Negative guest reviews

[Jordyn4]

Hi all, 

I recently had to write my first negative review for a guest. I honestly never wanted to have to do this, and struggled with the decision because the guest was a fellow host and did communicate well. 

I will I’ll try to make this as short as possible. 

Basically the guest (group) did not follow any of our check-out instructions, and the opposite of what we asked was done. I always let our guests know where to find our check out policy and ask them to please look it over. 

We ask for guests to place used towels in the hamper, the used towels were left on the couch. 

We ask guests to take out their garbage and recycling, there were piles of boxes and garbage left in our kitchen. 

We ask guests to leave the AC and fans running, everything was turned off. 

I could go on and on but I will spare you the rest. 

The guest also had an extra person stay. Our house is small and we make it very clear that we have a 4 person max, and local laws only allow 2 people per bedroom. The guest did not mention anything about having 1 more person, which made me feel as though it was being hidden from me. If they would have asked, I probably would have said no problem since it was a 1 night stay. 

Review time comes and I decide to wait to review. After thinking it though all day I decided to leave the review I believe was warranted. 

I basically said that I expected a lot more from our guest because they were a fellow host but was shocked because they failed to do any of what we ask. I also said I was mostly disappointed in what appeared to be the lack of respect for our home, and that I was just honestly  bummed. 

Our guest sees the review and is very mad because they do not feel like they did anything wrong. They basically gave excuses like “what’s the cleaning fee for” and “how do you expect me to remember to read the check out policy from a message you send a few days before our stay” 

Now I am feeling guilty, like I did something wrong. I never wanted to have to write a negative review for our guests, especially to another host. But I do believe that the condition our house was left in warranted it. 

Also now the guest won’t stop messaging me about it. 

Has anyone dealt with something similar? I hate feeling guilty about this! 

[Lorissa0]

100% agree!

[Linda-And-Richard0]

@Jordyn4I have heard that Airbnb hosts are seldom good guests.  For me, the extra guest is a big thing.  Damp towels on the furniture and leaving trash in the kitchen are also bad.  I wonder how this "host" would react if a guest did these things at his listing?   Always leave an honest review, no matter who it is for.

[Geraldine60]

Over the years which I have been hosting with Airbnb.  Hosts and Superhosts that have booked a stay at my apartment have all been an absolute nightmare to host.  

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Jordyn4 

I would agree with @Linda-And-Richard0 those basic respect items about not abusing your guest count and the wet towels on a couch in particular. All other check-out requirements could have been found out by a text or call or even in your house manual, but maybe they were just too intent on covering their tracks and getting out before somebody who could count to 5 turned up!

Honest review. Thumbs up from me.

[Ann3]

@Jordyn4 , just chiming in to support you: every house is quirky and every host has reasons for their house rules and checkout procedures or they wouldn't bother. Towels on the couch? Seriously, that makes zero sense at all. I've had good and not-so good experiences with fellow hosts, but it's the newbies who really get me down. This guy had no excuse. 

[Jordyn4]

Thanks so much for your input and support! 

P.S. Savannah is like my second home, I graduated from SCAD and miss that city so much! 

[Emilia42]

@Jordyn4, I agree this that guest deserves a less than favorable review and I don't think you should feel guilty about leaving it.

I read the review you left for your guests. Here is my 2 cents if you ever have to write a negative review again in the future... Leave your emotion out of it. If you just stated the facts and left out how disappointed you were, it wouldn't feel so personal to you or the guest. Something along the lines of "Mark's communication was great. Unfortunately, checkout instructions were overlooked and an extra/unregistered guest was present." Then give him low star ratings for cleanliness and following house rules.  Reviews should be truthful and factual and written like a transaction. Try it and you will be surprised how easy it is to click submit and move on to the next. Also, block anyone who you give a bad review so they cannot contact you again.

[Jordyn4]

Thank you! That is great advice, and I really appreciate it. I definitely let my emotions get the best of me with this one. Hopefully I never have to leave a negative review again, but if I do I will definitely use your advice.