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. 

[Joan2055]

I agree wholeheartedly. I just had to involve the police to evict guests who were using illicit drugs. I wrote a very factual, but unemotional, review that simply said things like "Guests broke house rules and neighbors were concerned" and "Guests removed items from my house during eviction."

[Cathie19]

Sorry you had to deal with that @Joan205.  😞

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42  yes, I agree. I think we suspect that there are more bad guests out there than there may be by all the glowing reviews we see. I have had several opportunities where the guest came "not as described" by others and I had to mull over what I left for them. I have only clicked the "would not host again" button twice-- once for a very rude, entitled, complaining about every little thing retiree who said he looked up our tax record information to see what properties we owned and tried to bully both my husband and I, the other for a couple who were very shady (I think having an affair or doing something they wanted to hide) that demanded we buy different mattresses for "their next stay" because they preferred springs and we have memory foam, also leaving the place a gross mess with no regard for cleaning up bio materials. In both cases, I will happily forgo the booking and would not wish the experience on another host.

[Kenneth12]

What?

One "would host again" is all it takes to enable Instant Booking-- one recommendation from another host.   

I suspect your guest simply did not IB.

[Emilia42]

@Kenneth12 Huh? There is no option to simply not instant book. Guests can't request to book with me just because they want too. Airbnb will only revert to a request to book if the guest does not meet my requirements. 

[Kenneth12]

@Emilia42 
Yes there is-- quite a few options in fact-- guests do not have to IB if they don't want (I *never* IB!),  they can simply send a reservation request or question,   (which comes through as a reservation request).

All it takes to have IB access is one positive (thumbs-up) review.    That's all.

[Emilia42]

@Kenneth12 

An inquiry/question is NOT the same thing as a reservation request. Please show me where a guest has the option to request to book on my listing. Sending an inquiry by clicking the contact host button is not the same thing at all. It does not require credit card information and does not put a hold on my calendar. 

[Kenneth12]

If I send you a question you will most likely get a reservation request for those dates,  which you will have 24 hours to respond to.    (At least how that's how it works for most of us).  You can accept immediately;   and I get these regularly from 5.0 accounts which otherwise meet my criteria.

There is no "Contact Host" question that is not also potentially a reservation request for the dates input.

I have had such requests result in billing to my default credit card,  when I wanted to bill an alternate card.

It is also of note that ABB is not deploying the same interface and features to all users (a matter of much debate here).

[Alex-and-Vaughan0]

An enquiry only needs to be responded to in 24 hrs. The host sees options accept or decline, but these do NOT have to be responded to.

[Kenneth12]

I don't think that's always the case.   I (and others here) get accept/declines where a message reply will not stop the timer,    and there is no "special offer" option (where you can highball the price,  if you've been sent an inappropriate message).

[Sandra856]

@Alex-and-Vaughan0 No, it is not "accept and decline" as when you get an actual request but "pre-approve and decline". 

[Alex-and-Vaughan0]

Yes you are right. Host’s need only respond with a message and don’t need to click either button.  

[Helen350]

@Emilia42 @Kenneth12 I occasionally get 'requests to book' even tho' I have no limitations on IB. Some guests just prefer this. I had a polite & charming lady do this last week, I think she always uses RTB as a courtesy; maybe it's cos she's been a member since the old days?!

I'm grateful that a couple of semi-literate guests with text speak messaging used RTB, not IB, (for some reason.) What a relief! I was able to turn them down!

[Kenneth12]

@Helen350 :  I absolutely prefer to ask questions and make sure all is OK before booking,  as well as not put the host on a timer if possible.   It seems there's no guarantee of the latter when using "Contact Host."   
There have been cases where,  I *have not had that option* and have been taken to a booking request with the prompt "did you know you can also instant book without approval?"

[Helen350]

@Kenneth12 You made a good point about clicking 'Contact Host' triggering RTB..... With IB on, of course there is no RTB button..... That explains why I get a few RTBs..... they clicked 'Contact Host.'