That old chestnut... Location ratings

[Lena101]

I think location ratings should not be number from 1 to 5 but be an entirely separate rating - 'Accurate in listing' or 'Not accurate in listing'.  It is then up to us as hosts to be as honest as possible and it wont bring our rating down. Guest can then add  comments if 'Not accurate' what is inaccurate and the host can rectify this is their listing.

I am a superhost with consistently five stars in all areas , but very occasionally (like today) I get a four on location (and even more rarely and always justifiable I get a four on cleaning - it's a shared kitchen and I'm not around 24/7).

I don't mind getting a four when it's justifiable such as with the kitchen but location is really annoying especially when I outline extremely clearly where the house is located.  

[Yadira22]

Hi @Lena101 

Stockwell/brixton are such great areas- the shopping, the market stands, the culture, the music... but not in zone 1. 

i think a lot of people do not realise how big London is and much less how it genuinely does take 40-60 mins to get anywhere. Not all of it is Notting Hill (more like Portobello Road) and much less with a view of Buckingham Palace. You have to remember that some people come from places where 15 mins is a walk across their city or a drive  to their closest grocery store and this does not even take into account those who do not read the listing. 

Honestly- it is so annoying but don’t sweat it, not worth it. Fix your crown, down that cocktail and let it go!

You are doing everything absolutely mine- maybe when the enquire or request also send out a note saying « reminder we are located in Zone 2, London, meaning that even though we are centrally located and have amazing public transport servicing our area we are not in zone 1. Thanks »

good luck to you! 
yadira 

[Kevin1322]

I agree with @Yadira22 ,  just let it go.

we are in an area with international designations including  world heritage site, area of outstanding natural beauty etc  and get dinged on location despite an aerial view, a view from the guest room window, 100% accurate distances to amenities, and our listing is exactly what we advertise, close to the coast path (in fact we are by far the closest in the area to the coast path) 

when people arrive they rave about the location, how close we are to the hiking trail yet still close enough to the village, pubs, convenience store, bus routes and amenities.

We are a modest house, as are the houses in the area.

We live on a cliff top by the atlantic ocean, in a rural community of 1,000 people. Many of  the houses might look  a bit utilitarian or ugly to a tourist in the summer, but they are built to take on 80+ mph or worse storms in the winter.

To us in our neothlithic landscape with stone hedges 4000 years old surrounding us they are little fortresses, to see a tourist in an overpriced so called  holiday home consisting of the top floor of a small barn, that you wouldn't kennel your dog in, review the area as "a grubby housing estate" makes you realise the reality of living by the sea all year round and the fantasy life of hooray-henry on holiday are worlds apart.

Location is in the eye of the beholder 😉

[Lena101]

Good god that sounds wonderful! I want to stay at your place!!!!

[Susan17]

@Kevin1322 

Sounds idyllic ... packing my bags as we speak, Kev! Get the kettle on...  😉

[Steven65]

Hi @Yadira22 @Lena101 I suspect all hosts will claim their location is perfectly accurate. It's on a map for all to see! Guests on the other hand, i believe, are rating convenience and neighbourhood which is far more subjective. 

[Yadira22]

Hi @Steven65 

yes and no for me- at least from my own experience. 

I think rather than location which is subjective based on activities you wish to part take and their proximity to those, it should say “neighbourhood”. Highlighting safety, is it quiet, does it have lots of amenities, local transportation etc. This would be a more accurate term for reporting and as a guest this is what I review on. 

With respect to your points on location reflecting accuracy this is not true for me. I clearly state in our listings “1.3km from closest station (approximately 15 mins walk in 6 inch heels- timed it) but excellent local bus transportation close to apartment” and I still get marked down on this. Even though I highlight this again before or just after booking. My area is surrounded by a lot of gourmet cafes and restaurants, mostly independent which

makes up for this, there are 5 grocery stores close by, all within 5 mins walk etc.

Several times I got three stars even as guest failed to do their research- proof:

-1x wanted to go to Olympia from our apartment, walking there is 30 mins by public transport it’s about 15 mins. They walked to the furthest  station closeby (about 30 mins away) and took a route which took over an hour.  Poor research skills, yet I get penalised.

-2x thought London was small and asked if they could do all the walking, visiting all the main attractions in one day! Short answer- nope! Did not realise they booked in zone 2 (just outside of “central London”). 

Thank you. 🙂

[Yadira22]

I think Airbnb should make the map function more obvious and educate guests for when they want to find more location relevant places to search that eg Edward Road vs London the city as a whole.

Per default displays should be shown in maps as to see distance from desired location and total price needed to pay on site vs listing price per night, as all added costs from cleaning etc can add up. In this way it’s fairer as listing are not as affected by positioning as much. This would be particularly helpful if it mentioned public transportation time taken to travel to place of interest and distance. But with Airbnb who knows. 

[Lena101]

Hi Steven - yes  I can see you point - but don't you think that newbie hosts might try make claims  - but will quickly learn that it doesn't pay off to be inaccurate. Your guests will no doubt let you know through bad reviews if you are fibbing. I think most hosts understand that location does not only mean where on the map but includes convenience and neighbourhood. As a frequent traveller myself and after hosted many guests in my home, I am quite aware of how the locality of my neighbourhood might be perceived. I aim to be as clear as possible in my listing so my guests feel they get value for money. 

As a superhost it is important to get continuous high ratings.  I think because location is so subjective it would be fairer if the guests gave feedback on whether the description of location on listing was accurate or not, and by location I mean - convenience to transport, neighbourhood etc.   

[Steven65]

Hi @Lena101 I agree guests should be given better guidance on what the ratings mean. Or, If guests give less than 5 stars on location then a short explanation would be useful. For example bad neighborhoods could be noisy roads which the host is unlikely to describe or show and poor convenience might include infrequent or slow travel connections.     

[Lena101]

Yes I agree. As a hosts I  am quite aware of my neighbourhood's short comings. I might get a four instead of a five on location once every 25  review or so but it jars me because I'm being transparent in the listing. The last reviewer who gave a 4 on location wrote 'It's is on the main road but it is a bit of a walk from the nearest underground station.' which is absolutely true. This fact is also written in several places in the listings including in the short opening description. I just think it's a shame as I work hard to develop

a 5 star, excellent stay but not sure how to improve on this. 

[Steven65]

@Lena101 It is very frustrating when honesty and transparency are questioned. Airbnb also rate accuracy which confuses matters. What a mess. If it was left to me, I  would remove superhost status and threats of delisting, have an overall rating 1 to 5 and nothing else except comments from guests, allow search on rating score (eg 4.93) for the dates requested which will weed out the low score, inaccurate listings and improve standards.  Let the rules of supply and demand dictate who succeeds and fails. 

[M--Tareq-and-Shaila-0]

We agree with you. Location should not be offered to rate by numbers. This is the only option for ratings that can never be changed. An accessibility to the place can be an option to rate. Thus, guests know how easy or difficult it is for them to access, park, smooth and easy for check-in and out, difficult stairs etc. Again, as this is hard to improve but not impossible, rating of this should not be reflected on overall rating of the host. 

[Sarah977]

@M--Tareq-and-Shaila-0  The location rating isn't reflected in the Overall rating. None of the category star ratings have anything to do with the Overall rating. The Overall is a completely separate rating that guests are given to mark.

[John-and-Gillian0]

The whole rating system is flawed. We have worked really hard to maintain a 5 star rating. However, as our house is on a corner, one guest said we had given the wrong address and marked us down on accuracy. Another guest did not see the spare blanket ( on the shelf in the walk in robe that he went through to the bathroom), and did not turn on the reverse cycle air conditioning and complained that they were cold and needed an extra blanket and gave us 4 stars. Location is very subjective. If people bother to read the listing details they get what they need. However, by the questions that are asked it is obvious that some people do not bother to read the details. 
Overall, most guests are a pleasure to have and appreciate the experience. It is a pity that a few have the power to spoil a 5 star rating.