Losing my Superhost status / How to help other hosts protect theirs

[Jane563]

Once lockdown was over I had a flurry of bookings and have been very busy up until a few weeks ago. The only problem I have is that out of the 15 reviews I’ve had this year 11 have five stars and the remainder are four stars. At the moment I’ve got an overall average of 4.7 for the year.

I usually get one or two four star reviews a year - all the four star ones I’ve had this year have been since lockdown ended. Most comments have been about the kitchen and common areas. I don’t do anything different to before, I spend time cleaning between guests so this is very frustrating. I’ve solved that by removing use of the kitchen from my listing. Maybe permanently, I’m not sure yet.

The only other thing I can do is reduce my prices and hope to get some bookings by the end of the year although things are quiet now.

On an ipad or iPhone it is not possible to access guest’s previous reviews of hosts, so I can’t screen out the “only give four star” people when they request to book. 

I do reply to all reviews -  and comment on guest ratings and feedback when I don’t agree. I will put up their star ratings  in my response if I think it’s relevant.

When reviewing a guest I’ve also started signing myself off as “Jane the catbasket Brighton” so that other local hosts can search for me easily. I’ve never had a  review removed since I started doing this.

It gave another host in Brighton a way to find a guest review of my place very quickly. He promptly declined her for this weekend and messaged me (By making an enquiry) to let me know he thought it was a great idea. 

You do need to give your listing a URL for this work.

[Anonymous]

@Jane563 If you want to see a how a guest reviewed their previous hosts, just click on the host's profile and scroll to the review date (e.g. "October 2019"). There's also the app called AirReview that provides a shortcut, but it's seriously dodgy software that I don't recommend.

Your listing definitely occupies a rather specific niche,  so you might find that it takes a little extra screening to be sure you get guests who are the best fit. But then again, it's crazy that a 4-star review is treated as a total failure. If your aim is to keep the Superhost badge, you might find yourself declining a request when you catch a whiff that the guest might be slightly critical and give 4 stars instead of 5. Considering that the perks only add up to $100 per year, it's not really worth forfeiting potential income for.

[Jane563]

HI Andrew

you can’t navigate through to a host’s previous reviews on an ipad.

[Helen350]

@Jane563 - But you're STILL a Superhost!!!!!!!

Your place looks lovely! And classier than mine! I guess too many 4* ratings are a reflection of hosting only women?! - Blokes are less picky imo!

[Jane563]

Hi Helen360

I won’t be a Superhost come January when they do the next assessments. 

As to hosting women - it’s just a preference.  I think it’s just the current situation that’s making people nervous. I haven’t liked to do that, but taking kitchen use away for the time being seems to have sorted complaints on that front.

[Helen350]

@Jane563 I'm sure if you get enough 5*s between now & Jan, you'll have a chance? - If you continue to host, - UK Gov. permitting!- then who knows?

[Helen3]

Hi @Jane563 

You don’t need to do anything special for hosts to see previous guest reviews. All a host needs to do is click on the guests profile and they can see reviews previous hosts have left. 

Sorry to hear you have been experiencing problem guests since lockdown. Sadly lowering prices just seems to attract more problem guests.

You have a lovely place just stick with the prices you deserve.