Guests own star ratings

[Karen2692]

Hi

I have just stayed as a guest in an apartment in London and the hosts review of me was ‘nice guest’! But I can’t see how many stars he gave me, is this right?

it’s interesting to see how Airbnb operates from a guest point of view (I’ve previously only experienced this as a host) But I don’t feel I should’ve had to use Airbnb as a guest find this out! 
I would be grateful for any clarification or information

many thanks

karen x

[Anonymous]

@Karen2692  By all accounts from your many guests, you're a fantastic host and an all-around great member of the community! But you're right, nobody can see their star ratings as guests. I can see the granular details of all the ratings my 200+ guests have left me, but I have no idea what star ratings my hosts have left me. It's a weird feeling. But I guess this evasion makes poorly-rated guests likelier to book on the platform; bad for their hosts, but good for corporate profit.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Karen2692 I hadn't realised guests couldn't see their star ratings. Unlike @Anonymous, in this case, I will say Airbnb have got it right as bad guests will be less inclined to just create a new profile to hide their poor score. Now of course this is only of value to those hosts with Instant Book activated so you can only benefit from Airbnb's largesse if you allow your mind to be controlled by their wish that you accept instant bookings.

[Sandra856]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0 🌿

It is actually possible now to see a guest’s star ratings without using instant book. It has been like that since I started hosting again after COVID in late August last year. So it is no longer just hosts with instant book turned on that can see a guest’s  ratings ☺️. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sandra856 I stand corrected. Can you see the rating before you accept a guest's booking?

[Sandra856]

@Mike-And-Jane0 Yes ☺️

[Ann72]

At least one reason guests can't see the star ratings we've given them is because they know where we live @Karen2692 @Anonymous @Mike-And-Jane0.  I suspect that's also one of the reasons hosts often give bland or even nice written reviews.  

[Anonymous]

@Ann72 if you're a homestay host, the guests also know where you live. It's literally the place where they stayed.

I've never heard of an incident where a guest returned to an Airbnb home to retaliate for a disappointing review. There's really nothing at stake for them with the Airbnb profile. 

[Ann72]

Yes, that's why I said they know where we live - they know where one lives or they know how to get to the house.  I can imagine a retaliation though @Anonymous!  I'm waiting to review the guy who just left until I'm sure he's left the state of Maine...

[Anonymous]

@Ann72 I can imagine the predicament if the guest was intimidating or sleazy. I've talked to some homestay hosts who were sexually harassed by guests, and when those stays were over they just wanted to be done with it. Some things are too painful and personal to put in an Airbnb review.

But in the normal circumstances where a host might have cause to leave a critical review, the risk seems pretty small. If someone flew back to Berlin to slap me just because I said he didn't wash the dishes, I'd almost be impressed enough to buy him a beer. 

I'm not all that bothered by the guest ratings being invisible, but it could be problematic when someone leaves a low star rating but neglects to conteztualize it in the text review. If it were up to me, the star ratings wouldn't exist at all. 

[Ann72]

Absolutely @Anonymous - and I don’t want anyone slapping you!  But Americans are allowed to carry guns, and weirder things have happened than someone seeing red at a column of single stars.

[Karen2692]

Thank you all for your replies, I now realise why guests with low scores never mention it! and a lot of the written reviews don’t reflect the guests star ratings. I suppose it’s because people are too scared to write something bad but think as the guest is not going to see the star rating, it’s safe to give them a lower/more honest  one!