First bad review 😱

[Moirin1]

Hello,

I have 17 reviews, 14 five stars, one 4 star a year ago and a 3 star this weekend, 3 stars for value and for cleanliness. I have the entire house cleaned twice a month, this guest arrived the day after. I dressed the bed myself and noticed nothing. 
The woman had her dog with her and I got the feeling that she wanted to chat more, I usually do but was busy with family .

Do I reply to her publicly ? State the facts,  Say the house was cleaned , I noticed nothing, could she be more specific so I can rectify or let it go? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Moirin1 Airbnb tell guests that 3 stars means the stay was good. There is little point in engaging with the guest unless she books again. Her written review was positive so I wouldn't even bother responding to it.

In our welcome instructions we explained the Airbnb review system whereby any score below 4.7 could get us de-listed. Not sure if it worked but we didn't get reviews below a 4.

[Joan2709]

@Moirin1 

What overall rating did she give you?

Many guests (especially new guests who have never booked before) don't understand the Airbnb review system. This guest is not new to Airbnb, so not sure what the issue was. "All she says is the bed was comfy". Did she provide any further details about why she gave you 3-stars for cleanliness (you can't do anything about the value rating)? What issues specifically did she mention? Something with the bed?

Yes, I would respond briefly and professionally to her review for future guests. Do not respond in the reply to something she mentioned privately. Only respond to what she put in her review that other guests can see. She only said the "bed was comfy." Something like:

"We're so glad you enjoyed your stay and found the bed comfy! We work hard to provide a 5-star experience for all our guests!"

[Moirin1]

Oh no, too late 😱can I edit my response to her review? 

[Joan2709]

@Moirin1 

No..unfortunately once you post it, its published immediately... it can't be edited.

It's best not to air something publicly that was only mentioned privately to you. No need to future guests to see that as they are not aware of the private feedback provided by the guest to the Host. 

For the future, only reply/respond to what the guest says in their public review. You can always message the guest through Airbnb if you like and ask her what you could have done differently to earn their 5-star review.

[Moirin1]

Ok, thanks so much for the feedback! 

[Joelle43]

Hello @Joan2709 

When we respond to a guest review publicly,  do you know if the guest receives  a notification from Airbnb that the host has replied?

[Stephen1004]

Good question! Probably not.