Seeking Insights on Fairness of a Guest Review

[David13189]

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm reaching out to seek your insights and advice regarding a recent situation that I believe might be unfair.

A guest recently left us a 3-star review, citing expectations for daily cleaning and a bilingual cleaning staff. Our listing clearly states that daily cleaning is not included, and while we strive to assist with language needs, our cleaning staff is not required to be bilingual. Despite our efforts to communicate and clarify these aspects, the review seems to reflect expectations that were not part of our service offering.

Throughout the guest's stay, I made multiple attempts to reach out and ensure everything was going smoothly. Unfortunately, there was no response or indication of concerns during their visit, which limited our ability to address any issues in real-time.

I am curious to know on what grounds such a review could be considered fair, given that the feedback appears to be based on services not advertised in our listing. How do you handle similar situations, and what steps can I take to ensure reviews accurately reflect the services provided?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support and guidance.

[Elisa]

Hi @David13189 😊,

Thank you for sharing this here and asking for advice from our host community!

I’m really sorry to hear about your experience. I can understand how frustrating it must be to receive a review that doesn’t accurately reflect what was offered.

I’m tagging a few experienced hosts to see what they suggest regarding this: @Bettye6, @Debra300, @Eileen462, @Flavia202, @Fred13, @Joan2709, @John7474, @John5097 and @Guy991 

Thank you in advance, everyone!

Warm regards 🌻,

[Debra300]

@David13189,

It has been my experience that guests don't read, even when information is written directly on a photo.  You should write an objective response to the review, and point out that the listing description and house rules clearly state that daily house cleaning is not provided. 

You can pursue getting the review removed if the content is in violation of Airbnb's Review Policy.  In your situation, you could try to point out that the guest has left a negative review because you upheld your policy regarding daily cleaning service.  

From the review policy's page:
"For example, guests should not write biased or inauthentic reviews as a form of retaliation against a host who enforces a policy or rule."

[John5097]

@David13189 

I was able to read the review and think you should contact customer service to see if they can remove it. 

First look over Airbb review policy. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2673

It's subjective on their decision. Generally if there is any part of the review that is helpful or relevant then it won't be removed. 

In this review I don't see anything of use. 

Guest complained there wasn't daily cleaning. This isn't helpful as cleaning is usually between stays. 

Guest also complained staff wasn't bi lingual. 

There is a translation functionality on the App and you tried to reach out to him and he didn't respond. That's how guest and host are supposed to communicate, through the messaging app, per Airbnb policy. 

You should have all your information ready. You could message them and cite that no part of the review is relevant or useful to other guest. Or you could call. It always helps to be polite. 

I've never had a review removed but would  keep trying with this one.  

[John5097]

PS.. You should also include that you would have been more than happy to help accomodate the guest as best you could if he had responded to any of your messages, or had reached out to you. But that you just can't send a cleaner in a rented space without the guest prior compunction and approval according to Airbnb privacy rules. 

[Angela3583]

Hi David, 

I’m learning, sometimes people will leave bad reviews no matter what you do.

On checkin instructions, ask that they let you know if they have any issues so you can address them right away.  If they have problems, they know to contact you.  If a bad review is left, you have indicated to contact you asap.

Other than that, some people like to complain, regardless.

[Guy991]

Hello @David13189 

Sorry to hear that it happened to you.

To start, keep contacting customer service to ask for the removal of the irrelevant review. It might work, and it might not. I don’t want to go into my thoughts about the quality of their customer service, but… good luck. And please don’t take it personally if they close the case before you even get a chance to properly explain your request.

That said, there are a couple of lessons here for better hosting:

Did you take the time to read what this guest wrote in their previous review? In that other stay, there was also a lack of communication with the host. You have to recognize patterns — this guest had already left a similar review before your stay, and that should’ve been a red flag that the review might be negative and not very relevant.

If you're using Instant Book, expect more guests like this. I don’t use Instant Booking. I always message guests first to make sure my property fits their needs and expectations before accepting a reservation. I don’t accept every request I receive.

Immediately after accepting a reservation, I send them a message with instructions on how to turn on app notifications so they won’t miss any of my messages. I also explain that if they want exceptional service, they need to communicate their needs clearly.

Once a reservation is confirmed, if a guest doesn’t respond in the Airbnb chat, I send them a text message or give them a call. Then, I copy the message back into the Airbnb chat so that if anything goes wrong, Airbnb has the full context.

If they still don’t respond, I immediately contact Airbnb to report that the guest is unresponsive. Airbnb is usually helpful with that — they’ll reach out to the guest and ask them to reply to your messages.