Get guests you can trust— every time

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Get guests you can trust— every time

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are having a good day.

 

I wanted to let you know that we have updated the booking process to make sure you don’t have to host repeat guests if you don’t want to. Now, anytime you give a guest 3 stars or less, that guest will not be able to instantly book any of your spaces, even if you have Instant Book turned on.

 

Find out more in our Help Center.

 

What do you think about these changes? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

263 Replies 263
Ana1136
Level 10
Ohrid, Macedonia (FYROM)

@Lindsey-J-0 but in reality you do need proof if you are going to accuse someone of something. What would happen if Airbnb took the word of every host or guest that accuses of something without evidence, everyone would be just asking for refunds and recompensations all the time, it would be a mess. 

Completely agree! But when I sent Airbnb photos of the weed spread out over the furniture and the weed paraphernalia left at the house, your think that Airbnb would give a super-host some type of benefit of doubt there.

no it's not helpful really except in extreme cases. what about people who are so picky that you can't please them? they leave bad reviews for nothing. Especially first timers. Adam marked me down because he could hear people coming in and out of the 

I am also finding "first timers" the most difficult and fabricating complaints. Older first timers too. I thought that with someone 55+ who is new to the plaform it would be better. 

Would that be 3 stars on any one of the categories? 

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

Three stars in any one category? So they could be a five when it comes to communication, and four on rules, but three on cleanliness, for instance?

@Lawrene0  @Lizzie  But, what if they are a 5 stars in all categories and you just don't want them in your home again.  You would have to rate them lower than what you think is a true reflection of their stay to block them.

This is probably more pertinent to hosts who share their space with guests. I have had 5 star guests for all three ratings available, but there is no category for Awareness that they are sharing a space and that is where I could honestly rate them 3,2,1 stars to block them.

I am wondering why not just introduce a simple one click button to block them from booking one's space again.

Tehani0
Level 2
Port Alberni, Canada

@Ange2 I agree completely. I've only hosted a few Airbnb but I've hosted plenty of couchsurfers and most are fine... But once in a while the guest is awesome in everything that is rateable... But their personality just rubs you the wrong way and you don't want them back but can't rate them badly.

Helga0
Level 10
Quimper, France

That makes it easier. So far I have written to a few guests that they should not book again. If I had given a good evaluation, they were friendly whilst here but left several crazie stars. With IB there was no other option. 

@Lizzie, do they get a message, when they choose a 3 star rating, that they can't IB the place again?

Hello @Helga0,

 

It's the other way around. The guest can't book again if the host gives the guest a 3 star rating.

 

Steve.

@Steve143,  thanks, I missed that. That's pretty absurd then. Hi n theory (no concrete details ever to be had), they can't IB when you givea thumbs down symbol. Can't imagine to give4 or 5 stars and a thumbs down. 

Whereas I'd really like tge totally unsatisfied people not to come again. Which is absurd anyway, but they do, I got a few repeat bookings after bad ratings. 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Aw this is interesting @Helga0, so do you think it would work better the other way around, if a guest rates a host 3 stars or less? 


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

@Lizzie, as @Branka-and-Silvia0, I also have guests that give 4 stars and plan to return happily, quite often. And then I get those guests who book against all advice and have all the issues I raised before (from features of the listing to a daily work trip to the other end of town). Then they leave a 3 star reviewwith an infuriating text like "Helga does ger bedt (poor little thing it's her best, she can't help it), but the place is small, but the congress center is far away etc. I get just enough of those to never make superhost. It would be great, if they get a pop-up when they click at 3 stars: "You don't plan to return to this place, ever?"

because they do return, next time in the same situation: bad planning, ladt minute everything is too expensive, but there is this "budget place", which still did not become the Ritz since last time. So either think if it's as bad as that or don't rebook. 

My personal limit is 3 stsrs. If they give four, that's their opinion, if they give three in my place it's an insult or stupidity and I don't want to see them again in either case. 

Sarah157
Level 2
Betchworth, United Kingdom

I sympathise with Helga, I have given guests a 5 star review as they were pleasant,  left the place clean etc. And then found they have said the room is up 2 floors, or the location is not right.  All things, if they had bothered to read about the listing in the first place they would have known!   By then we have no comeback, and those 3 stars bring one's rating down, for ever, even if all the other ratings are 5 stars.  I don't want those people instant booking again(and they do, and still leave 3 star ratings!!) but I cannot stop them.  

 

I can totally feel you. We rent out an en-suite room. No matter how many times I repeat the phrase " no kitchen" or something similar in the listing, I still run into guests asking me where the kitchen is when they check in! If they leave a bad review because of this, I'd really want to "kill" them.