Guests leave good review but poor rating

[Basia-and-Bart0]

Hello. My recent guests left a positive public review but not so much a positive rating - they gave us 3 stars for cleanliness but said in the public review our place was clean. Would you follow up with them to clarify and is it within Airbnb's policies to allow hosts seek feedback on stays and reviews? 

[Helen3]

Yes personally I always follow up with guests for low ratings (mine are mainly 5 star)

ask the guest to help you by letting you know what issues they have re cleanliness that led to a 3 star review (ask in a nice friendly way)

[Anonymous]

@Basia-and-Bart0   It's not against policy to ask guests for follow-up feedback on their ratings, but undeniably it will make them feel uncomfortable.

If it's truly getting to you, you could say something like:

"Thank you for your kind review. We're happy that you had a nice stay, and hope to offer all our guests a 5-star experience. I would love your feedback on where you felt there room for improvement on Cleanliness, so we can be sure to give those areas immediate attention."

We all have blind spots for some details in our own homes, and it's possible that the guest spotted something that really does need attention. But I've also had people leave a lower rating there just because the building looks "old" (it is, duh) or the neighborhood has "dirty streets" (thanks, I'll get right on that). A guest who's already checked out is not the ideal judge for how clean your home actually is, so you'll probably get a lot more out of just taking a closer look around with your own eyes.