Need some advice ( and maybe a bit of TLC)

[Rowena29]

Hey everyone.

It had to happen.

Just got my first 4 star review. Also got dinged on cleanliness  (and on LOCATION  - unilaterally all guests have raved about the location, including her when she checked in - didn't think I'd ever get a ding on that. You live and learn) 

The usual - left quite a positively worded review, but only 4 stars overall and marked down in the other areas as mentioned (  3 stars cleanliness. 4 stars  location)

Of course, as it does for everyone it really irritates, especially as she was far from the perfect guest ( not a bad guest but didnt' reply to my 2 messages after booking,  - I got Customer support to contact her,  wasn't SUPER clean, demolished all the little treats I left out for them, but no mention of it or thanks. Left some books behind and I contaced her re this after checkout. EVen offered to bring them up with me in a few weeks when I am in her neck of the woods. didn't deign to reply. Feel like burning the ****!!## things now)

With the little rant over,   I have a few questions that i would appreciate a bit of advice with.

*Respond to her review?

Should I?

Would this be helpful for future hosts if nothing else? 

I  would keep it brief and unemotive.    Any advice on wording? (I AM  tempted to say I'm glad to see you really enjoyed the tray of special treats I left out for you)

*  When as a host I am looking at reviews guests have left  hosts  is there a way to see how many STARS  they have left for a host? I don't think there is?

This is  why I'm thinking a diplomatically worded response to her review might be useful

* Kitchen cleanliness. I have been dinged on this a few times. I scrub the kitchen scrupulously.  Including taking out all the pots and pans and glasses and cutlery and doing inside the cupboards and drawers. It is always VERY CLEAN. However it is an older kitchen with some cosmetic issues - (eg some minor laminate peeling  INSIDE some cupboards. Nothing that would make you recoil in horror)  I state this clearly in the listing.

Any suggestions about how to deal with long term or do I just live with it? ( an upgrade of the cabinetry is not possible right now or economically viable)

I have replaced all hinges and handles.  All the walls are freshly painted in a crisp white.  Blinds are new.

All appliances, cutlery, crockery, glasswear, are high end and brand new.

I had a local who works in hospitality  who is direct and blunt come through and look at it, and she felt it was great - clearly older as advertised, but clean and functional as advertised.

* I dont' want this guest back and childishly it would give me some sense of satisifaction  and control to know that she couldn't re book even though I doubt she would.  I have read and re read posts on the community boards about how to do this, but am still confused. I see the red flag under her profile pic, but that only gives me the option to report abuse, and doesn't seem to allow me to block bookings or messages?

[Susan151 · Accepted solution]

@Rowena29 . If the review that they left "reads" as a positive one, I see no reason to respond. She won't know that you have responded. The only people who will see your response are potential future guests.

Though many guests thank the host for something special, there are still a large number who just take it all for granted. They actually don't know it is special unless they are return guests. It is just part of the visit. I would not expect thanks. Change your mindset and be pleased when guests notice those small touches.

You are right about older spaces reading as "not clean." Can you line the cabinet shelves with a cheerful, modern paper? But now that I have looked at the kitchen pictures, why are they complaining? It is an older kitchen, but perfectly functional. To be honest, if I were updating that kitchen, I would do some open cabinets and keep some of the retro feel. Not everything needs to look like a developer flip.

You can't see the stars that guests leave for other hosts; only the comments.

Take some deep breathes and remember that you can only control what you offer; not how it is perceived. It is a gorgeous home with some really special features. This person will be in your rear view mirror as soon as you can let this go.

[Rowena29]

Hi @Susan151 

Thanks so much for replying.

I really am fairly calm about it. Not dleighted, but not hysterical. I do realise as far as future guests are concerned the comment is more important than the star rating.

I don't expect thanks for the extra gifts - (as you point out very few people do say thank you.) In this case, as they were staying a week, there were a LOT and I did subtly mention I had left them these special treats as well as the usual  substantial array of extra supplies..  I wouldnt' normally even complain, was just having a little rant to get it out of my system - the cleanliness ding got under my skin.

thanks for your suggestions re cabinets - we think alike and i had thought of this -  the trouble is the cosmtic wear is on the inside - so taking off the doors would only highlight it further I feel . It's mainly the laminate peeling a bit at the edges on the front facing so can't cover with cheerful paper. I've considered trying to cover with laminate -  wrapping the laminate over and tucking in under the base of the shelf, but all in awkward corners and worried  it would just draw attention to it even more if the job wasn't perfect

As you say, breathe and move forward.

thanks so much

Cheers

Thanks for taking a look at the pics.  It's really helpful to get input/opinions from others.  

[Sarah977]

@Rowena29  Why would you respond in a negative way to a good review? The only people who will see your response are future guests- what is helpful to other hosts is an honest review of a guest, not your response to their review. No, no one can see the star ratings this guest gave you. So either just let it go, or if you really feel the need, send the guest a private message asking her why she rated you so low on cleanliness. Are you aware that Airbnb tells guests that a 4* Overall means Good? 

Do you ever let your guests know how Airbnb rates hosts? This is important to do, as Airbnb paints a different picture of the star ratings to guests than the way they apply them to hosts. Most guests don't want to tank your ratings- they are simply ignorant of how a 4* rating affects you.

[Rowena29]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for replying and for your insights.

I think you have misunderstood me a bit.

I had no inteniton of saying anything negative if I did leave a response.  I did wonder about the value of saying something like I was disappointed she only left 4 stars - mainly because I felt this COULD be beneficial to other hosts. I  dont' completely agree with you - it's not JUST   guests who read this - as a host I use air review to see what guests have said about other listings, and I can also see repsonses hosts have left  - hence my question.   I do take on board though that both you and Susan seem to feel is would be counter productive.

As the guest has already not repsonded to a previous message I sent her offering to return her left property,  I see little point  asking about why she rated as she did.  I''ve asked the 2 previous guests  who marked me down on kitchen cleanliness   how they felt I could have made it cleaner and neither of them have replied....

I am VERY aware of how airbnb  more or less misleads guests about the  4 stars 5 stars rating.  I live remotely from my listing but always make a point of being there to greet guests. I like to see who's staying in my home and I also think people are far less likley to take liberties if they have met a real live person, instead of a disembodied email. At checkin,  I make a point of  mentioning how  ratings work for hosts  ( it's hard to balance isn't it - trying to be educative without sounding as though you are asking for 5 stars). 

So in this case either the guest didn't listen, or she did elect to tank me

Ho hum

Thanks so much for responding

[Sarah977]

@Rowena29  Thanks for explaining. The thing is, that although some of us hosts take the time to not only look at the reviews that hosts have written, and the reviews that guest has left for hosts (I also use Air Review), no one can actually see the star ratings that a particular guest has left for you. So who will mainly be seeing a host's review response is potential guests. It seems to me that if you complain that the guest left a 4* review in a response, other guests might be put off to see you berating a guest for leaving a 4* review, since Airbnb tells guests that 4* means good.

So if I wanted to warn other hosts about a guest who said all was fine, but left a 4* review, I'd subtly mention it in my review of the guest. "I was somewhat disappointed that while XX said she enjoyed her stay and had no complaints during the stay, she gave me less than glowing star ratings. Perhaps she just didn't understand the impact of that for a host."

But personally I wouldn't do this for a 4* Overall- it's not the guest's fault that Airbnb tells them 4*s is Good, and then turns around and punishes hosts for it. If I had explained to my guests how hosts are rated (which I do) and they still went ahead and rated low after saying all was fine, that might be a different story.

[Rowena29]

Hi @Sarah977 

thanks so much for getting back. Really appreciate it.  I think the example message you provide is excellent - clever and succinct.

This is exactly the sort of thing  I had in mind.

My idea was primarily to alert future hosts, precisely BECAUSE they can't see how many stars she left - if they're looking at her review on air review she seems perfectly reasonable, and she wasn't really.

   I wasn't sure of the wisdom of it though - that's why I asked on the boards!   And you're right, I'm probably over reacting for a 4 star rating. 

I did explain the rating system to this guest however, -  and she went ahead and gave me 4 stars anyway - who knows what she was thinking. 

I'll sit on it and think for a bit.  I might still add a sentence similar to what you suggest.

I don't THINK  it will look rude to other guests (??)  and in fact might even alert some newer guests to the impact of leaving 4 stars for the host (??).  

In the meantime, I've spent many hours tweaking my listing ( again again again) AND tweaking my welcome folder in the house.  I have now added a little bit about reviews. I've also talked about the cleaning regime.  Might not help. don't think it can hurt..

Again thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to reply and offer your advice!

Cheers

[Sarah977]

@Rowena29  I hear you on the "who knows what she was thinking". The only 4* I've ever gotten was from a guest who rated 4*s on location. This was after she had made a point of asking me in pre-arrival messages how far a walk it was from my place to the studio where she was signed up to take a course, which of course I answered promptly and accurately. I also talked to her a bit while she was here about how Airbnb rates hosts, and how it differs from what they tell guests. So yes, it was a bit shocking that she rated 4*s when she chose to stay here and was given accurate info, but as the location rating doesn't affect our stats, thank god, I got over it pretty fast.

This guest was a "who knows what she was thinking" in another, really unfathomable way- she texted me at 3 AM (luckily I turn my ringers off at night) from the Airbnb she was staying at BEFORE she was booked into my place 3 days later to say there was a really loud band somewhere nearby and she couldn't sleep!!!???? Her host there was out-of-the-country, so I guess she thought I was her go-to person in this town just because I'd answered all her list of questions when she booked with me. I couldn't believe anyone would do that. This hosting business is certainly a crash course in human idiosyncracy.

[Rowena29]

Oh Wow @Sarah977 

the 3 am call sure beats anything I've had to deal with so far. I mean that's just - I don''t know really - self indulgent?   Pperhpas she's thinking you WORK for airbnb as an employee? but even if you DID  what are you expected to do about a band on a different premises?? Pretty brainless.  My "worst" experiences so far are my second guests - a group of men attending a local bowling competition. Some of them were elderly. I wasn't worried about them. They were warm and friendly. Left me a bottle of wine as a thank you gift.   When i went in to clean, I found a pile of 2 high quality bath towels and 3 high quality beach towels "soaking" in the laundry tub. I wondered WHEN they'd had a chance to go to the beach. I picked them up to run them through the washing machine, only to discover they weren't "soaking" they were saturated with urine. I mean totally saturated. I don't have a weak stomach but my gagging continued for some time.  My immediate thought then was "the beds!! which thank God were fine - not sure how.  Dry and not a whiff of smell.   I did find similarly drenched pajamas lying on the floor though. 

My third guests, booked for 9 people, my maximum.   6 arrived for check in, with the rest "arriving later".  I had my suspicions about them, and was later told by neighbours there were at least 16 people staying.  I'd suspected they were trying to sneak in extram but an extra 7??!! I have no idea where they all slept.  When they checked out they took  two rolls of gargabe liners,  all the  dishwasher tablets, 4 rolls of paper towels and who knows what else. ( now I  still leave out plenty of supplies, but only what could conceivably be needed for the stay) Oh and brushed their teeth and spat out in the BATHTUB. They made a pile of everything they found distasteful in the middle of the lounge room and left it there - for example a HALF  used roll of paper towels  -  they only wanted to start with a FRESH roll.   (this is not toilet paper, paper towels for the kitchen.)   

I could go on, as I'm sure you could.  As my mother would say "some poor sad people have not been properly brought up and have no breeding (as in common courtesy and manners), that's why I prefer the company of DOGS."

[Ava30]

Hi @Rowena29 : I feel your pain.  I also have an older home and used to get dinged on cleanliness. We were trying to find the source of a very slight musty smell that some people seem to be hypersensitive to ( picky princesses ). We finally found it with the help of my brother who stayed for a couple of days. It was in the antique piano, the felt hammers were holding onto the smell.  A couple of sprays of odor ban and the musty smell was gone! Hooray!. Your situation is laminate coming up? You may be able to temporarily fix that.  You might want to search the Internet to be certain. But what I recall about fixing laminate that’s peeling up or bubbling up, is to dampen it with plain water, then hold a hot household iron on the spot for a time until it lays flat again. If you can, you might want to put a bit of wood glue between the layers as well. It probably wouldn’t hurt to put a bit of old toweling between the laminate and the iron just to be on the safe side. And if a standard household iron won’t fit where you need it to repair, a small travel iron might work.

As far as responding to the review, you already have your answer for that. I have asked past guests why they only gave me four stars overall and what I could do in the future to make it better. Only two have answered. One had a very childish answer that she said I didn’t own up to a mistake that I made giving her the keypad code, when in fact I had and it was even on the platform in writing. But what are you gonna do with a 21-year-old that doesn’t give a **bleep** what they’re doing to their hosts ratings and thinks they are “teaching them a lesson”? And the other one didn’t answer me until just recently, I had asked her three months ago, it had to do with the heating source and I had already improved it. She gave me five stars for everything but a four-star overall. Live and learn 😁

[Gordon0]

I've just had a look at your listing, @Rowena29. I'm quite visual (vs reading, although I did on this occasion read to the end). I loved the look of it. Clearly comfy and loved. Alas here comes the issue, looking retro is one thing, being retro is another, and peeling shelves may irk some. I just wonder if the (honest) description of the kitchen is just a little too buried, and you might want to think about making light of it in a jovial way? 

Like @Susan151 says, (I think), not all properties look like they've been done up to within an inch of their lives. 

Personally, I'd love to stay at your place (if only without the 24+ hour flight!), and we need to consider we can't please all of the people all of the time.

You'll move on from this and the next lovely (and grateful) guests will soon be loving your house too.  

[Rowena29]

HI @Ava30  and @Gordon0 

thanks so much for taking the time to look at my listing and also taking the time to reply.

I do really appreciate it.

Ava - thanks for the tips - prior to your post I'd already been googling and trying to find a solution - ( I dont' think the iron thing will work) but my husband has found some laminate replacement which might do the trick. It really is VERY minor - just in one or two places and not on any of the benchtops or anything. The shelves themselves are still lovely and white ( scrubbed and bleached etc etc). And fortunately  no musty smell - thanks to the ever present sea breeze. REally though, I think it is people just being a bit entitled.   i am beginning to dread females in teh 18 - 25 bracket - they all seem so entitled. Give me a mob of blokes any day. I leave out a few beers adn give them a few tips and they're stoked!

@Gordon0  - I 've already gone on and added the vinatge kitchen thing 2 other places including in my amenity limitations. I THOUGHT  about putting it in higher up the description,  and may yet do so in the jokey way you suggest - though I suspect the type of person who is marking me down would continue to mark me down regardless.

Ironically I was stalking your listing earlier today - I was  to reading some of the reviews you had left your guests as it occurred to me you might have a right "tone" for commenting on a guest who wasn't a problem but not stellar ( this was for the guest who's just only given me 4 stars   - although of course I didn't "know" that at the time).  anyway or course I had a good look at your place, took note of the way you handle a few things, including asking  guests to leave a review  and thought similarly  - would love to at yours.  I had to dash over to London on short notice a few years ago when my sister became very ill and your place would have been ideal.  You should definitely come to Australia! I LOVE the 21 hour plane flight. Seriously. You sit there being given food, alcohol and your own personal TV screen to  binge watch whatever you like  - and at the end your in a whole new hemisphere in less than a day. Magic!  Just pay an extra $160 each way to get a exit aisle seat and you get plenty of leg room.

I'm feeling much more upbeat now as I've JUST recieved this review.

(Of course this is what I think I am more deserving of most of the time! Like many hosts, I do really put myself out for my guests)...

"We had an incredibly enjoyable stay at Rowena and Glenn’s Coolum Beach Treehouse Retreat.  A home away from home nestled in the trees with expansive views of the beautiful coastline.  Although it rained most of the weekend, this didn’t ‘dampen’ our spirits – as we were very happy to just sit back and relax and absorb the serenity.  There was more than enough to do at the Treehouse to keep us (and our 5 year old) entertained and we cannot express how grateful we are for the extra touches and thoughtfulness Rowena and Glenn have made to make our stay most comfortable and enjoyable (the soft towels, the ‘treats’, hints/tips on where to go, the ping pong table, board games, DVDs, etc.)   Special thanks for going the extra mile in creating an inviting children’s bedroom for our son downstairs where he was genuinely excited in wanting to ‘go to bed’ at night (a parent’s wish!). Next time we are in Coolum, we certainly hope the Treehouse is available once again as we will definitely be back!"

[Ava30]

@Rowena29 , I am right there with you on that cringing when I get a request from the 18-25ish females. Never an issue with the guys either! Just keep doing what you are doing. Overall it is obviously successful. I kept at reworking my description until it only appeared to mostly attract my target market, families and seniors. I have an awesome family in the house right now that also appreciates the special touches for their children. Have a Wicked Awesome Day!

[Rowena29]

Thanks @Ava30 

I'm constanty re working my listing and my rules  - I think I spend more time tweaking the listing than I do actually hosting! Adn I spent ages and ages researchig and reading before I started it initially.  I guess I'll master it eventually. I"ve just added a few extra pages to the house manual which I leave out for guests - there's now a little section on my cleaning regime, ( which a special focus on the kitchen) as well as a polite explanation of how the stars ratings work.  May not help, can't see that it will hurt.

I keep going back for more, so I guess on the whole I'm enjoying it...

Have a great day also

Cheers