Leaving a negative review

[Barbara174]

I'm new this season to Air BnB and have had 25 lovely guests overall stay in our studio but this weekend I was uncomfortable with a last minute booking; guest and his two female friends. Their behaviors were a little odd... after checking in they left and returned 20 minutes later, stayed for about 30 minutes and left again, and then returned shortly after. We live in a rural area and there really isnt anywhere to go nearby. This behavior continued in the morning, then they left for the day. At the end of the afternoon, they texted that they wouldn't be returning for their last night, left the key on table, etc.  Dishes were left dirty, the furniture had been moved around, dripping wet towels piled up in a corner, etc. It was just odd all in all. I haven't left a negative review before and am uneasy about writing it. In truth, I think i would say "Friendly guest, good communication prior to reservation, didn't leave place clean and orderly, unable to recommend". Ugh. Sounds awful. Ideas?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Barbara174 - actually that's a great start to writing a bad review.  They are hard.  The key is to keep is short, sweet, and factual.  In your post you've given some good details where my review might look like this: "Communication was good up until check in, after that communication broke down. After booking last minute, (x, y, and z) were in and out of the house frequently and then checked out early without talking to us.  They left the room in disarray having moved furniture around and left wet towels on the floor.  They also left dirty dishes in the sink. We would not host XX  again and cannot recommend her to other hosts."  

They give them a thumbs down, mark them down for communication and house rules to minimize their ability to instant book with other hosts. If they did other good things, make mention of those too - just keep the "feelings" bit out of the review.   

Good luck.  If you get a bad review from her, respond with a few short, factual sentances that include saying you are sorry they were unhappy (because you are - you're not a monster).  There are lots of great tips from hosts in the forums about how to do this. 

[Bob39]

Begin your review with: "I would not host (name) again."
This will flag them for future potential hosts.
Then, briefly state the facts of what happened, in the order that they happened. I wouldn't worry about the comings and goings; that really doesn't matter. But the condition they left your place in does matter.
Leave out any judgement, opinions or feelings. Just state facts. Whoever reads the review will form their own judgement, based on the facts you present.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

Good ideas here for the review.  I'm willing to bet their short trips out were maybe to go smoke and/or some other type of recreational drugs.  And if that's the case, at least they were kind enough not to do it in your home??

[Ephraim0]

Personally based on a couple of my off the wall experiences I'd hold back on the negative review. while their behavior was odd and they left a  bit of a mess it doesnt sound like they did anything awful. Perhaps one more neutral like "We hosted guest for 3 days" or whatever. I think that makes it clear you werent thrilled about them to other hosts but it isnt outright negative. Also leave you're less than thrilling review at the deadline so you dont get a revenge review.

Based on the odd walks, I would guess they may have been going on strolls in the middle of nowhere to smoke a joint. But who knows could be anything.

Good luck.

[Helen56]

@Barbara174 I really think that your suggested review in your first post was perfect: "Friendly guest, good communication prior to reservation, didn't leave place clean and orderly, unable to recommend"  

It is very short, factual and non-judgemental.  You definitely need to warn future hosts - if you had read that review you would not have agreed to have them stay.  You would not be saying anything bad about the guests, just a simple, honest statement about how they left your house.