4 Stars vs 5 Stars

[Bridget14]

Our Main Listing

This is our main listing in our home. We live in a town house in Reading, on a busy front road but the back side of the house is nice and quiet. We have been hosting for about 2 months now and of the reviews we've had - we have 3 5star and 2 5star. 

The room is our loft with very narow stairs to get up to it but we mention that in the listing. The room has a double bed with lots of pillows and a comfortable mattress, large desk, lots of outlets, a TV with streaming roku services, tea and coffee tray with snakcks, very fast internet, a nice chair for reading/relaxing and a wordrobe. The room is light, it gets warm in the summer but we have 2 fans to help cool it down. The shared bathroom is 2 floors below through the kitchen - but we keep it as clean as possible - we have it professionaly cleaned 1x a week. 

We are very friendly to all of our guests, we often cook or share meals, hang out and chat. 

But we're still getting 4 star reviews. I've invested in hotel shampoos and soaps etc and put them in the room and we're thinking of adding bathrobes as well, but we're a bit put off by spending more $$ and not getting better reviews. 

What can we do to ensure we get 5 stars every time? 

[Melanie33]

Hi

Some people never give 5 stars on principle.  Having looked at your listing I wouldn't worry too much as your reviews are very good and that is what people look at.  The only thing is possibly having to go down two flights of stairs and through the kitchen to the bathroom and there is nothing you can do to change that so don't sweat it.  I have been marked down on location a couple of times and again nothing I can do about it.  I live in a pretty Somerset village and it is accurately displayed on the map so....... It seems from your description that you go over and above what you have to do to make your guests happy so just continue what you are doing.

Good luck with your future hosting.

Mel

[Victoria57]

Hi @Bridget14, the problem with Airbnb is that they think the standard review should be 5 stars and anything below that is crap. However in the real world guests don't look at it that way and nor do us hosts! Most will think that 4 stars is very very good (as indeed it is) and would only give 5 stars for somewhere absolutely exceptional. There are various articles on the interweb about this and how AIrbnb has got its review system wrong.

[Estela8]

Hi Bridget,

I understand your concern and agree that you are providing a very high standard service, for what you explain. My suggestion would be: communication, communication and more communication.

I live in an under-rated area in London, in zone 4 and my big concern is that guests will give me only few stars for this.

The way I have been avoiding it is by telling them what to expect during the messages previous to the booking, i.e. distance, travelling times, prices, safety (happy to say it is a safe area), amenities or lack of amenities, so they do not find it as a surprise because not everyone reads all the rules and descriptions before making their choice.

Once they have made their decision and are here, I make them notice how quiet the area is and how fast we get to the center even though this is a big city and how interesting to be in a multicultural place. I think it helps making them notice the pros and the cons and underline the positive side of it.

I still get four stars amongst the 5´s but in the reviews guests point out what I have been making them aware of!

Perhaps if you help your guests to take the responsibility for their own decision on the small incovenience your listing my have, they will put that aside and be ready to appreciate more the wonderful hosting you are giving them!

It might be more work and time consuming, but might be worth the effort.

Good luck!

[Dee9]

i am thoroughly and completely satisfied receiving 4 star reviews!

[Sara265]

Hi, I have exactly the same issue. In my case , in the beginning I only received 5 stars, now all latest reviews have been 4 stars. Nothing has changed in my listing or in my behavior. If anything I am even more caring and provide more so I also am not sure what I can do. In your opinion , is this something I should be worried about? Overall in terms of the review texts all reviews are good. Thanks! 

[Blagoje0]

hope my tips can help @Bridget14.

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/New-Hosts/Tips-for-great-guests-review-It-really-works/m-p/306064#M2...

[You-Von0]

Hi Bridget ,  I am also 2 months old into hosting . I figured out that age of your guests matters . In my case , the expectations of the 20 somethings are much higher since they are less travelled . They gave me 4 stars , but strangely for the well travelled and the more experienced travellers , they are more down to earth and realistic . Check the profile of the  4 star rater to see if i make sense ?  

I am fine with some 4 stars , but my fullfilment comes from some lady guests that say that i have made their stay in Penang most comfortable . Hope it helps .....

[Kimberly4]

I've also found that age matters, when I get a 4 it's invariably an older visitor.  You Von, thanks for your comment, it was something I hadn't considered.