"Location" As A Guest Review Point

[Nancy67]

I was always lead to believe that a review or review point, was a gague or meter to let me know how I, as host am doing.(??) Whereas all the other review points such as "Accuracy, Value, Cleanliness, etc" are points of review that tell me how I'm doing, (on-point, or possible improvements) I have never understood why the guest is given the opportunity to review my "Location."  "Location" to what?

"Location" is subjective to the agenda of the guests visit. If, for example,  they are visiting thier sister down the street, then, my home is a great "Location." If she is visiting her sister in hospital 30 miles away, maybe not so much. 

As I cannot in anyway (especially with "instant book") immediatly  know the reasons or agenda of the guest,without a lot of prying,  and I certainly cannot  move my house to better suit anyone who decides to rent, I am completely confused why this would even be a point of review to a guest? 

It seems to me that we as hosts should be utilizing "Accuracy" as a way to inform guests as to the proximity of key landmarks and goings-on, in our respective areas. If I am, indeed "Accurate" in my descriptions, and not exagerating the truth about the other points of review, such "Cleanliness, Value, Communication, etc)  rather than leaving to chance, that a guest decided: 1. Not to do thier homework when searching for a stay, and knocks me down a star or two becaise of their negligence in researching, 2.  Because they were too budget conscinece to pay more to stay closer to what they wanted to do or see. 3. Or because what they wanted to do or see was already booked in a location that is closer on thier respective dates.

I have personally put in my opening short description, as well as (again) in the long description,  the exact distance to the 2 main attractions that the vast majority of my guests want to see, yet have received less than 5 stars 10 times  because they didnt want to pay more to stay a few miles closer. 

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Response from Airbnb

As a helpful criteria for many guests, we are not intending to remove this at this time; however, we always appreciate this feedback as we regularly refine our platform to best meet hosts and guests needs. Location is intended to help future guests get a sense of the area and tends to reflect proximity to nearby destinations. It was created to help establish potential guests’ expectations, setting both you and your guests up for fewer surprises. While this isn’t something we are planning on changing, we are investigating including transit score and walkability score on the listing page in order to clarify location as a criteria. Since it’s not something you can change or control, it doesn’t impact the overall Star Rating for the listing or Superhost status.

[Mike127]

Nancy I could not agree more with you.

We got paused again because a guest "expected" the room to be bigger. Photo's were taken by a professional Airbnb photographer and to make it really "clear" we also give the size in sq meters in our ads. Yet the guest complained on his feed back and we got "paused" again. This same guest also complained;" That there is no tv or fridge in the room". He also did not like the location.....  The room was advertised without both of these items and were not in the pictures.WHY do we as HOSTS get dinged for guests that are to lazy to read, look at Google Maps etc. everytime??. He booked the room but obviously NEVER read the description. I'm really getting tired of airbnb one-sidedness and only consider the guest's opinions. Some guests are just not to be pleased, as Nancy wrote. Yet Airbnb make us hosts the culprit. I'm also seriously considering "switching off" the "Instant Booking" feature. People book instantly, yes, but later mayby realize they "forgot" to read all and just looked at the price. We have had many bookings, over 90 this year and most people love our "real Philippino neighborhood" location and see it as part of their holiday adventure. But two or three who do not will make our ratings drop beyond the magical 4 stars. 

[Mike127]

Wyat...

What does this MEAN.... status changed to POPULAR

[Carl28]

I disagree. Reviews are not to let the host know how they are doing, it's to help potential guests determine if the place is right for them. Sure there are some factors that are within the host's control, but that's not what the ratings are about.

I certainly want to know as a guest whether I felt safe walking the block, how close restaurants and markets are, the condition of the road, the noise level in the neighborhood, etc. None of those things are within the control of the host, but certainly all information I as a guest would want to know before booking.

[Andrea9]

I noticed by chance that in Tallinn/Estonia the segments: VALUE, LOCATION, CHECK IN are not included in the star ratings on the listing page. I wonder if that's a new pilot trial????!!!

[Nancy67]

Carl- I might agree with some of your points, as it relates to an Urban setting. However for those of us in rural, remote or Suburban settings, a "Location" falls under the catagory of; "The beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

This is a triangulated symbiotic relationship. If we as hosts and they as guests, buy into all that Airbnb is so good at selling us, with regard to "Live like a local," than it seems to me Airbnb shouldnt be promoting a rating system that essentially throws me and other hosts, (the actual product they are selling,) under the bus by using a system that may discourage travelers to use me (or other hosts) because my Location isnt sitting 100 feet from the heart of a city, attraction or travel trend.

We are working in a model that accepts anyone as a host. Only some will be super sucessful if its simply based on the opinion of guests who want to be coddled with every conveniance at a super low price. If Airbnb only wants hosts who have high ratings for cities, attraction or travel trends and locations that are prime, then perhaps they shoud be vetting potential host "locations" prior to allowing a host to post a listing, so they aren't offering properties that disappoint Airbnb client travelers?

If we are honest as hosts with our information (Acuracy) regarding all aspects of a guests expectations, and Airbnb is honest in marketing to guests, that regardless of location, Airbnb is providing great options through the hosts, an experience that actually delivers, the simple phrase "Live like a local" " then we are all telling the truth. ---- BTW: I AM a local, living VERY locally, even though I am 5 miles from the attractions of downtown and 11 miles to the beach, --but so is someone who offers space 30 miles from the closest town, and thus, the guests will be "Living like a local" while they are there. How can you possibly put your hosts at odds by allowing guests to rate that with stars?

This "Location" rating system review point needs reconsideration as actually being a positive marketing tool that benefits everyone and not the choice few hosts in (subjective) super prime areas.

[Darryl3]

I completely agree. Guests who don't do their homework properly then rate you low on location is not a good way to go about this. Does anyone know why Locationis still one of the criterion?

[Daniel-and-Marsio0]

I agree. The way it currently stands, the word 'Location' leans towards a subjective point relating to what the guest intends to do and see whilst staying in your property. As (a) you cannot move your property and (b) each guest is likely to have a different agenda 'Location' is an unreasonable criterion to be reviewed on. A better word might be 'Neighbourhood', but in any case, I agree that the host should only be reviewed (judged!) on matters that are within their own hands - things that can be improved by the host. The 'Location' of the property CANNOT be improved - it is where it is. The onus is on the guest to choose their location wisely based on the trip agenda...

[Dawn49]

So glad you put this comment up. My first guests DID NOT DO THEIR HOMEWORK AND EITHER DID I...

My first booking wasn't great, and I nearly quit.  They were a very judgemental couple and I locked myself in my room with my 2 dogs until they left.  Cleaned their linens, emptied their dirty garbages and cleaned up after them when they were gone. was nice as pie to them while they were here.  Could not wait for them to leave.  They gave me 3 stars across the board. 

Lesson learned is this: The guest didn't tell me they had dietary restrictions, they faulted me for not providing them breakfast options...I only said I would provide coffee...I told them the beach is 2 miles away..they chose an exclusive beach daily that was 10 miles away...they were provided a clean not shared bathroom with clean linens and towels upon arrival...they expected clean linens daily.

Point is communication.  No party was necessarily wrong in this stay but the expectations were not set in stone by "ME" the host. When in business when you receive 3 stars its your fault and should you want to fix it or work through it is your call.  I chose to go ahead but I took myself off of instant booking instead of bailing on the whole idea of Airbnb.  I'm still trying to figure out the kinks but when you're an entrepeneur thats whay you need to do.  I'm also trying to recruit others to buy property here and host, and I'll be their property manager.  

AirBnB has given all of us free tools and feed back to bring your A game to the table.  I'm fortunate that I live where I live.  I get to chose when to have guests.  Each time I allow guests into my home I try to make it a 5 star experience.  You won't please everyone.  Make sure your place is clean, sheets changed and bathroom immaculate and eliminate clutter and you'll be a superstar!! 

[Amani0]

Agreed. My house is 10 minutes from downtown Atlanta, walking distance to the subway, supermarket and restaurants. We get knocked on location, however, because the neighborhood is predominantly black and up and coming. It's telling because black and Latino guests will rate the location highly, whereas those who rate it low are typically international or white Americans. While we describe the neighborhood very well in the listing, not everyone reads and some guests still expect the city to look and feel like the suburbs. They aren't rating the location then, but rather their sense of comfort here, which is shaped by their preconceived notions of crime and safety. In this regard, the location rating is not only unhelpful but also discriminatory.

[Nancy67]

I truly wish there was a way to put this back on top as a popular topic to get more feeback from hosts-- interestingly I saw another host post this article from Forbes Magaizine, that in one paragraph almost mentions verbatim what I said in my original post about location. https://www.google.com/amp/www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2016/06/29/the-one-issue-with-airbnb-revi...

The rest ain't bad either 😉

[Coleen2]

Definitely not acceptable to be rated on location. We clearly state a car is necessary to get anywhere from our home. We clearly state how long the drive is from our home to all the fun stuff. We keep our price lower because of the distance and we also state our home is a great jumping off point for outdoorsy or athletic guests, wanting to bike, hike,surf etc. I don't think either of our first two sets of guests read our description, and looked at pricing as their guide. To be honest, the second guest could not afford a vacation in our area and spent a lot of time at the property acting as if it were a 5 star hotel and she was to be chauffeured and pampered. Instant book is not acceptable in this industry as had I known better I would not have ticked that box first. Now we know, instant book is NOT an option and each guest will be interrogated considering the lack of vetting available through instant book. 

[Barbara45]

I agree, I also put e detailed description of my location and walking distance to main sights and even include a reminder that the tram line is close by and the tram can be heard, but sadly many guests don t read the description and the  mark me down on location. The location is something we cannot change and with the map it is clearly indicated, so why we should be rated on location is beyond me.

[Wyatt]

The status of this Idea has been changed to Under Consideration. The Ideas in Host Voice with the most Thumbs Up are reviewed closely by the Airbnb product team. The status of this Idea will be updated according to this discussion. We appreciate your patience as we try to thoughtfully listen and respond to this Idea.

[Nancy67]

Wyatt: when the status was changed, why did the number of thumbs up disappear?  What is the current tally? Why would  you want to no longer accept the additional thumbs up for host who may just have happened upon the topic? 

Thanks!!'

[Meana0]

100% agree, "location" is completely useless as a measure of quality.  

The guest is shown a general location on a map. My description provides information on distances to key areas. To get knocked for "location" after someone chose my home because they were priced out of being closer to downtown hot spots, is unfair. 

Perhaps what's more fair is to ask the guest did they feel the listing provided them a sense of "safety" .