Post checkout message regarding the review rating system.

[Daini7]

I would like some feedback on this post checkout message I’m going to send all guests. 
I compiled this message based on a few other posts I saw.
The goal is to avoid unfair low rating (e.g. positive review comments with 4 star rating; 3 star review but says nothing is wrong, etc.)

I don’t want to sound push, entitled, manipulative, or wordy Any feedback?

“Hi [first name],

Thank you so much for choosing to stay with us and for keeping our in a good condition!

We’d appreciate it if you could leave us a review in the next few days.

We’ve had guests who misunderstood the Airbnb review system. So we want to clarify that Airbnb’s rating is different from the classic hotel star rating system. It is rather inflated. Airbnb can suspend a listing that drops below an average of overall 4.3 stars, even though the review instruction says that 4 stars = "Good.”

So other hosts in the community forum made this cheeky guide to the rating system:

5-star: There may have been some minor issues, but overall a great experience.

4-star: Several issues need to be improved.

3-star: Major problems should be fixed.

2-star: Close it down at once.

1-star: Put these hosts into jail.

We’re not asking you to be dishonest. We’re simply asking for grace and consideration when giving the overall star rating. We’d love to hear any constructive feedback in public or private comments, so we can help future guests have a better experience.

Thanks again and safe travel,

[our name]

”

[Nutth0]

Hi @Daini7 I think this is great. As everything that is not 5 is turn to be so bad to us. I think your message sound great in my view that is also a host. Maybe, you should sent this message to your previous guest (Who give you 5 and have a great relation with you) as they may give more view on guests side. 

I remember, some hosts there WiFi password is "5STARS_Please"
😁   

[Bart205]

here is my message that I send to my guest after check out,

it has suited us well since we started hosting!

Thanks for renting our home, we hope your expectations were met, we take great pride in our home and guests. Thanks for taking care of our home. As always when guests like you leave our home clean and cared for we give 5 star reviews.

[Anonymous]

@Daini7 Personally, as a guest I would find this pushy and manipulative. I write the most glowing reviews when my freshest memory of the stay is of the warm hospitality, smooth checkout, and the halo of a happy trip. A message grubbing for ratings would override that a little bit and dampen my enthusiasm.

[Gwen386]

@Daini7 As a guest, the last thing I want to do is read a long letter about airbnb’s inflatable rating system. Airbnb already notifies the guest 3-4 times via email, which I already feel is too much. 

Sorry, not trying to be mean, but personally, as a guest, I am not giving a 5* for minor issues. As a host, I go above and beyond to get a 5*. So, if I had guests who had no issues and another hosts’  guest had minor issues, but still got 5*, thats unfair to the host that provided an exceptional stay to their guest. To me, a 5* means everything was perfect or darn near perfect. 

I could be wrong but the letter doesn’t set right with me. I want my guest to give me 5* because they feel I deserve it, not because I’m giving them a sliding scale on how I feel I should be reviewed. 

[Daini7]

Thank you for your feedback! I agree that giving 5 for minor issues are unfair. I didn’t write this “sliding scale” myself. I took it from several other hosts, and I thought it could provide a helpful perspective, but it probably just makes the rating system more inflated.

I’ve been particularly upset with guests guests who left a low rating because they didn’t look at the listing details and expected something different from what the listing promised. 

The “minor issues” I’m thinking here are more like unrealistic expectations or something that could be very easily solved if they asked.

So instead of this post check out message, I will probably focus more on making sure everything is up to their expectations shortly after they arrive and encouraging them to reach out for requests.

[Ken1852]

@Daini7 

Way too wordy. Most Airbnb guests understand anything below five stars screws you. It's the newbies you need to be concerned with.

Here's what mine reads....

"Thank you for staying at House in the Hills. Please review the Checkout Checklist hanging on the refrigerator to help you depart. If you happen to leave early, please let us know so work can get started right away.

Finally, for those guests who are unfamiliar with AirBnB, according to its rating system, five stars is a pass and four stars or below is a fail. House in the Hills heavily relies on five star reviews so if you feel you had a five star stay, please leave a review! We really do need every one we can get!

Thank you again,
Ken"

Be warned this is risky as some folks are trying to find something to offend them and how dare you ask them not to destroy your business unless warranted.

[Daini7]

Thank you for sharing your message! It’s very helpful!

We’ve had a couple of guests who don’t seem to know anything below five screws us. They left 4 stars in all categories but said everything was good. 

That’s why I’m trying hard to prevent it, but I agree the message is too wordy and unnecessary for most guests.