Making reviews more fair for hosts

[Airbnb]

 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!

[Christopher265]

It is tough battling the review schematic as it stands.  There are obviously some guests that truly try to manipulate hosts with the review section and unforturnately if we, as hosts, don't comply pay the price in our standing.  A negative or less than five star category rating really hurts our score, especially when we have less than 100 reviews.  While there is positive movement with new implementation is is still less than 1%, which honestly is neglgible.  It's not heard of, in many rating systems, to have an allowance to remove a false negative.  It's used in schools and it's used in science and I think we as hosts should be given an allowance to choose a certain amount of negative reviews and delete them.  Even if it's less than 1% it actually would benefit hosts standings, possibly leveling the 'playing' field with ill intent guests.

[Nancy86]

Why didnt this relate to me? We the ratings we received on our cottage,  we thought, why not open our home? Our very 1st guest down and out lied all through her review. She came late, we offered her dinner and she poured her guts out to us, more than we wanted to know. Our neighbors who were over for dinner were very uncomfortable.  She told us she was in the secret service, her father worked in the secret service, she based the government, her father, her life.  It took a while just to have her leave our living room just so we could go to bed, it was past 11pm. She slept until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.....we hardly saw her during the day, so I don't know how she could say my husband ignored her the whole time. On her last day, she overslept thinking she had another night, thatwhen I asked Airbnb what should I do? Airbnb suggested that they could call, me thinking that they would just remind her that she overslept and it was her last day. Apparently what they said was I could charge her 1 1/2 the amount. She got pissed off and said she was leaving . Her review was hurtful, down and out lied and said we treated her like a criminal.  She had our home to herself while we were shopping, how does that comment fit? I asked her if she wanted to see the cottage before guests arrived and she admitted she went and looked at it! I was floored! She did that without our permission and what if we had guests in there? So where else did she look? I was so upset with the review, I cried for days, did not get any sleep, and we decided to take the listing off the market. Airbnb in my opinion did nothing to protect this host from a bad person. 

We're still considering calling the secret service to see if Elizabeth Green works there or ever did.

[Steven65]

@Nancy86 Hi Nancy your guest sounds extremely unpleasant and vindictive. I too would be very upset. But try to be dispassionate. You can not control other bad people.  And hopefully, after reading stories like this,  Airbnb will do more to protect hosts from revenge reviews. 

[Katie---Sean0]

@Nancy86  I read the review you’re referring to and I can understand how upsetting that must’ve been. I just wanted to reassure you as somebody looking at your reviews it’s very obviously a one-off because there are so many other wonderful reviews from very happy guests.  If I was looking to rent your place I would read that and think poorly of the guest not you.

[Yvette153]

One of Airbnb improvement that I believe is penalizing host is when customers love the place, the send you messages how beautiful and impress they are but when is time to do your review they don’t do reviews.  Now you have to have so many trips reviews (which you have no control of) if the guess don’t do it you might loos your superhost status.  Absolutely ridiculous, I have control of clean place, trips complete and many other things but no control whether guess do or don’t do reviews. 

[Nancy86]

Thank you. We have had so many nice people stay at our cottage and have had great experiences with them. Many, many good memories......

[Natheema0]

After receving really excellent reviews from guests, I had one really mean review. I am concerned that this one review is the reason that there has been a dip in my number of bookings. 

[Katie---Sean0]

@Natheema0  – I read the one review that you mention. If I was a guest browsing listings I would not be put off at all, because you have 115 amazing reviews and it’s obvious this one guest did not read your listing properly and understand what you are offering. Also your response is good, polite, not too long. I think it’s all ok, and it will soon disappear down the list.

One thing I would improve is your photos. It looks like a filter has been added and it doesn’t make them look good.  It is difficult to understand from the photos what I’m getting if I book your places. I would add more photos. Stand back as far as you can, and try to show the whole room. Show communal and outdoor spaces. Show any welcome gifts. Show more local photos. And lose the filter, normal photos are best 🙂

[Pamela211]

I would like to have recieved some feedback regarding the issue of hosts not being able to see the photo of the guest who is booking. 

[Claudia1718]

Hi there,
I have just had a very bad review from a guest that constantly violated my house rules, messed up my house, put my pets under stress and was also super disrespectful to me .
She was very rude,arrogant and demanding. Everything was my fault and I should learn Chinese to ensure better communication.

Now I have received a bad written review from this guest as well (I do not really care about what she has written - was rather silly though) but I have also received very low ratings for all other criteria: 2 stars for Check-in, 2 stars for Value, 3 for Location etc. The worst rating I have ever received since I have been doing Airbnb.
Of course she did not state why she awarded very low stars... 

If a rating is adverse, the guest should state what the problem was so the host cost can improve. There needs to be some etikette!

If the guest does not provide any reasons - it feels rather more that the guest is taking revenge and tries to punish you. 
Some guests like these are so rude and arrogant and are certainly not the right people to stay Airbnb places.
What does Airbnb do to protect us superhosts from unresonable guests??? As much as I have enjoyed being an Airbnb host for the past 5 year - it feels I don't want to endure all this negativity any more.

While staying at my place, this guest has caused me so much trouble and extra work. And now on top of it I have to put up with a very unfair rating.

In my opinion - a guest that has violated the houserules on multiple occasions, and therefore has been asked to leave should not be allowed to leave a review.

Guests that are continuously disrespectful will certainly not show any respect when leaving a review and a rating.

Thank you.
Claudia

[Katie---Sean0]

@Claudia1718 – I read the review and agree it’s way over the top. If was was considering booking with you I would realize it’s a one-off from a nutty guest and not be swayed by it. However I hope you don’t mind me saying, you might want to tone down some of your responses. I saw two replies to reviews that were unnecessarily offended sounding. If I read those, I would actually be a little put off thinking you’re too easily offended for me to want to stay in your house. Please don’t be offended by me saying this lol, I genuinely mean to help not be mean. When replying to reviews keep it very short, and very sweet. Like really VERY sweet. Not defensive and wordy. Best wishes. 

[Susan1188]

"In my opinion - a guest that has violated the houserules on multiple occasions, and therefore has been asked to leave should not be allowed to leave a review"

Here is the charter I propose:

- A guest who has violated house rules should not be allowed to leave a review

- A guest who has not read the listing, description, rules, and host messages, should not be able to leave a review.

- A guest against whom a credible damage claim has been filed, should not be allowed to leave a review.

- A guest who cancels before booking and has never seen your place, should not be allowed to leave a review.

[Jessica384]

A good idea would be actually making guests leave a private response when they leave less than 5 stars in any category. Oftentimes I get no feedback on why I was given less than 5 and there's no way to remedy issues than may have arised.

[Susan1188]

Jessica that is a FABULOUS idea!

Airbnb should make guests justify why, if they are leaving less than 5 stars.

That would increase awareness that removing a star is a punishment for their host, which they might not have intended.

[Pat258]

So, this is a good start but why only explain these things to guests who give three or fewer stars.

New hosts have a particularly hard time sine one review is a larger percentage of their bookings and so the impact on the rating is much more severe.

I have only had two overviews of less than five stars (12  five star overviews). In each case the guest gave me five stars in each category and then four stars overall.  Each was accompanied by fulsome praise.  I asked the second of these guests to let me know what I could do to improve and he said, "Nothing.  Everything is fantastic and you are such a great hostess".  When I explained about the star rating he was horrified.  He thought 4 stars was a great review and, yes, he thought it was about how my place compared to all the places he has stayed in. Since he often goes to top hotels, I was flattered.

Why do you need an overview?

Surely if a guest has marked every category as 5 stars, that should be a five star rating?

Why do you not let the computer system average the rating from the six categories?