I have never given a Location rating that wasn't 5 stars, because it's my job to choose the suitable location before booking it.
Here's a quote from last year's Review Policy update:
"if a guest leaves a low rating for something like location or value—two categories we know can be interpreted differently by guests—a clarifying question will appear.
- For location, we’ll ask if the location was accurately described in the listing"
This does not apply for 4 star ratings, because 4 stars is considered both a good rating and a terrible one, depending on who's receiving the manipulation. And even so, I'm calling the bluff: there is already an Accuracy rating covering how everything is described in the listing, and no requirement that the neighborhood be described at all.
I will not waver on the conviction that the Location rating needs to be thrown in the garbage. Airbnb holds firm that it's "useful information" for guests - but nobody has an answer for what's useful about it. Qualities as subjective as location can't possibly map onto a quantitative ranking system.
All that said: I've left a lot of 5 star ratings down the board for acceptable but totally mediocre stays, largely because I disagree with the system altogether. But if I ever had a host that was condescending enough to try to "educate" me about the rating system - with the obvious subtext that 5 stars was the only acceptable score - I would sharpen the knife and rate mercilessly. Very few listings viewed through this lens would merit 5 stars. So @Laura2592 I expect your plan will backfire.
