@Huma0 Do guests care? Mostly not. There just aren't enough savvy/experienced guests on the platform (yet). They look at the pretty pictures, make sure the place has 1-2 amenities they think work for them, MAKE SURE THE PRICE IS RIGHT, and then book.
On the other hand, I know that for me, as a guests (I've stayed in over 100 Airbnb properties on 6 continents) that if the property is below 4.95, it's probable that it won't be an elite level property. Period. But do I care? Not really! I just know from my experience, you creep below 4.95 and the listing won't be super duper nice. Or the host won't be super duper responsive.
Does the algorithm care? It's my position that the answer to that question is a resounding, overwhelming, in all bold letters, YES.
And the algorithm (which means more views, which means more CTR, which means more bookings) is all we care about.
We run every listing 100% occupancy. Not 99%, but 100%.
One of the reasons I feel this happens is because of our ~4.99 collective review profile.
Back to Uber: with my 4.8 profile, do some drivers pass on taking my fare? Maybe! If there's a 4.99 waiting for an Uber and they are standing next to me? Yep! They'll get the Uber before I would (as they should).