Guest didn’t stay, stated home was outdated and not clean

[Michelle1537]

Hi, my partner and I are pretty new to AirBnb hosting. We’ve had a bad experience where a guest messaged at about 10pm on the first night of their booking to say that they were staying elsewhere as our house was not up to standard. As a gesture of goodwill and to prevent ill feeling I refunded half their two night stay - even though the house was perfectly acceptable. She has since left a 1 star rating stating the property is outdated, I am worried about how this will affect our bookings and whether it will prevent people from booking in the future. Should I respond to her review refuting her claims? Thanks!

[Helen3]

Hi @Michelle1537 

Sorry you haven't had the best start on Airbnb.

I would say one bad review  isn't the end of the world.

However you have had two guests comment on your place looking outdated,  along with two host cancellations, which is likely to put some guests off.

I hope you don't mind me being honest. Your place does look a little outdated, so you may want to invest in a bit of a makeover in terms of a modern paint colour scheme, matching bedding sets, some cushions, photos and pictures to add colour, matching furniture in bedrooms etc.

Here are some examples of other listings in Stornaway to give you some ideas

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/32780579?location=Stornoway%2C%20Isle%20of%20Lewis&guests=1&adults=1

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/28854421?location=Stornoway%2C%20Isle%20of%20Lewis&guests=1&adults=1

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/25133958?location=Stornoway%2C%20Isle%20of%20Lewis&guests=1&adults=1&...

Guests need to imagine themselves staying there.

[Michelle1537]

Hi Helen, thanks for your help, it’s appreciated. As we’re pretty new advise is welcome. Between our 2017 guests and now we have had long term tenants so should have been more clear that their comments were taken on board and we’ve redecorated before relisting on AirBnb in 2019. There has been a lag with updating pictures which I know doesn’t help! Thanks again, Michelle  

[Sandra126]

@Michelle1537, I have a problem with this situation of guests saying something is outdated: If a listing is as shown, there should not be a cause to complain. Cleanliness, sure, if that's an issue. But not the accurate representation. And the pics seem very straighforward. Now that you have redecorated, when you take new pics try not to do them all with such a wideangle lens as it is so distorting.

[Ava30]

Hi @Michelle1537 I agree with @Sandra126 , I dislike the term "outdated" when the listing clearly shows what one is getting. You could circumvent this to a degree by listing your home as "Vintage" which is quite the Thing these days. I accentuate that my home is 72 years old, built with 100+ year old Railroad Station timbers from nearby. I have set it up like you are going to visit your cool granny and it works! Even a few less than ideal guests didn't trash the place in any way. I would play what you have and decorate it accordingly. Once you do that, "outdated", and even imagined cleanliness issues because of that mindset, disappears. Adn definitley keep those picures updated! It also seems to keep your listing higher in the search rankings. Good Luck!