Importance of leaving reviews

[Emilia42]

I just declined a reservation for the first time in three years. I don’t get requests to book often because I am set up with Instant Book and I have never once been uncomfortable with a reservation. However, I received a request from a guest with 8 glowing reviews but 1 very negative review from a local host in my town. I got the option to accept/decline (as opposed to instant book) because I have the ‘Must be recommended by other hosts’ requirement set on this particular listing.

I am extremely relieved that:

                    1.) Even with a handful of great reviews, one bad ‘Would not host again’ will apparently prevent a guest from instant booking and;

                    2.) The local host made the effort to warn others of the experience. This is the 2nd time in the last 3 months that a bad review from a local host has saved me!

Reviews are so, so important in this community and I am very thankful for my neighboring hosts who are helping me prevent disrespectful guests. 

[Danielle476]

Unfortunately you're allowing this guest to subject other hosts to their drama by removing your review.  Block unwanted messages from guests and move on - the review system helps all of us.  (This is coming from a host who had a guest text my personal cell phone with threats to my life after I asked her to leave my property 3 hours after check-out time.  The crazy was real with that one.)  I didn't have a chance to leave a review because she was banned entirely - but you'd better believe I would have laid it all out there.

[Suzanne302]

@Sara1213  Sorry to be blunt, but a host choosing to not review or not to be honest about a bad guest is basically saying, "Eff you" to every other host who might be subject to this guest. We've GOT to have each other's backs because Airbnb usually does not. Please consider this for the future.

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra316  Yes, I've read many bad "also a host" stories, but that hosts make horrible guests isn't some universal truth. I've hosted 4 or 5 guests who are also hosts and with the exception of one, they've been great guests who left 5* reviews. There may be a difference in hosts who home-share (as I do) and those who list entire places, i.e. those who home-share themselves understand what it's like to have a stranger in the home where you live, and are therefore respectful. The one host/guest who wasn't so respectful was an entire place host, the ones who were great were home-share hosts.

Just my personal experience.

[Alexandra316]

@Sarah977Could be, but every host I've hosted, including those who host in their own homes, have been problematic in some way - mostly being overly critical. So far, my record on hosting hosts hasn't been good. I'm prepared to be wrong, but so far, not so good. I still haven't turned anyone down because of it: I live in hope that there are hosts who also make good guests.

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra316  I really hope you get some good ones. Do you look at the kind of reviews these bad host/guests leave for their guests before accepting them? That might give you a clue.

Yes, the overly critical seems to be the main problem reported with hosting hosts. As if their listing is the ultimate in perfection and yours pales by comparison.

[Suzanne302]

@Sarah977 @Rowena29 @Alexandra316 

I've hosted two other hosts and they were perfectly fine. I may have said this before, but I think some people are just critical no matter what, host or no host. I also think if they are bad guests, they are probably also bad hosts! I've been a host for several years now and I usually have 2-3 stays per year as a guest. I THINK I'm still a 5-star guest! 🙂

If anything, I'm usually more forgiving about things other guests might not be and as long as it's not a major issue, will only mention it in the private feedback. And I've only had one stay where I had to do that. I understand that's not always the case.

[Rowena29]

@Sarah977 

not really relevant but you just reminded me

I was at a host meet up the other day and met some hosts ( who home share, but that's beside the point) who I think behaved TERRIBLY.

they went over seas and stayed in a room at some poor blokes place - he was a brand new host - they were his first guests and he was according to them, far from perfect - in their opinion. things should have been tidier seemed to be the major criticism.  they told him this and he apologised, made some adjustments, thanked them for their feedback said he was still learning etc etc.  THEN the guests realised the had stuffed up their dates, - they had under booked by a day. they had nowhere to stay before their flights the day after they were due to check out. Their host, who they both agreed was a lovely young man,  very generously I thought, said they could stay on free of charge, for the extra day, because the listing hadn't met their expectations. 

when I asked how they rated him, they said, Oh, we weren't tooo harsh.  A 3 for cleanliness, a 3 for communicaiton, and 3 for overall ranking. They' thought they'd been perfectly reasonable.

I thought, you B****.

[Sarah977]

@Rowena29  That's really disgusting. And the poor host's first review. I'd bet he left them a good one. I don't know how other hosts could be either so clueless ( and I've come to realize that some hosts, even if they've been doing it for awhile, are indeed clueless- Superhosts who think that if they don't leave a review, that the guest's won't publish, or sometimes it's a matter of them just hosting on an occasional basis and not paying any attention to the ratings or reviews- one or two of my host/guests was like that- I was amazed at what they knew nothing about regarding Airbnb policies and none participated in hosting forums) or so heartless.

Did you by any chance inform these hosts how what they had done would affect the young host they "weren't too harsh" with?

Unless I checked into a place which was actually bad, and the host seemed to just think it was easy money and didn't give a hoot, I would just mention things in private feedback and give them a break. I had a veteran Airbnb guest who wasn't a host, but who know full well how the ratings affect hosts be so kind as to mention something I could easily correct in private feedback, while still leaving me a 5* review, which I really, really appreciated.

[Rowena29]

@Sarah977 

I didn't actually verbalise anything but they could see by the look on my face that I was appalled.  I don't think they meant to be mean exactly, but they did think it was their job to 'bring him up to scratch" Pity they didn't think as hard about the importance of getting your dates right when you booked.  They were older and were the type that were a bit smug with their superior knowledge and experience. Also a locality where the residents in general tend to be a bit pleased with themselves. It's VERY groovy.  No idea what they were like as hosts, but they'd had enough and were about to give it up which I think might be a good thing..  I didn't stay long at that function...

[Ann72]

@Rowena29  What a story - thank you!  Please tell me where this very groovy place is so I can avoid it like the plague.  🙂

[Rowena29]

@Ann72 

It's Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Qld.  I honestly cannot see the attraction myself.

It gets jammed up with traffic, the beach is the size of a postage stamp.  There are lots adn lots of lovely shops and restaurants, there's a wonderful national park that borders the beach, it certainly has it's attractions, and it is one of "THE" destinations. Visitors from down south automatically flock there. 

At the function I was mentioning above, we had to move from table to table to "mingle and meet" At one table I introduced myself and said my listing was at Coolum. Theirs was at Noosa. I was then treated to a 10 min diatribe about how Coolum really hadn't "made" it had it?, it was nothing like Noosa, was it?, it really is a backwater, isn't it? in rather pitying supercilious tones.     (The 2 locations are only about a 20 mins drive apart)

We couldnt' possibly have afforded to buy in at Noosa, but  even if we could, we wouldn't have... just not for us personally. I like a bit of serenity and not spending 30 mins in my car trying to travel 300 m. in peak tourist season.

  Of course there's lots of lovely people there,  and obviously I'm generalising, and maybe I"m hyper sensitive but I do find a lot of the people and hosts there a tiny bit pleased with themselves ...

[Ann72]

@Rowena29  Those people sound perfectly ghastly!  And so does Noosa.  I'm with you - I'd rather have peace than all that action.  I live in a city and when I go to my house in Maine, I don't want to spend an hour driving over to Bar Harbor just to be where all the shops and restaurants are.  What is the point of getting away if that's where you're going?

[Sarah977]

@Rowena29 @Ann72   My town has been a tourist destination for as long as I've lived here (18 years), but in the last 10 it's become a total zoo. I luckily bought a lot a little outside of town and built my house 12 years ago, because if I'd bought a place right in town, I'd have been long-gone from here years ago. It can take 15 minutes to drive the 5 main blocks through this little town and I avoid it like the plague. Good luck finding a place to park. I do most of my shopping in Puerto Vallarta, which is an hour's drive, once every week or two.

Most of my guests love the town- obviously most tourists do or it wouldn't be so hyped and so full. But I've had a few guests who actually hated it (which they didn't blame me for and were happy they'd booked a place out of the madding crowds) and I must say I entirely commiserated with them.

[Rowena29]

@Sarah977 I'm with you.

I'm a big believer in genetic memory actually, because even though I"m a city girl born and bred, I HATE crowds and lines and congestion. My Mum was a bush girl - born under a bullock dray on a sheep station outside Hughenden and I have no doubt I've  inherited my yearning for wide open spaces and solitude from her,. despite not being brought up in this environment. I'm not a vastly seasoned traveller, but I"ve learned I like what's IN major cities, but not the cities themselves. Major tourist hotspots like the one you live near, I avoid like the plague...

Although I DO love London...

[Kathleen645]

It's so important to be honest when you are reviewing a guest.  You don't have to be very damaging but if the guests were loud and disturbing neighbours I think things like that should be pointed out so other hosts can see this as well.  It helps our whole community, to leave a review and be honest