Help me understand guest ratings

Alexa4210
Level 2
Austin, TX

Help me understand guest ratings

Hello! I have to write a guest review and I'm confused. I've hosted only 13 stays, and the last stay was the first one where I feel that things were bad enough to rate poorly, but I don't actually know what 1, 2, or 3 stars even mean. Can you tell me? This guest left purple liquid splashed all down in the cracks of the fridge shelving/pooling in the drawers, left all their dirty dishes (my sole checkout requirement), and rearranged all the bedroom furniture so that the bed was turned 90 degrees. The guest was very pleasant in their communication and indicated midway that they were really enjoying themselves. My feeling is that guests shouldn't have to leave a place spotless--they paid a cleaning fee and cleaning should be expected after they leave. How to rate? I'm inexperienced as a host and I want to be fair here. Thanks.

2 Replies 2
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Alexa4210  1* would indicate the guest was absolutely awful- if you gave a 1* cleanliness rating, it would mean the guest left the entire place a disgusting filthy mess. 3* or 4* s seems fair for cleanliness due to the fridge spill not being bothered to be wiped up, as long as the rest of the place wasn't in bad condition. If they didn't break any other house rules aside from ignoring the check-out requirement to wash their dishes, I'd say 3* s for house rules.

 

But just as you are confused as to how to rate, star ratings are always subjective. What might be a 5* guest to another host might be a 3* guest to me, or vice versa. And no one has any idea why a certain rating was left. Also, hosts who do not use Instant Book can't see star rattings of guests, we only have the written reviews to go on.

 

So the star ratings aren't nearly as important as the written review. It's crucial to be factual and honest and fair. So for this guest, I'd say something like "XX was friendly and a good communicator. Attention to cleaning up kitchen spills and following check-out instructions to wash the dishes would have been appreciated."

 

Guests moving furniture is irritating, but unless they damaged the floors or walls doing so, it's just one of those things that happens sometimes, not a huge deal.

 

@Sarah977

 

Thank you! This is good advice.