Guest snuck infant into property without permission and criticized property harshly for having defects making it not good for infants

[Steven973]

Any suggestions on how to respond to guest’s review where they criticize the property harshly. It’s clearly stated in the house rules that children and infants aren’t allow because I already know that it doesn’t work out for the guests or for me when hosting small children. Any suggestions on how to respond? 

The review: 

“We stay here for six nights; myself wife and 17 month old. For us it was a four-star stay. For others maybe five. It all depends what you're looking for. I'll make this easy. Pros: Within 15 minutes of all the sites and tourist places we wanted to visit. Easy parking on the street in front of house. I always found a spot. Enough food options within 8 min driving. Safe location. Air condition works well. Cons ( which contributed to our four star rating) The stairs and rooms are creaky as hell. If you have a baby or kid That has a nap time It will be challenging to navigate to the stairs and the rooms to not make noise.. since we were there 6 nights I did eventually find a way to maneuver up the stairs with making very little noise. One of the beds we used wasn't very comfortable. It didn't have a tub which we needed to bath 17 month old. We were aware of this and had a workaround by bringing inflatable tub... however it would have been nice to have a tub. There needs to be more accessible outlets downstairs for devices/laptops. Would we stay there again, Well the stars were really annoying. and it is a hike to get up the stairs outside just to get in the house... But I'd probably stay there again due to all the pros If I couldn't find anything else. It is a good place don't get me wrong. You won't be sorry if you stay there. Just note the cons and you'll enjoy your time. Side note. I left an item and the host worked timely to get it back to me.”lll

[Kate867]

@Steven973   It’s not a bad review and the guest does say nice things as well so I would not get too bothered about it as the issues seem mainly to revolve around their infant.. and as you say, you are not ‘child friendly’.  I would keep the response short and polite .something like ‘I am sorry about the problems you had with your stay which mainly seem focused on infant related issues.  Our listing details clearly state that the property is not suitable for children’

[Georges213]

I couldn't have said it better, well said and yes it is a polite answer. 

Lovely Gesture Kate

Georges

[Anonymous]

@Steven973  The brevity of your review of the guest implies that you didn't become aware of the infant until you saw the guest's review. Had you known about the undisclosed infant sooner, it would have been the most important detail to mention in your review.

Generally though, I think this review does your listing more good than harm, if it helps dissuade future guests from bringing babies. In light of all the other great reviews, I don't see it putting off groups of adults.

[Mark116]

@Steven973  I'd say something like 'We appreciate XX feedback and are always looking for ways to improve our guests' experience.  However, we were a bit confused by the complaints related to caring for an infant since our listing specificies that it is not suitable for young children, and we were not even aware that XX had brought an infant.  

[Jennifer1897]

@Steven973  It always makes me shake my head when people mention non feasible things they wish the listing had, despite knowing very well when they booked that the accommodation didn't have it.  Case in point, a tub.  It's not like a kettle or a blanket that you can run out and get.  I once had a long term guest tell me I should consider having a pet to keep guest company.  

Overall the review is not devastating, as others have said they highlight both positive and not so positive attributes of the listing.  I would not worry about things like the "stairs" as this is something that can not be changed, and something future guest can clearly see in the listing. The non positives are minimal and the feedback centered around the child will likely not deter future bookings by adult parties sans kids. 

I would recommend a very brief response as @Mark116 suggested. It acknowledges that you accept feedback and are aimed at making the guest experience good,  but also highlights that the child being present was not something you were aware of nor something your listing caters too. 

Lastly, you have over 100 positive reviews on both properties you host. This review will likely not affect you and will soon be buried amongst other reviews. 

[Kelly149]

@Steven973  If you have time on your hands, you could call CS and ask them to take down the review since in it the guest highlights that he broke house rules and ToS by having an undisclosed guest and that harms him for future bookings. 

but even if you don’t do that I would respond to the review as @Mark116 suggested lest you have future people think ‘creaking stairs won’t bother my baby let’s book’

[Steven973]

@Kelly149 thanks for suggesting cs. I’ve been in touch and they have not agreed to remove it despite breaking house rules, terms of service and not disclosing the quantity and type of guest. I’m going to keep trying.

Some were saying I should just move on. The guests that checked in the day after this one called me screaming about ants and said that they’ll be writing a bad review if I don’t give them $500 cash. I refunded them the rest of the stay but I’m sure there is another bad review coming. I’ve never had ants and Im pretty confident candy and other sugary treats from the undisclosed baby contributed to that problem as well. But there’s obviously no chance of doing anything about that review so I’m trying to at least get rid of this one. 

[Huma0]

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@Steven973 wrote:

The guests that checked in the day after this one called me screaming about ants and said that they’ll be writing a bad review if I don’t give them $500 cash. 

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Well, that is definitely cause for having the review removed if they leave one. Threatening a bad review unless you give them money is extortion and against Airbnb policy. I hope you have this in writing on the Airbnb system and that it wasn't just verbal? You mentioned that they called you...

[Steven973]

@Jennifer1897 thanks for sharing your dog suggestion. I guess we all get someone a little unreasonable in his or her expectations. Sometimes you just can’t win people over.

[Steven973]

The guest asked me to ship him a pillow to him that he had left behind. I went and stood 30 minutes in line to ship this and then responded “k thanks” when I messaged confirming it shipped and sent the tracking number. He wrote this review after receiving the item.

[Mark116]

@Steven973  I no longer do any favors for guests post check-out until after the reviews are posted for this reason.  

[Sudsrung0]

Recently had a guest leave a pair of trainers and a pair of trousers, I did notify the guest she asked them to be sent, Fine send me the money first then I'll send them, so far we have not received any money,

[Steven973]

@Mark116 thanks for the tip! I’ll start doing this because I’ve found most that ask for something like this don’t even leave a review after all the extra work. I’ll start waiting on sending items as well. I appreciate it.

[Steven973]

Support said no to removing the review after a second assessment