Bad review killed my business, what to do?

[Alla31]

Hello, I recently got bad demanding guest who gave me bad review, after that I had like 4 guests and only one left me good review, and rating, seems like chain reaction happened. And now what i got is bad review on top ( for some uknown for me reason) and no bookings, or people who try to lower price to 50 dollars which is below anything in area

[Mike1034]

@Alla31 I saw that you had only one relative bad review from a guest who seems to be not reasonable at all. 

Your response to the the review is very well written too. I don’t see any issues which may affect your booking. If there were any decrease in booking, it could be just because your listing could be dropped in the ranking since you joined this year. The first 2-3 months, the new listing is always promoted by Airbnb to the top in search ranking. 

[Alla31]

I have one not very good review about noise upstairs, and very bad review where she said bed was like plywood, that she had to buy extra pillows so she could sleep, and place not worth the money. And after that my bookings went from 80 percent booked to 10 percent, and no one leave any review, and I dont know how to ask people to leave review, only one guy wrote review but thus review doesnt show up as latest. And I already got several messages from people asking for discount since I have bad review. And one guy even accused me of faking reviews, he said that I reviewed my own place, I dont know how is it possible though.

[Mike1034]

@Alla31 I saw that a guest left you a review stating good value. If your price did not change much from that review, you should have confidence about your price. You could compare it with some listings similar to yours nearby to make sure yours is reasonably priced. 

As for guests inquiring with discounts etc, just ignore those because they will not make good guests anyway. If you accept them, you may get bad reviews from them. Sometimes we as hosts have to be selective in choosing guests. Good guests will build you with good reputation in the long run. Don’t be discouraged by a temporary slowdown in your bookings. Keep good work!

[Alla31]

Thank you for your words

[Mandy81]

Hey @Alla31 I had a period of time where a few guests had not reviewed so I started sending a message when they left saying thank you for staying if you had a nice time can you remember to review me and that seemed to ensure the next few guests sent reviews. I hope that helps.

[Mark116]

@Alla31   I would check the prices in your area and see where you fall, maybe you should lower your price for a couple of months to get some more reviews.  Also, as @Mandy81  says, there is nothing wrong, IMO, with asking for a review.

I thought your response to the bad review was MUCH too long.  You want to keep it to one paragraph at most.  I also would not feel comfortable not flushing toilet paper, that is weird.  I understand that guests might cause plumbing problems, but I don't think the answer is to store all the bodily waste tp in the bin.

Also, there is no need to list every single thing in the unit in the description.  

If you are really a ten minute walk to the beach I would add a beach photo and put in the caption that you are a ten minute walk.  That alone will motivate people to want to book your place.

[Mandy81]

@Alla31 I just checked out the review it was a bit harsh and because as hosts we try so hard to accommodate our guests it is hard to not take things really personal I recently had a one star review from someone who didnt even stay so I know how hard it is not to get emotional but as @Mark116 advised remember shes probably not going to read the response so keep your response brief but set the record straight otherwise its a long rant. I know easier said than done though. Also is there any other alternative or way of rectifying the toilet roll situation just throwing that out there.