In a sense, because I review every guest, whether good or bad, honestly, accurately and thoroughly, I believe that guests write their own reviews. If a guest would like to have received a better review, their behaviors should have better exemplified the review they wish to have received.
Ironically, when I write what could be deemed a disfavorable review, sometimes the review I receive in return is quite disparate from the one left of them by me. When I was less experienced as a host, this set of circumstances might have left me feeling bad or guilty that I wrote the review that I have. As a seasoned host, I no longer am susceptible to feeling remorseful as I know now that these guests force me to write an accurate and telling review, as I believe every member of the Airbnb community is obligated to do.
Here is a review that I left for my most recently departed guest who, by the way, is a fellow Airbnb host:
"John Smith stayed with us one night in December 2015. He is clearly best suited for a hotel as opposed to home-sharing. We would not rent to him again, and here are the reasons:
1) Despite having full knowledge of the fact that other people reside and stay on the premises, and the reasonable rule that states, 'Please be courteous and respectful of both the other guests and residents by avoiding excess noise particularly between the hours of 10 PM and 8 AM', John came back to the property after 2:00 AM visibly inebriated and then proceeded to make excessive noise for about 45 minutes which disturbed at least two separate people on the property and likely more. After two people had to ask him to keep the noise down for the sake of others sharing the house, he became verbally combative.
2) We have a rule that states absolutely no food is permitted in the bedroom. He broke this rule as evidenced by the food wrappers left in the bedroom.
3) Despite asking for and receiving extra services, to which he had full knowledge a modest fee was associated, when it came time to collect he refused to pay.
Cleanliness: 3 Stars - Communication: 5 stars - Observance of House Rules: 1 Star"
After having written and posted my review of him I read the review he left of me which reads as follows:
"Perfect host in a great location. This place is definitely the best kept secret on AirBnB."
Hopefully, we can all learn from the negative consequences that stem from our own personal behaviors to avoid receiving reviews we wish we had not written for ourselves. Perhaps John will learn something here.
