Zero review guest requests

[Frank1382]

How do you handle guests with 0 reviews whether new to abnb or even those with 3 years membership and 0 reviews. Its a red flag for us as hists. Curioys how other hosts handle it?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Frank1382 We ignore this. So far, touchwood, we haven't been burnt. There are many new Airbnb guests especially this year who may have, in the past, looked for accommodation and found it elsewhere.

[Sarah977]

@Frank1382  I've accepted several guests with no reviews. I don't consider it a red flag- after all, everyone starts out with no reviews, including hosts.

In the cases I had, all did show that they had had Airbnb accounts for a couple of years. So I just said I was curious as to why that was. In all cases the guests were quite forthcoming. One had had 2 previous stays, but her hosts hadn't left reviews, one had joined planning to take a trip, but the trip fell through, another had had Airbnb stays before but they were booked under her husband's account. She also said she liked to "armchair travel"- just peruse listings all over the world, like you'd read a travel magazine.

In all those cases, the guests had sent very friendly, articulate, and informative messages with their booking requests so there were no red flags. And they all turned out to be great guests.

If it were a brand new user who just signed up, which I have not had yet, I would dialogue with them to make sure they had thoroughly read through my listing info, house rules, cancellation policy, etc. and understood what booking an Airbnb means.

Communication is key for me. And of course, if you get a bad feeling, follow your intuition.

[Jon2761]

@Frank1382 ,

Our first zero review guest was a nightmare, so I no longer trust it unless there's an explanation. Here is the "standard" question that I ask now:    "By the way, we're curious as to why you don't have any reviews yet on Airbnb, as it says that you joined in 2012. Is this your first stay?"  I've gotten acceptable answers each time. 

Ironically, we skipped this step for our most recent guests, who are new to Airbnb and had no reviews.  Two professors from Brown University wanting to rent our country house in the Berkshires for the summer - what could go wrong? Surely they must be upstanding citizens not to be worried about. Well, they aren't terrible but they are unpleasant, and they've chosen to leave early due to electrical problems they were having with a new AC unit we installed before they arrived that kept causing the power to go out in part of the house. This has messed up our income for the summer. They were totally right to be annoyed and upset, but we did have an electrician come and fix it as soon as we could. Their real reason for leaving is that the house wasn't what they "expected". I asked the wife (a former Federal prosecutor who claimed we were in breach of contract) what she'd been "expecting" and she replied "Central air conditioning". We have window units, which she complained were too noisy, but our listing doesn't say we have central AC. She also complained that we didn't have enough closet space. "We're here for three months, there's not adequate storage for our clothes!"  Our house manager even brought her an ironing board! Anyway, we're well rid of them when they leave in two weeks, and we've gotten two week-long bookings since which helps with our expected income loss. 

Didn't mean to hijack your post with my problems LOL, but this has been our experience so far with the zero review crowd. 

[Sarah977]

@Jon2761  Yes, it's a mistake to rely on our preconceived notions about what sort of people will be good guests.

In fact, I've read a lot of posts over time about "professionals" being the most entitled and demanding guests. Lawyers being the worst. 

Same for hosting other hosts. We tend to assume that other hosts will be perfect guests, and some of them are, of course ( I've had several host/guests, and they have all been great guests). But they aren't really any different from the general population as far as being respectful and leaving good reviews- some are lovely and some are jerks.

As a home-share host with a private room listing, I have found that seasoned budget travelers make the best guests. They don't have unreasonably high expectations, they are adaptable, easy-going, and non-demanding, tend to communicate well, leave their space clean and tidy, and leave nice reviews.

As I said, communication before and during the booking process is key- if the guests don't volunteer enough information, ask the appropriate questions, and if you don't like the vibe, decline.

Which doesn't mean the occasional bad apple doesn't have a talent for presenting themselves well and slipping through the cracks.

I'm sure you'll be relieved to see the back of Mr. and Mrs. Fussy Pants.

[Susan896]

HI everyone, So what are the right questions to ask a guest who has no reviews and has been with airbnb only a year? I really would like to know something more and this is the reason I don't like instabook, even if that means there is some screening. I have an inquiry right now for a high dollar event but it is for two people who have no history with airbnb. Suggestions welcome. Thanks.