In Case You Missed It: 3 product updates to catch up on

[Airbnb]

You’ve told us that we need to do a better job of keeping you in the loop about the changes we’re making to features, tools, and policies that impact your hosting experience. We agree! Check out our new In Case You Missed It series, a regular update that helps hosts like you better understand the improvements that our product and engineering teams are making at Airbnb. This includes changes to the host and guest experience because we know both impact your hosting business. Read on to see what our teams have been working on this month.

A more effective way for guests to compare listings

You might have noticed that we’re testing a new view of ratings in place of the star-based system that guests currently rely on. Guests will now see your overall rating measured by a number with two decimal places (for example, 3.82 or 4.79). This new view doesn’t affect your rating or the overall rating system at all—we’re just updating how your rating appears to guests.

Why the change? Our research showed it was difficult for guests to tell the difference between listings rated with stars. For example, we found that 75% of listings fell between 4.6 and 5 stars. With a star rating that rounded to the nearest half point, guests saw all of those listings as having either 4.5 or 5 stars, which they felt was too vague and left them wanting more details before booking. With our new numeric rating view, guests now have a more accurate way to compare listings—which gives them more confidence to click that “book” button!

Updates to Work and Family Collections

Last year, we launched the Work and Family Collections, groups of listings to attract business travelers and families. To meet travelers’ needs, we asked you to include specific amenities, like self check-in and a laptop-friendly workspace for business travelers, and a TV and kitchen for families. Many of you have since told us that you don’t understand or agree with some of the eligibility criteria for being featured in these collections.

We heard you, and instead of asking you to add amenities that enable you to “join” the collections, we’re now relying on ratings by vetted business travelers to let us know which listings are a good fit. We’re then surfacing top-rated listings based on that feedback. For example, guests can now search for a place to stay when traveling for business by selecting the “Work trip” toggle—results display places with high ratings from other business travelers who were searching for similar criteria. We’re still thinking about how we can highlight the best listings for families, so stay tuned.

The bottom line: Less work for you and no more subjective amenity checklists, but our smarter algorithms will make sure your listing is still getting in front of the right types of guests for your space.

Your new host dashboard

We’re always working to make your dashboard a place that can help you manage your hosting business, coordinate and communicate with your guests, and grow as a host.

Based on your recent feedback, we’re refreshing your dashboard with four key updates:

• Easier-to-find info: Important information, like guest inquiries and requests, will now always appear at the top of your dashboard, so it’s simpler and quicker to find.
• Eye-catching updates: The latest on Airbnb’s new tools and updates will now always be displayed up top to help you stay in the know.
• Clear performance data: A snapshot of your performance (overall rating, reviews, response rate, earnings, and more) is now bigger and more obvious.
• More relevant tips: You now have the option to dismiss the tips we share if they’re not helpful to you. You’ll then only find our tips that matter to you.

These changes are rolling out gradually so not all hosts will be able to access them right away, and hosts using professional hosting tools won't get these dashboard updates at all. We hope these improvements continue to help make hosting easier for you. Happy hosting!

[Nancy-Louise0]

Delete the Value Rating - I agree for different reasons.  No one really finds value in a $300, $400, $500, $600 - 2000 a night room.  Thy pay it and hosts, like myself have to charge high room or home rentals prices because our taxes, mortgage, maintenance is so high for my small resort town which has a short rental season.  Get rid of this rating system also because lesser economic people just don't know how to use expensive stoves and European lighting and will think something is broken when in reality, they just don't know how to ask or just use higher end equipment.  Its not worth the host getting a bad review because of this.

[Ann23967]

Agree on deleting the value setting.  Most people are unrealistic about value and are always searching for "a better deal."

[Ruth255]

The fees to me are on the higher side and that's what brings me down to offer my place for less. I'm not really happy about it and in addition there is no way to put some extra fees for AC in the summer. Unfortunately people don't care and the AC is running like crazy and  I'm stuck paying a high bill.

Please make it possible to solve this.

Thanks, Ruth

[Bella-and-Eddie0]

Thank you sir I agree get rid of the value rating, you make a very good point. I also noticed that value has become a question while I have lowered my price to be competitive. And now my AirBnB plus status is in jeopardy where I had previously been a 8 time Superhost.  

[Jason647]

Just another way Airbnb are putting unfair expectation on their host unfortunately and not giving due credit to seasoned host.   They've improved the rating system from a few years ago, but the expectation of 'always 5 star' and not rounding 4.75+ to 4.8 is a bit rich for them, especially through poorly managed communication and 'value' to guest when displaying the amount charged + their fee to guest, which host have no control over.  The whole superhost thing is a bit of a farce anyways, especially when all it takes is 1-2 fraudulant reviews to knock you back.  We've personally had cases in our area where a competitor host down the street booked us, didn't stay and left us a 1 star.  We also had a case where a fake profile with a business name booked us, when they stayed they try to solicit their 'cleaning services' and then left us a 2 star review when we politely refused their service.  In both cases we reported this in detail to airbnb team with evidence and as irrelevant reviews to take off, yet in both cases airbnb decided that these type of reviews 'aren't against their policy'  the repercussions of that poor canned decision(s) ofcourse is the overall rating and superhost status.  Interestingly all our other 100+ reviews have been 5 star (yet someone with a new account and as little as x10 5 stars can become superhost?).  As I said a farce, we quit caring because of it.  Better to just deliver 5 star service because of 5 star servie not because of airbnbs highly subjective and frankly broken in a lot of ways superhost rating.

[John1902]

Considering how prone to faults your rating system is I don't understand how you can possibly disclose the results to that level of granularity.  You moved from 0.5 stars as the smallest visible movement to 0.01 stars.  That level of detail means that any errors in the design of the system instead of being soaked up by the system are now pushed directly into the hosts' results.  

One way to illustrate this is how my own was presented.  From a 5* host I became a 4.88* host overnight.   I looked at the last 5 times I received 4 star ratings from guests.  I get a lot of one night stays and a large proportion of my guests are older and using Airbnb for the first time.  Four of these five reviews were four star because these guests genuinely did not understand Airbnb rating system where below 5 * is a downgrade. They had no feedback for me and had a lovely time and when challenged on the rating all said had they realised that the system was such they would have given me 5* (I explain to them that the superhost needs to maintain 4.8*) and the last of the five was someone who hadn't read my listing properly and criticised the room for having no windows and only skylights which is specifically written down in the listing.

If these five guests had applied their experience of the visits and been consistent with their ratings ok i to the Airbnb ratings system then I would have been at 4.92*  a difference of 0.04* , a tiny shift especially considering the previous system needing a 0.5* shift to make a difference. Visually though  it looks huge to compare 4.88 to 4.92 and this is due to your systems failures not mine but all those failures are reflected in my score now.  If you had even disclosed to 0.1*, my rating would be 4.9*  both times, which gives more detail than before but not so much that every error made by a guest can Change it. 

It would be easiest to stomach if Airbnb provided decent guidance to guests on completing reviews.  I have not found anything which explains what a four star review really means in an Airbnb review or that the only possible good review is a 5* review which isn't always easy for guests to feel good about as they feel they are ruling out any possible space for improvement.   Every review counts the same towards this number. A 3 star one night stay review had the same  impact as a weeks stay's 5 star review.  Over time the average still prevails but it seems to take Solei time to settle down.  

So much exposure is given to this number I doubt whether any guests notice if you're a superhost and this decision makes total mockery of that status and the targets within that area suddenly become  of secondary importance. 

And my final gripe, you changed this by the back door. It's hugely significant to hosts it was introduced with no real warning and most people seemed not to have noticed it was done so quietly.   Where was the warning or the consultation?.   I would have had more detailed conversations about the ratings with guests in the build up to this change to ensure they understood the system and the implications of their rating.  It's an uncomfortable conversation though and it would be far better if there is guidance issued by Airbnb so guests could be  better informed and consistent  in their scoring.   

[Raymond282]

Thanks very much, John for your detailed response. Your calculations are very sound and I TOTALLY agree as to the often meaningless, arbitrary nature of the scoring system. Thanks. 

[Anne8506]

Thank you John, I so agree!  I know people who say there never give a top rating on value even though there was nothing wrong with the space because they feel it keeps the owner humble and will perhaps reduce the price.  

[Vincenzo329]

I can't agree more with John regarding the failure of the system to inappropriately calculate the influence of a 1 night stay rating over long term stays. The fact that a guest who spends 1 night has such a heavy influence on your score, without properly accounting over the total amount of days you've hosted is simply unjust. It can ruin everything.

And needing to discuss the scoring algorithms with guests prior to their submissions is not something that is going to be seen as credible by them or anyone else. It shouldn't be something we have to do. Hosts advising guests how to perform ratings defeats the entire purpose and opens it up to further mockery.

Please fix this ASAP Airbnb before it gets out of hand.

[Kim388]

Fantastic comments.  I totally agree with it all.  I had to laugh when I saw that guests have trouble distinguishing between 4.8 and 5 star rating.  What nonsense. 

A guide for guests regarding the rating system would be invaluable.

[Sheila183]

I totally agree with you - it is usually older guests or first timers who down grade me. They simply do not understand star system!

[Marglen0]

I agree and thanks for your input.

[Antonia162]

I agree , my only low rating was a first timer and a 1 nighter.  He never read the listing or the rules of the listing.  Didn’t like to communicate.   He had no clue that he too was going to be rated on his communication after I made 8 attempts to make sure he had the door code to gain access.   Said he felt harassed,

for this I was given a low score

[Karen658]

Agreed. I lost my Superhost standing because of these factors. My airbnb is ONE BLOCK from the beach at the end of our street. We are super clean, very cute and generous with the treats. It makes no sense.

[Shelley63]

I noticed that my overall rating was low although my guests provided great ratings on individual services.  I called in and was told that since one of my listings hadn't rented out yet, I had a little lower rating.  Interesting...........