So why is 4 Stars 'Good' for Guests - but 'Bad' for Airbnb Hosts?

[Rachael26]

Normally I am looking at things from a host angle - but I saw something recently that really made me think. I was an Airbnb guest last week and  I saw all the correspondence that Airbnb send to guests, before, during and after the booking.

It was very interesting and useful, especially the request to review (which I share with you below).

As Hosts we are all working towards satisfied guests and lots of bookings. And using Airbnb means we also have to be concerned with the Review System - and the dreaded pressure to achieve 5 Stars. Not only because some of us may want to achieve SuperHost (the jury is still out for me as to whether there are any significant benefits to being a SuperHost - the increased expectations from guests v. a dedicated phone line and a $100 travel credit - hmmmmm, still not sure!) but also the pressure to keep above a 4.5 average, because when you dip below that number Airbnb start to send warnings of suspension and all sorts of negative things. As if the pressure of hosting wasn't enough!

So my question is this - is it fair for Airbnb to have such a high average standard (above 4.5) which basically makes anything lower than an overall 5 Star 'Bad'....... but the email they send to guests after a stay doesn't point this out. It actually reads like this (see below) and I believe this is sending one message to the guest - while sending another message to the Host.

'How was your stay at Fred's place?

Terrible

Bad

Okay

Good

Great

Share your experience while it’s still fresh. Your review will help Fred improve and tells future guests what to expect.'

SO IF FOUR STARS ARE CONSIDERED GOOD - and Airbnb sends this explanation out to the guest with the review request - then why such an unsupportive reaction from Airbnb when Hosts get a 4 star review?

Wouldn't most people booking a place to stay to save money and somewhere cheaper than a hotel - wouldn't they be happy with a 'Good' place? And delighted, but not expected, if a place turned out to be 'Great'? So why is it so bad from Airbnb's point of view to get a mix of 4 star and 5 star reviews?

I also agree with the suggestion that Airbnb should wait to send the warning emails until a host receives an overall 4 star review three times in a row. That would be more indicative of below par performance than the occasional 4 star overall that some guests just seem determined to give to be difficult or whatever reason they have in their heads.

This email message from Airbnb to the guests (showing 4 stars to mean 'Good' and 5 stars 'Great') is not helpful if Airbnb continue to use a different measuring stick for Hosts (meaning 4 stars is not 'Good' but that you are failing as a Host).

[Kary0]

I agree with you completely. I've been working hard to achieve superhost. A guest  damaged a chair in our house so we had a dispute over the amount they should pay. Not surprisingly she left me a bad review due to her damage. This review should be tossed out 

[Annette33]

@Kary0 , I just don't see a bad review on your page. If you are wondering about achieving superhost status, on of the requirements is 10 bookings in a year. I only see three reviews for last year, so you just have to get more bookings. Good luck! 

[Mary167]

I agree it's unfair.  There are some people who never give five stars for anything, even when they are well satisfied.  Some people think there must always be some mythical perfect standard that nobody ever reaches.  I confess when I review a book it's rare for me to give higher than four stars unless I'm completely blown away, and now I'm seeing how unfair that is.  I guess no matter how great a place is, a guest can speculate that Sterling silver flatware, Wedgwood china, and solid gold bathroom fixtures would be even better.  Maybe Airbnb should have an "Incredible" rating above Great, in which case most guests who were happy would likely check Great.  The odds are stacked against us, fellow hosts.

[Loretta2]

So true- I never considered giving anyone 5 stars for anything until I realised how badly the odd 4star listing was affecting my ratings as a host. Now, when I'm a guest, I give 5 stars for everything unless something is radically wrong- so it's totally meaningless. I do encourage my guests to send their negative comments and/or suggestions to me privately, rather than to the world; I'm a so- called Superhost with 40 reviews, nearly all positive, but appearing very low down in the searches because I will not/cannot agree to Instant Book. Seems to me that the original concept of 'living like a local' has gone out the window.....now Airbnb, and, increasingly, guests, expect the standards of a 5 star hotel at a bargain basement price.

[Mary167]

I find it annoying that Airbnb constantly tells me I would get more bookings if I accepted instant book.  I am quite happy with the number of bookings I'm getting, and it's not like there aren't thousands of other spaces in my area, many of which do accept instant book.  Personally I think any hosts who feel their space is five star calibre would be choosy about who they take as guests, so if I were booking as a guest I would probably avoid instant book listings unless I were desperate to find a place.  Like Loretta, I'm going to be more generous with my 5 star reviews in general.  A place or a book shouldn't have to be a hundred percent perfect to warrant 5 stars. For instance if a space is smaller than expected, but clean and well appointed, it should get 5 stars if size is the only consideration.  I'm always surprised when guest reviews refer to my "cozy little place" as if it were small, when in fact it's a very spacious 3 rooms plus 4 piece bath and complete kitchen.  Fortunately I usually get 5 stars from these people.   Today a guest posted a good review but reported to Airbnb that the rugs & floors could be cleaner.  That's outrageous.  My house is 90 years old, and it's true there are some scuffed areas on the hardwood, especially near the door, but my housekeeper mops all the floors after every guest.  She's very picky. And the room area rugs are wool, good quality, and brand new, and vacuumed every time a guest leaves.   That will probably put my super host status in jeopardy.   You just can't please everyone.

[Loretta2]

Yes- there is no pleasing some people. One of the few negative reviews I received was from a couple who commented that my place needed a 'good clean' because they detected dust under the bed- one of them had a dust alergy. My place is a small studio and in order to find this dust, they must have been moving the furniture around- why? And, of course, although they stayed a month with no complaints, and managed to turn off the electricity by plugging in a foreign appliance without an adaptor, they still left a negative review. I alaways point out to people that my place is in a fairly old bvuilding, and it's my home away from home-i.e 'lived in'. But , after five years with Airbnb, I'm now listing on other sites where guests' expectations tend to be more reasonable.

[Pauline106]

Good for you!

[Pauline106]

That is so sad! That one guest has so much power.

[Pauline106]

In the real world 4 is an excellent rating. So why AirBnB threatens its hosts  for getting less than 5 without telling guests that 4 in AirBnB world is BAD, is beyond me. I think being a Billion Dollar company has gone to it's head. But I have noted that many internet hotel finders are now starting to list homes with spare rooms.  

It is clear when you start reading the guest comments that guests are aware that a 4 is BAD, so they give their comments accordingly. Once you realize the system, you also realize that guests are being told about the consequences of 5 star ratings for Hosts.

AirBnB should be ashamed of themselves. People don't take kindly to threats. And over time competition may work against them. Until then, the threats will continue I suspect. 

[Mary167]

It almost seems as if Airbnb wants people to give negative feedback.  They ask guests, basically, "OK thanks for the review, but now tell us what you really think."  Hosts get the same thing.  I used to rack my brains to think of something "helpful" to airbnb, even though I had been satisfied with the guest.  Even things like:  "They didn't empty the wastebaskets" or "they didn't wash & dry their dishes."   I can imagine guests doing the same thing with hosts, trying to be "helpful" to airbnb by finding little things to criticize.  I no longer fill in those questions unless the guest did something really egregious, which is very rare.   I usually feel comfortable giving five stars for everything.  As hosts, we have learned a lot about how Airbnb operates, and we realize it's not exactly fair.  Guests don't have the same motivation, since they mostly don't use Airbnb that much so ratings aren't that important to them.  I bend over backwards to accommodate guests, staying up to let them in close to midnight sometimes, well past my bed time.  That happened last week with two women from Australia, who left me an ok review (no idea how many stars) but who apparently filled in Airbnb's questionaire by making false comments about my floors and rugs not being clean enough for their taste.  Maybe they don't realize Airbnb shares their comments with us.  I let the guests know I know what they said, and let them know I disagree.  In such cases I think I might start reminding them of how I went out of my way to be accommodating to them, and mentionithat their criticism is very damaging to my ratings.  Maybe they'll be less critical of other hosts.  I think maybe I should add something to my house rules, asking them to let me know of any issues so I can remedy them immediately.   I actually always text them after a day or two reminding them I'm here if they need anything, and they usually tell me they love the place and don't need anything.  (The Australian women said that, and then told Airbnb the floors weren't clean)

[Vie0]

Hi Fellow Hosts,

What  is 'sad' is when a guest ask you for a special offer, checks in & then  raves about  how nice your place is,  like/ appreciate  your hosting  style, your assistance..that they enjoy stayng at your place, and tell you they will be writing a review.... but dont!

Even with email reminders from Airbnb, they still dont leave reviews... seems some guest don't care about he importance of leaving reviews! 

Vie

[Annette33]

@Vie0 , so true! But to make myself independent of that crazy rat race to HAVE to get reviews - and they better be 5 star reviews! - I just watch it, that I need more than 50% of guests to leave a review.  I don't need 95 or 98%! The whole thing is just a gimmick by Airbnb to keep us hosts in line. Who will read 228 reviews which pretty much say the same thing anyways?

Sure, we can get burned out by guests being so complimentary to our faces, then leaving no review. I put that in perspective with my experience of having owned a retail shop: Many times over did I spend considerable time with potential customers to help and advise them (and also to have them use the restroom....) only to be told, "I'll be back!" .... Not... and I was left with absolutely nothing - while with our guests from Airbnb, we are getting paid!  So that is good enough for me.

It just makes me cringe to "make" a guest leave a review, or worse, to even get them involved in Airbnb poilitics, that a 4 star review isn't good enough. We all need to be less intimidated about all of that, just do our hosting and do it well.

[Leona7]

so if one has one guest who expects 6 star accommodation for 1 star fee and then gives a low rating this brings ones rating down HUGELY. Getting it back up tp 5 is almost impossible!!! This is an EXTREMELY bad system

[Sonny7]

Wonderful point!  I agree with You. We have stress already and they ad more. Especially bothers me when we ask the Guest , 'How was your stay', while they're still with us? And (I was a waiter once) like dinning at a restaurant, waiter ask Guest, 'How was everything?  Now, the plate in front of the Guest is so clean one doesn't need to take to the dish washer:). Guest replies, 'Was wonderful'. Then You hear or we see the Guest review on how terrible it was!  Amazinging!

  Plus, as a 'Host', we have Guest and times converse. One Guest informs us a '5 Star' Host accomidations had dirty plates, laundry still in washer and more not-so good remarks! After hearing this, like you. We don't take much stock in trying to be a 5 Star host much any more. Seems Your up, and another month your down. Airbnb doesn't take stock on Host being UP! Airbnb emailed us one point that we had 4 quarters in a row being 5 stars and commended us. Was wonderful, until the 5th period!

   Plus, now we're on the'possible wisk of being dropped. We lost our main house and Loft we listed 4/4/17 from a fire. Lost everything. We immediately emailed our Guest to inform them and cancell so they'll have time to find another location.  Airbnb gave us that 'Red mark' of possibly being dropped by them b/c we cancelled Guest!!   What does that say for Airbnb?  Are or have they become too big!  They nebver even emailed us for our lost.  We like Airbnb, but their insensitivity is not what we thought of being apart of an 'Airbnb Family'.  

  Subject like youyrs and more need to be heard by Airbnb and taken in consideration. believe everything is handled now by a computer, rather than a Airbnb Representive!

[Annette33]

@Sonny7 , totally agree! With all our never ending complaints about Airbnb not being available to us hosts or favoring guests anyways, I came to the conclusion to only rely on Airbnb to bring me guests, nothing more. so for the rest, I assume total self responsibility and expect nothing from Airbnb. knowing the rules, especially about cancellations, is absolutely necessary for hosts, then you can be pretty independent of Airbnb and just do your hosting.