Catherine’s Host Update: reviews, party ban policy, and more

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to be sharing a new Host update with you, which has important news about a topic I know is top of mind for many of you—reviews—along with news from our Host Advisory Board, about sustainability and introducing a new board member. (Welcome to the board, Pam!)

We’ve been listening closely to your feedback on our review system—specifically to how they relate to our party ban policy. For reviews written from today on, reviews from guests who violate our party ban will be eligible for removal. You shouldn’t have to trade off between reporting a party and getting dinged with a negative review. We want to close that gap. 

This is just the first step. We’ll continue to listen to you and work to shape our policies to better support you and our whole community. 

I’ll be in touch again soon with more updates. In the meantime, stay well, and happy hosting!

All my best,

Catherine

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Clara116,

Thank you for sharing this issue and I completely understand that you are not alone. I'm so sorry about all of the frustrating experiences you are having.

In terms of the the expiration time and your problem processing a partial refund, I'd like to ask the team to look into this for you as these sound like technical issues. I will ask them to update you once we know more, and I hope that we can get this resolved for you.

Please keep your feedback coming and know that I am always reading and listening for ways we can better support our Hosts.

Best,
Catherine

[Clara116]

@Catherine-Powell thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my little challenges. And I do know in the scheme of the world and all things they are small. Still means a lot to just feel like we get heard. 

Once again, thanks and if things get reviewed and checked especially technical issues that'd be excellent.

best regards,

Clara

[Quincy]

Hi @Clara116, I hope all is well.

I think in regard to the notifications coming in at that specific time of the night, is there perhaps an option to put your phone into some sort of "Do not disturb" mode? I don't think Airbnb can really control the time at which a booking comes in (or the notification).

(correct me if I understood you wrong here)

Quincy

[Clara116]

@Quincy thanks for joining in to assist. So I do not have a problem with ppl booking request in the night time....but after that I begin the vetting process and it's the DING 10 minutes into the vetting that is the encouragement to not miss out on the money this potential guests gonna bring. I know this, and it not needed and not appreciated because I am then distracted from the process of timely vetting to booking quickly so that all can get to sleep. I don't wish to mute all contact in the night incase a guest has struggles or something. 

I wish to maintain my quick response to guests therefore I don't silence it nightly. Thanks for your input.

Best, Clara

[Sarah977]

@Quincy  Booking request and inquiry alerts often come through on my phone at 3AM even if the guest is in my same time zone and actually sent the request at 9 PM. 

So that has nothing to do with when the request was sent, it's a lag in the notification system.

[Aisha0]

I still find it extremely upsetting that AIRBNB chose to remove my "super host" tag  that I have had constantly for  3 + years based on the fact that I had , during these COVID times 1 - - 4 star, review from a first time guest (who actually noted how great the place was and wants to return, but gave a 4 star because 1 light in a 9 bulb chandelier was out, and he had a 'door knob" from a 125 year old door fall down when he slammed the door on his way out , but was confident host would fix it )  and 3- 5 star reviews in the " 3 month evaluation period" , using an archaic "average" system.

How on earth could I have gotten more reviews to bring up the average - when we had LONG term stays of over 3 weeks during the time? Also -when a guest who stayed during the "evaluation period" - left a 5 star review - only 3 days later.

It is high time you guys changed how you evaluate long term stellar hosts.! 

And this time please treat us, your very dedicated super hosts as your partners not your as your competition.

Thank you!

[Hugh0]

I’ve experienced this.

All of a host’s hard efforts lost in an instant by a punitive/unfair/dishonest review.

It hurts and it sucks.

[Helen744]

I now take no notice of the stars at all. I have a guest book in my hallway and cherish the lovely things people say. if you communicate with your guests and really take the hard decisions when you have to then just concentrate on your guests who do the right things . Honestly bad guests are such a waste of time. We all get one or two . Try to alert other hosts and put stuff thats important in your rules and if concerned then run through your rules with each group. sometimes guests will surprise you in a good way. Bad guests have to leave eventually.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Aisha0 The super host rating is calculated over a 12 month period. I suspect you have had bad luck with the 3 star rating also coming into the evaluation period.

[Aisha0]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Always thought that was how it was done..... But please take a read below at the email i received from Airbnb... it shows they have another "assessment" coming up in July 2021, that is 3 months since the last one. New rules maybe?

For the most recent assessment on April 1, 2021, you didn’t quite qualify to keep your Superhost status. During this time of uncertainty, we only counted criteria we felt were in hosts’ control—response rate and overall rating—and you didn’t fully meet that criteria during the assessment period.

We know that this can be disappointing, but we have another assessment coming up in July 2021. With your track record of outstanding hospitality, we know you have what it takes to earn Superhost status again.

[Sarah977]

@Aisha0  Nothing has changed. Assessment periods are every 3 months, always have been. But the assessment period is based on stats from the previous 365 days, not just those 3 months. So the July 1st assessment covers the period between July 1st 2020 and June 30, 2021.

[Aisha0]

Not the case in reality. As I mentioned in my original response - the system is archaic.

If you are checking each quarter and doing averages - but have not changed all criteria equally then the law of averages does NOT work.

In other words - for a whole year existing averages are calculated:-

1. Minimum total stays for 12 months.

2.  10 completed stays between Jul 1, 2020 and Jun 30, 2021

- or - 100 nights over at least 3 completed stays

In COVID ridden 2020 - we had ZERO stays in 2 quarters and in 2 quarters we did meet the 10 completed stays requirement. However these stays were NOT divided equally. The last quarter had a long term guest (25 days) and 3 others with lesser length stays, one of who left a 5 star review "after" the cut off for the "assessment"

Therefore in the "April" quarter - we had a 4.7 average because we had ONE guest of the 5

leave a 4 star review, 3 leave 5 star reviews and 1 leave a 5 star review -"after" assessment.

(5+5+4)/3)) = 4.67   ≠  (5+5+5+4)/4  the answer of which is 4.75 (meets criteria)

So net result - we still maintain our very high 4.9 overall rating standard .....(as you can see on my profile) - but now have 'Super Host" yanked out .... because Airbnb have an outdated system of rating hosts.

In a fair world - they would not just "high handedly" change one criteria in the averages system - but "logically" change - calculations based on history and overall performance of host. In my case have held "super host" status from the day they chose to initiate the program......

Just my 1 CENT.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Aisha0 The assessments take place every 3 months covering the previous 12 months each time. 

[Harriet4]

This happens all the time to "Super Hosts" and Airbnb continues to ignore all the messages from us to make things right. I had 5 stars for 4 years straight in Idaho Falls.

Then I moved to Cedar City area and although it started out well I got 2 bookings from young people and both turned into nightmares. I should have seen the red flags but wanted to believe all guests were respectful of other peoples property. I was so wrong and being in my 70's got very little sleep and even offered to refund both groups in full if they would leave.  Because I had to continually ask them to quiet down they both left bad reviews and Airbnb did nothing but pacify me.

You would think being in my 70's I would have learned but am in the middle of another group stay and again I saw the red flags. I allowed this group a late arrival of 10:30pm that turned into 11:00pm. I have House Rules that clearly state quiet time from 10:30pm to 7:00am but they didn't settle down until 2:00am. Needless to say, I had very little sleep. I now have two more nights to try and stay calm, take a nap during the day and wait it out.

This morning I changed my listing. It is still guests but anything over 4 there is a 75.00 additional charge per night. That should stop the extra guest requests.

[Donata12]

@Catherine-Powell sounds lively on paper. I am not sure the new policy covers all the basis for “creative” guests that will use anything in their power to bust a host that said no to their behaviour. Maybe the racial profiling option should be taken away al together because we all know very well how these bad guests will use it to their own benefit and to the detriment of any policy changes. I suggest you implement a completely different way for a guest to report real discrimination concerns that has nothing to do with the review process. Separate the 2 things so this way both guests and hosts have their rights.