Value

[Iryna52]

Question 

Why we are get rated in value? 

or location? 
we show are locations,  it’s visible! Don’t like it... dont book it? 
and a value? 
if people are cheap any price will be to much. When they book... they agree the price! Why those thinks have to kill us ? 
because someone  didn’t like the bedroom size or... bed?? Why it’s effecting the value? 
Why it’s  even there ? In railings? 

[Colleen253]

@Iryna52 The value and location categories are pretty useless. To us. But not to Airbnb. Everything Airbnb does is by design. The Superhost program, the 'star ratings' on our listings... all a behavior modification tool and a very successful one at that. Hosts get all hot and bothered, and so afraid of low star ratings, that we'll do everything we can to avoid them. I'm pretty convinced the value category exists to influence us to keep our prices lower. Location is a bit of an enigma though. Probably just thrown in for fun.

[Anonymous]

@Colleen253  The only use I can think of for the Location rating is to train the search algorithm about which neighborhoods to prioritize. If you start a new listing in a postcode with a high location score average, the algorithm is going to place you more favorably in search results than listings in lower-rated post codes. 

I can see why Airbnb would want the aggregated data on where guests prefer to stay, but it's really dumb that it's displayed as a rating on individual listings. 

[Iryna52]

We had people staying in our cabin for very low price (once been exempt for them) 

and in the end we were 3 start rated on value! 
seriously?!  Hate that! 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Iryna52 Thor Heyerdahl, on one of his expeditions, ferried a family and all their possessions across a large river. They got off and walked away without even a word of thanks. When he asked his local guide to explain this behaviour he was told that as he had not charged anything for the trip the family assumed it was valueless and hence didn't see any need to thank him.

Over and over again hosts report low value scores when the price has been reduced. Perhaps the above story goes some way to explain this!

[Sarah977]

@Iryna52  If guests used the value rating correctly, rather than it indicating that they'd have preferred to stay for free, don't appreciate anything, and are clueless about the work and expenses that go into hosting, it wouldn't be a bad rating category.

For instance, while many hosts really aren't charging enough for what they provide, whether that is due to high competition in their area, following Airbnbs absurd price tips, or simply undervaluing their own time and effort, there are others who are charging more than they deserve.

I had a very nice guest who has used Airbnb a lot, and when he left his review (all 5*s), he sent a private message that said, "That was one of the best Airbnb stays I've had. You wouldn't believe the crap some people list and actually expect money for".

I don't agree that value is something guests can assess when they book. The place may look nice in photos, and provide the amenities advertised, but in reality the bed is uncomfortable, the pillows old and flat, the sheets pilly, the towels scratchy and stained, the cookware old scratched up teflon, etc.

If they've picked the cheapest listing out there, the price of a hostel room or less, they really have nothing to complain about re value, but that isn't always the case.

[Iryna52]

Thank u 

I don’t fee along anymore in this 

thank u all!! 

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  It's not possible for a "value" rating to have any use to guests comparing listings, because they don't know how much previous guests have paid. But Airbnb does have the data showing how price correlates to value rating, and in turn they can feed that data into the Smart Pricing algorithm. 

And as @Colleen253 said, fear of a low value rating might make new hosts feel pressured to underprice their listings. I don't know if that's an intended effect though. Even if that rating didn't exist, guests who felt they got poor value would just be critical in other areas.

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  I agree with your points. As you know, I think all star ratings are essentially useless, and should be eliminated, as they are entirely subjective and other guests looking at them have no idea why those ratings were given.

What is 5*clean to an 18 year old backpacker may be 2* clean to an OCD 50 year old who pulls the fridge out to check for dust bunnies.

What I was really addressing was the idea that value is something guests can assess when they book. As long as they don't just think everything should be cheaper, value is dependent on what a guest actually experiences in the listing. 

If I buy an expensive appliance, rather than the cheaper version, because I assume it will be higher quality and last longer, only to find out that it breaks the instant the warranty runs out, I haven't received good value. That's not something I can assess when I first purchase that item.

Location yes, as long as the host has descibed the location accurately, a guest is responsible for choosing it- to mark it down because they would have liked it to be closer to the beach or the nightclub district is insane.

[Iryna52]

I get your point . 
But look... 

we had people staying for Christmas and those dates usually higher price and get booked quicker

so... we did ask for those dates more and later... guest looked on the other dates ( dead month) and gave us low railing on value because it’s cheaper later on the year 

 Really? 

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  I totally agree with you on star ratings - they're nothing but a detriment to the joy of hospitality. 

But I kind of see the value equation the opposite way. The moment when I decide to place a booking is the only moment when I can really make an assessment of its "value," at least in the WTP sense. I'll never know what the host's overhead costs are or how an objective appraisal would price the listing, so even after the stay I won't be qualified to rate its market value. All I can really know is whether I'm willing to pay the listed price for what's on offer.

After that, it all comes down to accuracy, which already has a rating category. As long as the experience delivered what the listing said it would, its value remains equal to what I agreed to pay when I booked it. If it didn't meet my expectations, the problem belongs to a different assessment category than value:  the issue is not what was charged, but rather what was provided. Just the same, if I feel an expensive appliance was poor value because it broke down too quickly, my actual complaint would be of its durability. I'd still be unqualified to determine its value.

[Iryna52]

Okay 

how about we have another property in very expensive area and prices are high there  ( $16000 property tax) but house is small 

new but small.  Only 2 listings in whole  town. 
people come and it’s only 3 bedrooms and it’s 1.5 bath value goes to 1 star 

is it fare ? 

[Iryna52]

Thank u 

I don’t feel so along with this anymore 

we invested  $200000 in our last property. 
listing shows all in and out and than low on value or location? 
what does it mean? It’s not printed maps  and u don’t know where u go?
hello? Not anymore!!!!

People can see where the house is so... location and ... pictures of the house and value if they smart enough... 

[Cheryl741]

This may be an older topic but I got dinged on value for a guest who otherwise thought everything was great--I get the impression that they would have just preferred to stay for free. What can be added to a listing description to indicate its value and suggest that it should be valued? As others have said, dropping my price is not the answer, since it isn't worth it to go any lower.

[Sarah977]

@Cheryl741  Don't concern yourself with this. Ratings are totally subjective and like you say, some guests simply think they should always have gotten it for less. There's nothing you can say in your listing to change this, IMO.