Hi Fellow Hosts,
I just saw a warning from Airbnb that if my rating falls below 4, my listing could be suspended.
I want to point out 3 things:
1. Mine is the most booked place in my area (clearly guests prefer it even though I'm not a super host with a 5 star rating) becuase I offer homecooked food at a remote hills station and have a the most reasonable pricing.
2. Getting a 4+ rating in India is a tough job because most Indians often expect to get a lot for the price that they pay. Giving a 5/5 is not our culture. Even if you write everything correct in an exam, our teachers always deduct a point for poor handwriting or something silly coz 10/10 is not a thing here. It's a belief that marking something 10/10 (or 5/5 in this case) means that's the end of improvement. Thus GETTING A 5 STAR REVIEW IS A MIRCLE.
3. I have a 100% Response Rate and 98% Commitment Rate (because I had to cancel an instant booking once and I was under the impression that hosts aren't penalized for 3 IB cancellations.).
- Accuracy/Comminication/Checkin are all 4.5+.
- Location is 4.3 and there's nothing I can do about it, can't move my house to another place, can I? I give detailed instructions, goolge maps link, and also walk down to the main road to receive guests if they are dumb enough to not know how to use navigation.
- Value is 4.3 and there's not much I can do about it, like stated in point 2 guests here aren't very giving. It's a cultural thing, most don't even say thank you while checking out.
- Cleanliness is something I can work on, but it rains 6 months and is cold for 4 months making walls and tree trunks and pathways kindof moist, it's a known common problem in our town, plus ours is a old house and I'm not making so much from Airbnb that I can demolish and rebuild the entire bunglow. I ensure that the lines, towels, washrooms are all hygenic and the house smells fresh.
My point being, is it fair for Airbnb to threaten to suspend the most booked place with the maximum reviews (63) that's trying to provide a facility for tourists at a difficult place which tourists prefer just because it does not match it's International Standards of Hospitality? I'm not running a 5 star Hilton or Marker here. This is my home and I feel that these standards are unrealistic.
What do you guy feel?
Deeply dissapointed,
Jeet
