Review Process as a Guest - as of March 2021‌‌

[Emilia42]

For those who have never stayed as a guest, here is a snapshot of the review process when completed in March 2021. I completed this review on a laptop and accessed the review from the e-mail prompt that Airbnb sent after my stay.

E-mail from Airbnb asking to review. Note: if you click on a star with your curser, that will populate the star rating on the first step of the review, but it can be changed. 

 

First step - Choose an overall star rating:

 

If giving a 3 star or below a "Report unsafe behavior" link will appear:

 

If giving a 4 or 5 star, the next step will be to choose 'compliments.' This step is optional and can be skipped. If giving a 3 star or below, this step is not an option.

 

The next step is to describe your trip: 

Then choose a star rating for the 5 subcategories. Cleanliness, Accuracy, Check-in, Communication, Location, and Value. 

Note: If you choose a star rating of 4 or below for any subcategories it will ask you to choose from a list of possible reasons and add detail. Examples:

 

If you give a 5-star overall rating but a 4 star in any of the subcategories, you will get this message. You have the option to change the overall rating or ignore it.

Next is the private note to the host: 

Next, the public review:

 

 

This concludes the review.

[Larry339]

@Emilia42 great post! Would you mind if I posted your article as-is for my Airbnb Facebook group for hosts?

[Emilia42]

Of course, go for it! @Larry339 

[Larry339]

@Emilia42 thanks so much. You went to a lot of work and did a great job so I did want t ask before sharing. Have a great day.

[Heather133]

@Emilia42 what a kind and thoughtful thing to do! Thank you for sharing this information!

I agree it's a vast improvement. @Jennifer2682 and @Debra300 I absolutely agree with you about the value question. If people are shopping around on Airbnb and you're in keeping with going rates in your area, is it fair for them to "ding" you on value if you've delivered all you've promised?

@Michelle1851 I wonder about that a lot. I know I used to take suggestions rather personally when I first started hosting. I've had some gems (good AND bad) over the years. 

If any of the "powers that be" are reading this - the one I've had trouble with as a host is the accuracy review. It's only happened a few times, but I always follow up with the guest to find out what was inaccurate (one thought there was AC because it didn't specifically say "no AC"). If they don't include what is inaccurate it is useless information - and making the host follow up to ask isn't enhancing the guests' experience. I would make that a required field.

Good talk folks!

[Debra300]

@Emilia42,

I just returned from my getaway, and received the same review questionnaire that you've posted here.  Although the questions are more refined from previous versions, I found that some will still get varying responses based upon the guest's background.  For example:

Was anything extra special?

Judging outstanding hospitality may be influenced by the rate they paid, and a guest's travel experience.  I think quick responses from a host should be standard, and not considered special.  Also, all listings should be sparkling clean, especially since all hosts have to agree to the enhanced cleaning steps.  What one person may consider thoughtful touches and stylish design may not be appreciated in the same manner by another.

Describe Your Trip

This is another section that will be judged based upon personal lifestyle, travel experiences, and if all of the details regarding the space were thoroughly read.  My stay was pretty much what I expected, because the space was as described.  However, I read recent reviews from other guests who seemed to be extremely impressed with some of the amenities.  For instance, I thought the space was cozy, and others reported that it was spacious.

IMO, it took me about two minutes to complete the questionnaire, but I did it on a laptop.  I don't know if my perspective would be different if I had done it on a mobile phone with a smaller screen and keyboard.

[Emilia42]

@Debra300 Thanks for reporting back! I agree that the "Describe Your Trip" question is pointless. It should really be eliminated or changed to "Was everything as expected/described" YES OR NO. In other words, is this listing a scam? Also, as a host, I have never seen the answers to this question. Have you? I have asked Stephanie if she can get more information from the Airbnb team about that one.

[Debra300]

@Emilia42,

I've never been seen any of the questionnaire responses from guests, just their personal feedback and public reviews.  The other information that gathered is purely for Airbnb's benefit, and for them to display when they give unsubstantiated statistics in their publicity announcements.

[Mark116]

This is definitely an improvement over their insane negative slant from last year, but no reason to believe their next 'update' won't do something similarly crazy

[Brian2036]

@Emilia42 

Thanks for this. I had no idea what guests were being instructed to do.

The suggestion that any rating of 3* or less indicates that something is “unsafe” makes me uneasy.

That is the perfect opportunity for a vindictive jackass to get a perfectly viable listing summarily shut down. 

On the other hand people might assume that they can’t rate less than 4* unless the roof is collapsing, and besides, they are too lazy to explain.

The first suggested complaint about “location” is “hard to find” which may explain why I get 4* for location.  HELLYES our place is hard to find! I designed it to be that way!

 I think I made it quite clear that we’re not at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. That’s why I guide guests up the mountain when they arrive.

”Rate your TRIP” is definitely something that needs to go away. Their trip is not my responsibility. My house is. The fact that they got the $hits from eating gas-station sushi really doesn’t interest me, although it probably had a negative impact on their plans.

[Marcella69]

Just to follow up on the LOCATION screenshot posted by the OP, where the guest is prompted to respond to the *accuracy* of the location description, this is what airbnb.com/help posts about the star ratings. The description here for hosts *contradicts* or is at least different from what the location star rating description is for guests. This is maddening. From airbnb.com:

[Brian2036]

@Marcella69 

It’s difficult to make someone aware of anything when they don’t read the listing details.

”Was the information made available” would be a more appropriate question, and I don’t think it’s host’s responsibility to write a local tourist guide book either.

All that information is readily available on the internet if people are interested.