing us with this platform to share and your monthly newsletters.

 

All The Best

 

Central To All Home & Location, Auckland , New Zealand / Nuiew Zeeland

Susan1188
Level 10
Marbella, Spain

Due to a recent incident with a guest I feel the need to respond again to this initiative.

 

This initiative does nothing to adress the distress hosts go through when guests leave retaliatory bad reviews.

 

In the following situations, the host should have the possibility to have the bad review removed or at least not contribute to their superhost average:

 

- If the guest is complaining about something that was clearly stated in the listing 

 

- If the guest did not respect house rules, and was called out for this 

 

- If the host had to introduce a damage claim

 

- If the review is a one-off very bad review among dozens of positive reviews and the host contests it.

 

Airbnb should stop congratulating itself for having so few damage claims.  The reason is not because there is no damage, but rather, hosts fear bad reviews so much it would take a lot before most people introduce a claim and risk a dispute with a guest.

Anabelle6
Level 1
Valbonne, France

Hello

I am an airbnb host from 2008, I have most of my review very good. My average grade was 4.0 and I have had a bad review that makes me drop at 3.8 and I have seen my add suspended for a week. It was stressful and not understandable as the guest (it was his first time with airbnb) that have graded me was happy. So the new feature may seem an improvement but I must say that one of my add was susoended for 3 days due to  with a 2 star on location and a 3 star on check in procedure. A bad review doesn t make me happy and even make me feel bad and guilty. For something  that was not accurate.

I regret that nothing can be done to overrule a bad rating ,not from me but from the website talking to the guest.

This is absolutely shocking, that you as a hard working reliable and honest host since 2008, would get your listing suspended thanks to the feedback of a ONE TIME first guest who booked your place and exposed himself to a risk of probably maximum a few hundred euros. 

After reading yours and other peoples testimonials, I have decided that as soon as there is the smallest altercation with a guest I involve Airbnb support.

 

 

Janis39
Level 5
Boise, ID

Hosts need to be able to delete one off bad reviews from disgruntled guests, period! They will tell you it won't matter if most of your reviews are great, but it DOES matter. My bookings dropped way off when I got one from an unreasonable guest who asked ME to cancel the remainder of his resevation when he bought a house, instead of cancelling it himself.

Also Hosts need to be aware that NO screening is being done on guests! I had criminals trash my personal home, and was only paid about HALF my claim. They depriciated everything based on age. Well of course the house and furniture aren't brand new, but I certainly wouldn't have replaced them, had they not been burned with cigarettes, or stolen!

Penny218
Level 2
Quitman, GA

I'm dealing with guests who left a review even though they did not stay here. After hanging around for 40 minutes they said they didn't want to stay. I immediately refunded their money. I was surprised to read their review of me. I was surprised again that customer service said it is fair and will stay. Has anyone else experienced this?

Be selective and read people's social cues before even offering a refund. I refuse to give refunds for the most part because I reserved it for them when someone else could have been in their place. Let it be a lesson to these people.

I cancelled someone's booking because they were new to AirBnB and refused to reply to me when asking them to review the house rules before checking in.When I called her, she hung up on me while talking to her, so I cancelled her booking. Obviously she left a revenge review which is non-factual on the ratings as she didn't even set foot on our property so how could she rate our cleanliness, location, etc etc? This is where AirBnB needs to change the rating system in instances like this. Perhaps they should be allowed to make a comment, but certainly not allowed to make ratings....

You refunded them and they still left a bad review?

Is anything in your listing misleading?  The location, the photos?  Anything that could make it understandable someone would cancel after arriving?  I mean, for them it was not a good situation either having to find another place somewhere else last minute?

Jamila9
Level 2
Santa Monica, CA

 Whole this is a step in the right direction, I think the biggest complaint and problem that I have spent hours and hours with your staff trying to work through is the unfair situation that guests can come into my home, totally break the House rules, bring extra guests, throw a party, Not want to pay for things they broke or not want to pay for something they agreed to and was clearly listed in your Profile. When you try to collect, they get pissy and retaliate with a bad review.

 

Hosts should not be at the mercy of liars and cheats. It should be a blanket policy for Airbnb that if any rules are broken by the guest with proof, their reviews will not be allowed!! Period!!

Russell49
Level 10
Katoomba, Australia

There needs to be accountability from guests when reviewing. If they give you nearly all 5 stars, then how can the Overall experience rating be a 4????? That shows an innacuracy of rating on the guests part.


@Russell49 wrote:

There needs to be accountability from guests when reviewing. If they give you nearly all 5 stars, then how can the Overall experience rating be a 4????? That shows an innacuracy of rating on the guests part.



Easily connected to algorhythms so can be caught before it's saved with a message something like "your numbers don't add up.  are you sure this is only a 4 star stay, and if so, why?"

 

THAT might actually be useful to ALL concerned, including airbnb...so they can change these silly ranking systems to be more realistic.

I just received five 5's and one 4 on an overall and the guest rated me a 3 overall. This takes 40 5 star ratings to bring the rating back to the same level. Very very disappointing.

Otis2
Level 2
Fultondale, AL

It’s a start in the right direction but does nothing for the bad guests that is being vindictive. If I can show that my home was cleaned professionally prior to guest arrival and the guest rating is an outlier in cleanliness . The review should be deleted.