Are the Standards to be a Superhost too High? And other Thoughts...

[Kevin-s0]

I am a Superhost and have been for a long time now. So this is not coming from a sense of bitterness.

But it is coming (I guess) from a sense of stress at having to maintain this standard.

We just got a 3/5 rating as a bathroom had a spider web in it.  Does Airbnb do anything to educate

guests that a 3/5 rating is basically death?  I think not.  Occasionally we all get a 1/5 and yes now we can

dispute that, but 6 years ago when I started, we could not.  Everyone gets the occasional 1/5 if you host long enough and

that can really hurt your ratings!  And hurt your livelihood!

It is a pandemic and we are doing our best to clean to a very high standard.  It is also rainy season in Japan,

so little critters can find their way into guest houses unfortunately.

Airbnb seems like a very caring company.  In my YouTube videos about it, I emphasize that.

We have navigated through a pandemic, my whole family is still alive (at the moment), but having to contend with

extra things like getting a 3/5 rating for a small spider web seems over the top.

What do others think? Is 4.8 reasonable to be a Superhost? Or should it be lower.

Would 4/5 be more realistic, or 4.5?

Would Brian Chesky score a 4.8 as a CEO.  What would you give him? Is he a Super CEO?

I digress, but I think you can see my point.  It is very difficult to be a 4.8 CEO.  It is also very difficult to

be a 4.8 host.  We are 4.9.  ( I say We, because it really is a team effort).

Mr. Chesky,  I would probably give you a 4/5. Because some of the promises you have made over the years, have not

been kept.  "Guests will be required to have a proper profile picture." and things like that.   Brian, one of my guests

had a paper bag over his head as a profile picture.  I also have read many disturbing posts about Airbnb not keeping its promises

of paying hosts for damages.  "Airbnb fights like hell not to pay." - wrote one poster on a Facebook forum for hosts recently.

Airbnb should bend over backwards to help hosts when the shxx hits the fan.  We are the backbone of your company. And yes it 

is your company now, as you made the ruling that we are independent contractors. I felt that decision was a mistake, but I am

not the CEO.

If you are going to hold Superhosts to such high standards, really you should hold yourself to them as well. Or cut hosts

a bit of slack as we cut slack for Airbnb for not being perfect or not keeping its promises at times.

Curious to hear what other hosts think?  I feel at this forum, many people hold back, so it will be interesting to see how honest

others can be on this platform, even though big brother is watching.

[Kevin-s0]

This forum used to be so take and polite! LOL  What happened!?  I used to go to Facebook for my entertainment. Now I will come here! LOL  Who needs stand up comedy on YouTube! LOL

[J-Renato0]

@Kevin-s0 

It has not do to with entertainment. Hard is hard. Easy is easy. So simple!

This forum is still polite. If you do not like honest opinion, please, write it on your question that you want only opinions to offer compasion and to agree with you.

[Jacqueline1017]

Hello,

I was leaving a response to a ridiculous review made by a guest who hadn't complained until she left in regards to her seeing a raccoon in the back yard (we are in south Florida, not unusual), I dont know if there was a glitch in the system, but only 1 paragraph of my response was published in my defense.  My only opportunity to defend the accusations that she made, which then included bed bugs after Airbnb disregarded her raccoon story.  This will forever mark my listing and airbnb customer service claims they cannot reset or allow me to edit the partial response that was published.  I am soooo upset.  They own the platform but don't have the option to give the host an opportunity to edit?  Pathetic, hurting our livelihood takes away theirs too- they don't value us enough 

1 star... 

[Sarah977]

@Jacqueline1017  Sorry this happened to you, but the response you left is adequate, even though you wanted to address the bedbug lies. Don't worry about it too much. The low star rating is a drag, but honestly, the review is an outlier among all your good reviews and it won't forever mark your listing- it will soon get buried by new reviews. And guests don't believe everything they read, either.

I would say for you to try to get the review removed due to it being irrelevant (you aren't responsible for local wildlife) but you also don't want to call Airbnb's attention to the review due to the bedbug claim, for which they can suspend your listing and make you get a pest control inspection before they will reinstate you.

[Jacqueline1017]

Good information, thank you so much for your wisdom on the topic!  

[Jean5812]

@Jacqueline1017 
Dear Jacqueline I found your frustration compelling so I went to see your listing.
If it's any compensation I think your response to that insane and abusive guest was very fine.
Even if it got cut off, perhaps it is even better.  You simple stated the facts, you were brief and you didn't get personal or emotional.
That guest stands out as an unreasonable outlier and I'm sure it won't harm your bookings.
Too bad you did not review her.
Why didn't you wait until 13 1/2 days to leave a truthful review.

I also wonder what happened during this stay to make this person so disgruntled.
I'm very interested in the psychology of these things if you feel like sharing can you private message me to tell me like what set this person off.

Good luck all the best and take heart your response was perfect.

[Sarah977]

@Jean5812  Jacqueline did review that guest.

I don't know if anything "set this guest off", but usually guests who leave reviews like this don't need anything about the place or host to set them off. If somethung does, it's usually that the host called them out on disregarding house rules, or that the host couldn't or wouldn't accommodate one of their entitled demands, like an early or late check out. Or they had a fight with their boyfriend, so they had a bad time. 

The review that guest left was so obviously trying to find more things to complain about that aren't true. The spelling and grammar is also really bad 🙂

[Adriana85]

Yes, and don't you just love how everything is in text messages now? When they state their decision, that's it, they cut you off. Soooooo frustrating!

[Jean5812]

Dude you have almost 500 reviews!  One 3 star is not going to do anything to your reputation or bookings!  Also I couldn't find any mention of spiders in any guest review on your listings.

[Ita5370]

Hi!

I had a guest who complained about our windows be so bright in the morning and that she couldn’t make our washer work... then another one that said our house had come “corks” no specify which “corks”.. I really didn’t care much. I had bookings went I wasn’t a superhost.. so really I would not care..

Then these gang of criminals booked my house to steal around my neighborhood, ordered checks and credit cards to my address, trashed my home, one of them was arrested at my house, she canceled her booking a the night before her check out..., the key was not found, I reported Airbnb... they suspended and closed my account for weeks because she reported “I had cameras inside my house”. I lost all my bookings for 5 months at least.. until they decide... I was right and obviously I had not indoor cameras....

My account is open after a week or more... but cero bookings, they haven’t paid the dry cleaning of my furniture... yet and of course they paid wherever amount for a very expensive item that they damaged “depreciation” is  called...

Their ambassadors called me in weird times such Saturday at 7 pm or Sunday at 8 pm.... as the guest wad calling to report the “indoor cameras” they were open different cases... not connected with the other one... so I had all these people asking for the same thing many time..

a nightmare...

[Jennifer235]

@Kevin-s0 @Sarah977 

Has anyone notice  how fast one  4/5 review drop your rating   and 5/5 ratings  two in a row have no change at all?  Is this how ABB algorithm is programmed to make it hard to achieve/maintain superhost standing?       ABB support team told me this is how it works  because they  want to make it harder to achieve/maintain superhost status....She also told me that's what ABB  told her to tell us....Appreciate any feedback on this.....

[Sarah977]

@Jennifer235  Well, it's pretty straightforward math. Number of 5*s, number of 4*s, divided by the number of reviews.

20 reviews: 

15@ 5*s= 75  5@ 4*s=20 

95 in total, divided by 20 reviews = 4.75

If you then get another 5* review: 100 divided by 21 = 4.76

It isn't some mysterious sneaky algorithm, it's straight math, but it does take time to get back up to a 5*rating once you've had a 4*.

So: Lets say you have a 5* rating. 20 reviews. Then you get a 4* rating. 104 divided by 21 reviews =4.952

Then you get another 5*. Now you have 22 5*reviews and one 4*=109. Divided by 22, your rating is now 4.954

[Jennifer235]

@Sarah977      Thanks . I understand more now.   However,  what I notice is that when I check on my rating every few days,   it reflects the 4*  right away.    But  the 5*   did not change.       

For example,   I have 11 @5* =55   2 at 4*=8     Total 63    divide by 13   should be 4.846

However,  mine says 4.7    on my superhost rating.    That's my question.

In addition,  if only host writes a review and guest did not,  does it request badly  on host at all??

Thanks.

[Emilia42]

@Jennifer235Your math should account for 16 reviews (as of now) that have accumulated during this Superhost assessment (July 1, 2020, - June 30, 2021)

[Sarah977]

@Jennifer235  Emily seems to have answered your math question. 

As far as reviews go, no, whether you leave a review or your guests do has nothing to do with any ratings or stats. But if you have good, appreciative, friendly guests who you are pretty sure will leave a 5* review, it would be good to encourage them to leave a review.

Just let them know that reviews are really important to hosts, and you could even say you had some constant complainer-type guests who lowered your rating, so it would be great for you to be able to pull that rating up if they were pleased with their stay.

Just be careful about coming across as if you are shilling for a 5* review, as that can seem tacky and backfire.