Precipitous drop in bookings after submitting negative review of guest

James2815
Level 2
Colorado Springs, CO

Precipitous drop in bookings after submitting negative review of guest

I've had about 95% occupancy during the high seasons until now.  Bookings just stopped almost completely right after I submitted an honest negative review of a guest.  AirBnB surely realizes that guests who get negative reviews will be less likely to book in the future.  But they must weigh that against hosts losing confidence in the system if the perception of rigging becomes widespread.  Thus, I don't think they would acknowledge it if in fact a host's placement were negatively impacted by writing negative reviews.  I cannot see any other potential cause for the well instantly running dry.  My pricing has not changed, and I have all (30+) 5-star reviews with glowing recommendations. 

 

Can anyone confirm or deny that, after writing 2 or 3 honest-but-negative (and relatively diplomatic) reviews, they had a sudden and massive drop in bookings, in spite of all great reviews from guests?

2 Replies 2
Gwen386
Level 10
Lusby, MD

@James2815 I honestly believe things have just slowed down a tad bit and has absolutely nothing to do with factual feedback. I’m sure business will pick back up. Your place is really nice. 

@James2815  It looks like your listing has been active for only a bit over a year, with 31+ successful stays under your belt. Years ago, I might have said that's just enough time and experience to get a pretty good grasp on the seasonal patterns of demand for your listing. But of course, the events impacting travel since 2020 have shown us that nobody in this business can take anything for granted. 

 

Anyway, your listing is still completely findable with the normal Search method, so you can rule out the theory that Airbnb is suppressing your visibility to punish you for giving negative reviews. When they want to manipulate hosts into behaving this way or that, they're not nearly so subtle or coy about it. 

 

However, this summer's redesign of the search platform could be impacting your business for better or worse, if your target guests are choosing Category or Flexible search instead of conventional. It's been a huge headache for a lot of long-established hosts, who suddenly saw bookings plummet after the new release when they should have been going into peak season. I'm not even sure Airbnb itself is performing up to expectations with bookings at the moment, as their competitors are gaining ground.

 

But since you have some unexpected down time, try tweaking your listing a bit. Switch around the lead photo to a cozy interior, such as that awesome sun room, to stand out more to travelers who are feeling over the summer's bitter heat waves. Mix in some exterior shots from other seasons, especially winter. Keep experimenting until something clicks.