Returning guest and lower ratings each time?

[Laura2592]

Flummoxed by this one. 

Returning guest-- husband and wife-- gave us 4 stars overall on their first stay but 5s in every category but a very nice forward-facing review. Booked again (first booking was husband's profile, second was wife's so I didn't notice immediately they were part of the same team.) Beautiful feedback, brought friends this time. Gave us 4 stars overall and now 4 stars in location and value. We raised our rates since they came last year and they said it was "getting too expensive" in their private feedback, but what they were experiencing this time was the extra guest fee since there were more people too. Don't know why they suddenly didn't like the location as much. 

Wife messages me today wanting to bring the same group next year. Our calendar is not open far enough in advance for her dates. Would you say something to her about this rating situation?

[Anna9170]

@Sarah977  You are absolutely right, because the 5* in the imagination of most people is the ultimate top hotel and glamor, luxury level. And 4* is just good or very good, but not ideal (because it is not Hyatt or Four Seasons, for example). You can't blame the guests for this, of course. But the rating system is such that the 4* is a big drop down for the host, obviously no one wants it. It's nobody's fault, just the rules of the platform are such that there is no desire to receive guests who spoil a beautiful picture. 😆

[Sarah977]

" It's nobody's fault, just the rules of the platform are such that there is no desire to receive guests who spoil a beautiful picture."

It is someone's fault, but not the guests'. It's solidly Airbnb's fault- they have created this situation by misleading guests- telling them, in the review form, that 4*s means "good", then turning around and applying it as "bad" on the hosts' end. To any sane person, there should be nothing at all wrong with being rated as "good"- it's in Airbnb's twisted world that that is considered to be a fail.

If a guest rates a place as 1*-3*s, then I'd say the place really is either a dump or the host is rude or unresponsive, or the guest is seeking revenge. But if they leave 4*s, they think they are leaving a good review.

I know this for a fact, because my guests have told me so- they were shocked to find out that hosts are upset by 4* ratings- they were happy with the previous places they stayed, really liked the hosts, would book there again , and were under the impression that they were giving a good rating. They thanked me for cluing them in, because they had zero intention to tank a host's ratings and said they'd never give 4*s again for a place they thought was fine.

@Anna9170