Hosting rank

[Shelly381]

My listing has a 4.9 ranking yet it is only a "guest favorite" while other homes in my area have a lower ranking but yet are regarded as being in either the top 5% or 10% of homes listed as a "guest favorite". Why does mine fall short? It used to be in the top 5%.

[Rebecca]

Hi @Shelly381 👋

Thanks so much for asking your question and it's great to hear that you have such a great ranking. I wanted to share a Resource Center article that I think may help: 

✨ Guest Favourites and highlights

[Shelly381]

The best I can tell in reading the information in the link you forwarded, my home meets all of those requirements and it also has many repeat families.

[Joan2709]

@Shelly381 

Many of us wonder the same thing. We are not privy to all that goes into awarding Guest Favorite and of course no idea where the listing actually ranks amongst all the others. Supposedly, GF is evaluated daily, but percentile ranking I'm not sure. 

[Shelly381]

They tried to tell me that I had a low score on September 22nd. The review I got that day was all 5 stars except for one 4 star for location. I had communicated with the girl a lot during their stay so I asked her what that was about. She said because the road in the subdivision was curvy - now what am I supposed to do about that???

[Joan2709]

@Shelly381 

Oh brother 🙄  Don't have words for that. This is why I (and may other Hosts) have asked Airbnb NOT to include location and value in review scores due to something totally subjective like "I didn't like the fact the road was curvy".

When I look at your listing, you actually have five, 4-star reviews and three, 3-star reviews. That is definitely affecting your overall score and your GF ranking percentage.

Some guests complained about the beds not being big enough. Since guests don't read, (you clearly show the bed sizes) I would put a queen bed in the bedroom that has the double, and move the double to the single bedroom. Looks like you definitely have room for a queen in the double room and also room for the double in the single room. That would give you two queens and one double, which is probably more feasible for 5 guests. You could also move the single to the current Queen Room - looks like enough room for that. Then buy a new queen for the 2nd bedroom.

As far as bed comfort goes, can't please everyone. That said, several guests complained, so you might consider toppers for the beds as an option. 

[Shelly381]

One of the things it says in my summary by Airbnb is that guests comment on how comfortable the beds are - so what do you do? As far as the size, the review you are referring to is the one in which the man was upset that there were no king size beds - I never said there were and clearly show that there aren't. Also, the one guy had some other stuff going on at the house and every time I checked on him, he said everything was great. Think he had other motives which I can't control. I also had someone who never had stayed at an Airbnb before and they didn't seem to understand the review process because they told me how much they enjoyed their stay. But in any case the 5's far out weigh the 3's - I think I have only had 2 or 3 of those and that was a while ago. I am looking at specific homes in my area which have had recent low ratings yet remain in the top 5 and 10 % categories.

[Joan2709]

@Shelly381 

Unfortunately...it doesn't matter how long ago your received the 4-star and 3-star reviews when it comes to Guest Favorite (it appears). More 5-star reviews do help in overall rank though.

Since you have room for a King bed, why not buy one and put it in the largest bedroom? Then put the queen in the second bedroom and put the double in the 3rd bedroom. Many guests want a King bed (and don't read it appears). King bed is also a search filter now, so if guests use the filter when searching, your listing won't even appear.

[Shelly381]

I have just finished putting over $50k in a house that some long term renters were in so I'm not interested in investing anymore in my childhood home at this time. It has been completely redone for most practical purposes - plumbing, wiring, flooring, driveway, floor joists, all new appliances, a lot of the furniture, etc. and all of this has been going on in the last three years. I didn't start to Airbnb until December of 2022 so I have spent a great deal of money. 

[Joan2709]

@Shelly381 

Totally understand...

[Shelly381]

Yes, Mam! I'm sure you know how expensive it can be, and my childhood home is my first priority. I don't have room for a full size bed in the room with a twin unless I take out some of the furniture. With the exception of just a few, people seem to be fine with the sleeping arrangements. This other house has a king, a queen and a full size bed. I won't be putting another long term renter in it.

The question now is whether to place it with Airbnb or possibly try VRBO. With the exception of this rating thing, Airbnb has been very good to work with. However I run my own business and clean this house on my own so I work rather long hours and put a lot of effort into what I do, so I would simply like an explanation. The link I was sent to read doesn't answer my question, and I had a rather bad experience with an Airbnb rep last night which was very unusual. Normally they are on top of things. He asked me at 11:19 PM if it was ok to call me then and I said yes, but never received a call. Then at 12:45 AM this morning he wanted to know could he call then - not all like previous Airbnb experiences. Said he was sorry that he had been in a meeting. If he was in a meeting or going to one, it seems to me he would have known that at 11:19. Guess they drop out of the top 10%!

[Joan2709]

@Shelly381 

I always suggest to my Host clients they list on more than one platform.  Vrbo is a good choice. Just sync the calendars to prevent double bookings. Be aware that the sync can be delayed up to 3 hours, so I normally don't recommend Instant Book - or at lease not Instant Book on one platform. 

There is a calendar conflict between Vrbo and Airbnb that has been there for awhile and Vrbo doesn't seem inclined to fix it. No matter to us. Hosts know why it shows as a "conflict" on Vrbo as they create a feedback loop from a booking on Airbnb. Hasn't caused problems. I usually advise Hosts to refresh the sync manually after every booking and double checking the booking appears correct on both calendars.

[Shelly381]

Thank you so much for that info!!!