A Not So Positive Review

[Mark4175]

I'm fairly new to Airbnb but I feel the need to have to write my first not so positive host review. I want to be fair and unbiassed but I am a bit nervous about writing a negative review because the host in question is considered to be a super-host and has many, if not all, five star reviews. The topic is about cleanliness, the location just was not clean which is what is weird. It seems strange that we be the first to notice that the location was clean? Well below the standards of most hotel chains. 

Also, it wasn't revealed to us that the host lives out of state, several states away until after we booked. That was a little concerning too. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mark4175 If there were true cleanliness issues then you should be honest with your review. I would only defend those hosts with older properties which will not be pristine but can be clean.

[Anonymous]

@Mark4175   It's very common for Entire Home hosts to live far from the rental property and delegate maintenance and cleaning tasks remotely. That's not scandalous in itself, but it does often leave the host unaware when their co-host or cleaner has done a changeover below their standards. 

Given the choice, most hosts would prefer that guests bring issues to their attention during the stay while they can still fix it, rather than surprise them with a not-so-great review when it's too late to do anything.  A remote host who genuinely cares about your satisfaction will usually send a message after your arrival to make sure everything is OK. If this host didn't bother to do that, perhaps Communication is as much of a problem as Cleanliness, which an honest review would reflect.

Keep in mind, though, the cleanliness standards of hotel chains - with a full staff and daily housekeeping service - might not be the best reference point for what to expect in a self-contained home rental. If you're inclined to bring up cleanliness in the review, I hope you at least send separate, private feedback to your host with more specific detail about which spots in the home need more attention.

[Mark4175]

@Anonymous thank you for adding some perspective, much appreciated!

There were lots of cleanliness issues. Kitchen stove and microwave not clean. The bathroom sink faucet should probably be replaced, lots of mineral build up and water spots. The toilet around the base was not clean both on the floor and the toilet, including what looked like black mold spots on the wall behind the toilet. 

I like your idea of sending private remarks to the host first. Good idea. In a case where you send private remarks that are not positive would you till do a star rating of the property? 

[Anonymous]

@Mark4175   It doesn't stand out to me as all that odd that the previous reviews have been so positive. That's usually an indication that the listing set realistic expectations, and was well-targeted to guests who were likeliest to enjoy their experience despite the cosmetic shortcomings that are typical in older homes. Some people might have noticed the flaws but weren't so bothered that they felt the need to write about them in their public reviews.  Anyway, everyone has their own subjective experience, and your review can't reflect anyone's but yours.

If you want to discuss the issues with the host before reviewing, you can still use the message thread, but there's also a place in the review process to write comments to be seen only by the host. As for the star ratings, I think if you leave those fields blank they just default to 5 stars. To me, 5 stars means that the home was what the listing said it would be - not that it measured up to hotel standards. 

[Mark4175]

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@Anonymous wrote: That's usually an indication that the listing set realistic expectations, and was well-targeted to guests who were likeliest to enjoy their experience despite the cosmetic shortcomings that are typical in older homes. Some people might have noticed the flaws but weren't so bothered that they felt the need to write about them in their public reviews.  Anyway, everyone has their own subjective experience, and your review can't reflect anyone's but yours.

Thank you for your comments. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about cosmetic decencies/shortcomings of an older home. That is one thing and I totally get that, I grew up on a farm and lived in an old two story farm house. I understand what you are describing. What I'm talking about is not being clean in food prep areas, such as the stove top, the microwave, both inside and out. Greasy fingerprints. The bathroom sink faucet and the toilet.

[Lorna170]

@Mark4175   Many hosts of whole house properties do not live nearby.  They may have a local co-host who acts as the immediate contact/problem solver.  They may have a management company.  

I assume that you reached out to the host about the condition of the rental property.  Did they offer to contact their cleaner and have them come back out to re-clean?  Was the cleaner their employee or the employee of the management company?  

If the property was not up to your standard or that of a hotel chain, and the owner did not act on your communication, say so in your review.  Sometimes an owner is not aware of the lax cleaning by their employees or has a new cleaner who is not doing a proper job.  

[Mark4175]

@Lorna170  I have not mentioned anything to the host yet. Just trying to get some balance on how to approach a delicate topic with fairness. Especially since the owner is a super-host and has so many good reviews. It is making me wonder though, why there are so many positive reviews regarding a topic that seems so obvious. Yet no one else has mentioned it publicly. It is an older home.

The cleaner is an employee who lives in a different home but on the same property. 

I did not know that it is common that the owner my not live close by. In our limited experience of renting Airbnbs all the owners to date have lived on-site or very close by. 

[M199]

@Mark4175 

Having just read through this thread,  myself, as a host, Thank you! for taking the time and effort to ask the questions and try and be fair in your review.  It can be uncomfortable to raise a concern, but to be truthful, communication both ways is essential.  Wish you well on your future bookings.