"VALUE" reviews as Hosts

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"VALUE" reviews as Hosts

I just submitted feedback to Airbnb but need to rant a bit as a host. I work full time and we have 3 Airbnbs we host to pay for our home, mortgage, etc. 2 in our home and one in our guest house. We live in a nice area of Los Angeles with rising real estate. The homes in our area are starting off at $3-4 Million for a new home and at least $1.5-$2M for an older home. The houses here are expensive. Period.

We work really hard as hosts to keep our home. I clean my own rooms. I bake snacks. We are super hosts and try hard for 5 star reviews and to give our guests a great experience. However I've gotten a couple reviews of less than 5 stars on VALUE. Cause am not charging a ridiculous cheap rate for my room in my expensive area. If I were to do that- I wouldn't make any money. Rent is so high in our area that honestly we are probably going to stop hosting and rent instead cause we would make more money and never have to be reviewed. So when I host and have to go down to something like hostel rate to be considered VALUE, it makes me upset. Especially when the hotel down the street costs 3 times as much. 

When guests are ranking us as hosts- I think Airbnb should change the VALUE section of the review. When you think of VALUE you think of- am I getting something CHEAPER than what it is worth? Like going to Walmart and the 99 cent store and getting a deal. I know I should be paying $50 for this purse but its $25- so that is a value. Not Louis Vuitton. Not Prada. You don't consider it a VALUE. Never would you associate something of high quality with value. No one ever says I got a VALUE Louis Vuitton. Instead that is QUALITY. Value implies that us as hosts, we have to cheapen our homes. Am I getting a stay that should be $300 for $150- wow I am- that is great value! Here are 5 stars! Its completely unfair as hosts to be ranked on VALUE. 

1 Best Answer
Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Angelina-And-Preston0  Ugh.  I hate the cheapskates who mark down for value.  

 

In @Branka-and-Silvia0's answer is the solution.  Raise the rates, raise the quality of guests, raise the stars.

View Best Answer in original post

29 Replies 29

Thank you for this great suggestion!!! I will definitely do this! 

Ann489
Level 10
Boise, ID

@Angelina-And-Preston0  as Branka& Silvia already mentioned...nothing is more subjective than "value" and ""location".   I wish, Airbnb would simply do away with these two useless categories.  As hosts we are more and more exected to go the extra mile(bake cookies, provide breakfast, etc), and yet there seems to be very little benefit from it.   We also got dinged on both a few times.  Mostly, by those high-maintenance guests who want more and pay less.   I have learned to just let it slide(and add them to my blacklist of people I'd rather not host again).  😉

Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

@Angelina-And-Preston0 

The price of your home has nothing to do with value. 

The quality of your home/neighborhood/service is what creates value.

This is what guests want - not to know your house costs 4 million dollars.

I've lived and owned in California. So many people are obsessed with housing values - It's really boring. 

Please isolate California's neuroses from your guest's experience.

Cormac0
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Angelina-And-Preston0 

 

It’s simple, the price charged should have some economic basis, in reality, it doesn’t!

 

Airbnb doesn't care what price we receive so long as they make money on it, even if it's only a nickel there quid’s in, while we, on the other hand, are out of pocket.

 

When I realised that the income Airbnb was generating for me was less than the monthly rental price in the round, I pulled my listings, I did not even factor in my time and effort in running the enterprise.

 

Eighty per cent of Host’s are being exploited by Airbnb whether they realise it or not, you have awoken from the Airbnb BS and propaganda, unfortunately, this awakening was not as the consequence of a kiss on the lips from a Prince, but rather from a goblin that wants to steal our gold.

 

Hopefully, more host will realise that Airbnb is undervaluing there homes and hospitality and take corrective action as I did.

 

 

The only pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is for Airbnb’s top brass and Host need to wake up.

 

If you work for nothing you'll never be idol.

Lynn59
Level 2
Selsey, United Kingdom

I totally agree, the whole review system is very unfair and in flexible.

I have had 5 star reviews consistently for the last 2 half years, yet one guest gave me 4 stars for Value and my overall rating has gone down to 4.5 stars.

I am in a very competitve area and since my overall rating has gone down to 4.5 stars I have'nt had a single booking. I have done a lot of research and my  prices are comparable to similar properties in the area if a little lower. It's coming up for peak season and I'm very worried. I have spoken to Airbnb support but they just say they can't change it...... very unhelpful and frustrating!

Andrea1912
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

I agree. I have the same - our cottage isn’t ‘cheap’ but it’s a lovely place for our guests to stay and like you, I look after the place and bake for guests, just to enhance their experience. Like you say you don’t go to Chanel for a cheap value bag - you go for a lovely treat and something special. I think Airbnb could change this setting. 

David6
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Angelina-And-Preston0 

 

So many times we get hit for value. Some even blame us for the costs in London. One guest left in the review ‘forgotten how expensive London is.’ 

 

I actually  got so frustrated I uploaded a picture to all my listings showing the prices of 1 night in nearby hotels. But of course Airbnb send me a warning & removed the images.... 

Jess78
Level 10
Eugene, OR

Question - Why on earth would you Airbnb which creates so much work for you when you can rent longer term and make more money?  If you don’t want super long term tenants think about traveling nurses and sabbatical listing. 

 

I’m with Cormac. Over the 5 years I’ve been doing this, air has become more profitable for the company, less profitable for me, and has put ALL this risk on my side with their lack of respect for what hosts need. stopping air this month and I’m so happy about it!

JR26
Level 3
Wilmington, NC

I too have been hit by the value quality. A lot of visitors to my town never price shop and are completely unaware that my suite is 1/3 the price of hotel rooms blocks away. Even though I am one of the most economical AirBnB's in town, they often judge me against prices they would expect to pay in faraway towns, that are not vacation landmarks nor in a housing shortage after a natural disaster! I think keeping price comparison sheets would be a great idea but even hotel prices vary from day-of-week to time of booking.

@JR26     I doubt price comparison sheets would make much, if any,  difference.  Some people are just never appreciative or satisfied.  If they stayed in a 5-star ultra luxe place with a price to match they would find something to complain about. You are obviously doing a lot right, you have a ton of great reviews.  If many people dinged you for value, I might say your prices are too low. For some reason the lower the price the higher the expectation.

Kristi5
Level 9
Washington, United States

Wow!! I am SO glad to be reading this. I to got dinged just recently by a guest for value. I look around where we are and you cannot get a private room, with a kitchen, with no shared bath WITH free parking for what I charge. And somehow all of this equals a 4 rating in value?! SMH.

Whateva. I have to not get my knee jerk reaction moving and respond back to the dude when he writes "Awesome place! In walking distance of everything we could have wanted in our trip! Thanks!" I wanted to say "so ........... exactly what part of that doesn't equal a valuable part of your night's stay in the apartment??"  

UGH.  'Nuff said. 

Thanks for venting.  Keep on Truckin'

@Angelina-And-Preston0 

 

I am in the same boat as you are. Expensive area, the most expensive in our town - but not in downtown - just 15 minutes by foot or 2 metro stations. And I now and then am given 4 stars for location. In order not to have it so often - I dropped the price - and my price is now much lower than I will receive if I rent the flat. Branka and Sylvia are not right - location and every category is counted for the overall rating - otherwise I will have 100%, but now I have 96% as some of my guests were complaining of location in the subcategory - accuracy...

 

Several times I dicussed that question on the forum. I think there is only one solution - airbnb to hire local brokers to rank the accomodations. Just as hotels have ranking - 1-2-3-4-5 stars. In this way you could be Superhost to a 4-stars flat or room and your price would be supposed to be in a given range, just as hotels are. And then you can offer sale prices - just as hotels do.    

Louise-And-Martin0
Level 2
Faro District, Portugal

I recently got 4 stars for value.  I offer breakfast which is described in my listing however on this occasion, we added some little extras that we had.  3 guests in a private room with a private bathroom, bottle water and sweets in the room.   Bathroom cleaned every day and the cost was 106.72 euros for 4 nights!  When I queried (very politely) with the guest why the 4 stars, she said it was because the charges levied by air bnb made it expensive! So I get a lower value rating because of air bnb charges! How is that fair? Same guest also gave me 4 stars for communication as her party did not speak English, only Portuguese and Spanish.  I speak English and Portuguese but was not present during check in however there was a fluent Portuguese, French and English speaker on hand at check in and I was at the end of messenger continually checking with my guests that all was ok with them.   Can’t win em all I guess.  

Krys0
Level 2
Orlando, FL

My rustic treehouse cabin on the lake has a 4.7 rating. At $70 a night in Orlando, with firepit, canoe, paddle boards, sleeps 4, full kitchen, bath and washer/dryer, it is perfect for outdoor living folks.  A 1 star on value and 2 on location from a group of very young boys from Miami who have probably never been away from home before has soured me on this rating system. Another 1 star on location came from a woman who was afraid of the Florida lizards. Seriously. 

Amber279
Level 2
Milwaukee, WI

I am experiencing this too. My place is sooooooooo much better of a value than a hotel. And people will write CRAZY things like-I wish it had this. WELL it doesnt and that was made clear in the listing. It makes me want to scream.