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!

[Edward196]

Guests do not realize that 4 stars is not so good in your system.  You threaten to penalize hosts with  suspension if they have 4.3 or lower average.  You remove superhost status for a year if we do not maintain 4.8 average.  The finest hotels in the world rarely maintain a 4.8 average because there are always nit pickers.  No matter what value a host gives, there will always be a cheap skate saying it wasn't a good value.  Please address these issues as well.  My suggestion is to lower super host status to 4.5, and suspension treat to 3.5.  superhost status should be renewed quarterly rather than annually. give hosts the option of deleting one review per year. Also give hosts the option of requesting an invesitigation as to the validity of a review or if the review is simply a chronic nitpicker who hurts the reputations of the hosts and  the entire Airbnb system.

[Natasha-and-John0]

I have been getting bombed lately with 4* or evens 3*. I’ve been in the game a long time and there seems to be an uptick in finicky guests who don’t read the print. 

[Elizabeth--Lysa--And-Don0]

All these changes are very positive and definitely fairer. Thanks!

[Christopher-and-Elisa0]

We’ve just had a guest for 5 days who caused quite a headache and stress with multiple late and loud visits from friends, but especially with her disclosure at one stage that she’s in town not only for a presentation at some event but also for client appointments and she’s scheduling them in the studio!?! I informed her that this is not possible, we’re bound by Airbnb rules and council regulations and while she can have this first appointment here since it was already confirmed she has to find another venue for any future appointments. We’ve provided her with information about cheap rooms for hire on hourly basis etc. Aw, but she was already out of pocket, what to do, what to do? I appreciate that life is expensive, but I found this behaviour very cheeky and just wrong. Well, it seemed that everything worked out just fine with her scheduling her appointments at her clients’ houses. No other problems were reported and finally she left. Her review: “I found Chris and Elisa to be very helpful, thoughtful and friendly. What I enjoyed most about staying here was the respect of my privacy, the quiet setting, close proximity to town, the cleanliness, the styling of the space and of course the beautiful vegetable garden. 

I would have no hesitation in staying there again.

I highly recommend this property!”

All sounds great, right? So what’s the star rating? 4 for location and for value and 4 overall! I’m not happy. We went above and beyond to accommodate that woman from the day she booked, starting with helping her through the process of booking. And now this. After I’ve patiently explained to her what a 4 star rating means to a host. Needles to say, she’s not coming back, absolutely not.

[Helen427]

@Christopher0 & Elisa

Please ensure you use the public feedback reply option to your Guests comments so other potential Hosts/ Guests know how you feel, in a polite way as it will in future be read by those potentially booking your home.

All the Best

Central To All Home & Location

[Christopher-and-Elisa0]

@Helen427 in Auckland, New Zealand I’m not sure what prompted this comment?

[Helen427]

@Christopher-and-Elisa0, personal experience as an Airbnb Host & in life in general together with reading through other users input in CC.

There's a wealth of useful comments in CC if you use related keywords in searchbox.

Best to try carry on Hosting in the professional manner one is as a Host rather than dwell on negative guests, as challenging as it is for those of us who go through those speedbumps and struggle with trying to understand why some people behave in the way they do.

All the Best

[Christopher-and-Elisa0]

@Helen427 I don’t know how many of us here ‘dwell’ on negative guests.

I believe that this forum is here for us to connect to other hosts, exchange experiences, offer support and try and find solutions to what we perceive as problems.

As many of us depend on the income from our Airbnb’s to make ends meet and it doesn’t take much to slide right down in the ranks negative guests and negative reviews are a problem and it’s understandable that we’re trying to figure out how to solve it.

A host that relates a story about an upsetting experience with a guest or who shares how they deal with such things isn’t necessarily unprofessional.

[Helen427]

@Christopher-and-Elisa0  I  agree with you 

[Sherri36]

I have a similar sitution and the guest has rebooked ! What can I do about it I wish I could cancel 😞 any advice ?

[Christopher-and-Elisa0]

@Sherri36 Maybe explain to the guest on arrival how the system works and that 4 star ratings might have serious consequences for the host. Maybe the guest will reconsider.

I always take time during check-in to ask the guests to review us and explain the system. I say that the Airbnb rating system is not to be compared to the rating systems for hotels and that they shouldn’t compare us to a hotel (although they can look at what they can get for the price we charge if they were to book a hotel or a motel; this comparison always works to our advantage).

I say that although they’ll be told that 3 stars are good and everything above it is better Airbnb interprets 5 stars as good and everything below as a fail. So if their overall experience was good, we’ve delivered what we said we will, they were comfortable and nothing impacted their stay in a negative way then could they please consider 5 stars. Most people are shocked to hear how harsh the system is and how quickly you can get in trouble as a host.

Some people will still be unkind (1 case) or won’t bother reviewing (1 case) but overall this has worked pretty well. 

[Bev71]

I have just had a review where the guest gave me 4 stars on location and check in because she got lostusing google maps. Even though prior to arrival I sugggested she use the directions I have on my listing and also offered to email her detailed directions including photos all of which were ignored. She rated 7 areas - 5 of which were 5 star and 2 were 4 star and gave me an overall of 4 star!! Makes no sense, I’m being penalised because google maps sent her to the wrong place!!!!  

[Nina444]

Yup, I've had that and onther gave 4 stars on check in because I ask them to print out the check in details as WiFi in the village is unreliable, so they can't rely on phones. Twice I've had guests forget to do this, then mark me down despite specific instructions.

[Carol-and-Bernie0]

apprecite the changes and the great responses from hosts, I too have gotten one really bad review that helped knock down my personal rating and a constant reminder of “you were recently rated badly for”. The guest lived locally (apparently a taboo type of guest to host), did not communicate well, did not follow house rules, and upon arrival stays less than ten minutes only to cancel. Her review was a one star across the board. This being the only one in the two years I have been a Superhost. Airbnb refused to delete this “one” outlier. 

Let’s decide to make a group effort to insist Airbnb allow the one-off reviews to be removed immediately.

[Jim550]

I'm new to Airbnb and have just a small owner-occucpied space. After reading a good sampling of these comments, the impression I'm left with is Airbnb should do more to protect its valuable Hosts that provide the resources for Airbnb to generate revenues. Yet, with these very minor superficial changes, it appears Airbnb is more about protecting the liberties of the guests and not fully acknowledging that there are alot of people out there always trying to scam and take advantage of any service. And that applies to the  hospitality industry, hotels, motels, Airbnb, to anything right?

Why can't Airbnb take the stance and post on guest searches that while you are providing a world class portal for booking incredible places to stay you are also "protecting" your Hosts from predatory guests (reworded of course)? So the guest knows as they are making a reservation, if they are out to scam the Host (i.e. book for one person and have 5 stay, etc.), there are mechanisms in place approved by Airbnb for Hosts to have recourse. They need to better understand Airbnb Hosts are not impersonal hotel managers who work for someone else and the space is there for them to take advantage of if they can. These homes are many times peoples personal properties or homes and we are real people.  Sure, Airbnb doesn't want guests to go elsewhere to book, I get that. But if you, Airbnb, don't start making this right, eventually competition, i.e. other short-term rental services will fill the void with a reputation of protecting Hosts, not just the guests.