Visibility (after bad review) – help appreciated!

[Caren21]

Hi everyone,

My name is Caren, I’m new to this host community.

Visibility and bookings after one bad review

I’ve been hosting since 2014 and had many wonderful years with Airbnb. I always held Superhost status, until a few years ago when one guest left me a 1-star review. Ever since, my bookings through Airbnb have drastically dropped. I’ve contacted the support team at least 7 times and was advised to do things I had already done.

The last time I spoke to a very kind service rep who really took time to go through everything with me — area code, photos, pricing, listing settings, and told me everything looked perfect. That was six months ago… and still, I’ve only received one booking on two listings.

It’s quite discouraging, and I feel helpless. I'm now renting more through Booking.com, but I would really prefer to focus on Airbnb again. Booking.com pushes you to lower your prices, and I feel the platform leans more toward guest interests than host protection.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Is there any way to rebuild visibility and trust on the platform after one bad review?

I’ve lost my Superhost status and honestly don’t know what to do anymore.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice — and happy Easter to everyone!
Warm regards,
Caren

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

@Caren21 

You have two listings, so assuming it is the Artist Forest House? The algorithm places a high value on how "popular" a listing is by the number of recent bookings. If it is not deemed "popular" then you will be placed lower in search results. You need bookings to get bookings. Some ideas to try:

Property Type

"Chalet" does not fit your property and may be costing you in search results. Entire Home/Cottage is a better fit for your property and statistics show that "Cottage" is one of the most popular property types. I would change the property type to Cottage.

Photos

It looks like you haven't updated your photos in awhile? The property has two different exterior colors? Some photos have blue and some white? Whatever the current color is, use those photos and delete the others.

Professional Photos

This is one of the things the algorithm looks for...high quality photos. The reason is statistics show that professional photos usually result in at least 20% more revenue. You current photos are not very good. I suggest you look for a professional photographer familiar with photographing Airnbnbs and get new photos done.

Cover Photo

I don't think you cover photo of the living area is helping you. What is unique about your place is the outdoor setting. For now, try one of these photos (use the photo that shows the current paint color):

Exterior, twilight photos do very well on Airbnb. I suggest re-taking one the above photos at twilight with all the lights on inside and outside (curtains open) and try that as your cover photo until you can get professional photos done.

Too Many Photos

87 photos is way too many. Cut that down to 45-50 photos. Choose the best of the ones you have and delete the rest. 5-6 photos of the local area are sufficient and you have multiple shots of the same spaces. You can add your professional photos when you get them, but I would delete most of what you have and keep the photos to around 40 or so.

[Caren21]

Dear Joan,

Thank you so much for your detailed response — wow, it's truly helpful. I'm definitely going to work hard on this in the coming period and will follow all the tips you've given me. Thanks again. If I have any more questions, I'll be sure to reach out.
Have a great day.

Caren

[Alex]

Hello @Caren21, 👋

I'm so sorry to read that your visibility went down after a bad review. Thankfully, with the help of hosts like Joan, we will recover this visibility. 

Did you check Joan's amazing response? 🤗

Best, 
Alex

[Caren21]

Dear Alex,

Thank you so much. Yes, I was very happy with Joan's response, I just anwered her. Have a wonderful day.

Caren