Location in the host rating review system is not fair

[Riccardo52]

Why should a guest valuate the position of the house when is recognizible by the map or by the address through google maps or similia?

This just distort the rating system, I lost twice my superhost status just because some guests haven't read carefully the listing (where every time or movement from or to the stations/citycentre... is described) and give me four stars insted of five. It happend just with the position. 

[Katka0]

I agree with this, after all the guests have an option to rate a host on the accuracy of the listing so if they think that we haven´t described the location properly they can say so in this way.

The location rating is really misleading, because guests often book properties for a better price which are (of course) outside of the city centre (otherwise you would charge more), but then they rate you based on the fact that you are not bang in the centre. Not fair.

[Steven-and-Alex0]

I agree- I was so disappointed today to see that a guest had rated a 4 for location.  First of all it's in the historic center- and guests know exactly where it is- they choose it for that reason.  I find it odd that I should get marked down for something that I don't control, and also that the guest clearly chose.    I only have 4 reviews EVERYTHING- communication, cleanliness, etc EVERYTHING 5- and only one 4 because someone didn't like the location they chose? 

[Emily96]

YES!

We just had a group who wanted to stay in the city of Atlanta, but their budget was tight. So, they stayed with us, in a larger place, further away in the north Atlanta suburbs (ours) in Marietta, GA. We gave them the full hospitality experience, met them in person, brought them a treat of donuts to share, even gave them complimentary late checkout.

When they left us a review, they gave us low rating for location.

This is like giving your hotel a bad review for not being closer to the beach, but you stayed in Illinois. How is the location that you chose our problem? Why can guests give low scores for this? It doesn't seem equitable.

The same particular guest complained that the house was smaller than it seemed from pictures. We have over EIGHTY pictures in our listing, and one of the most detailed listing descriptions I've ever come across. Again, being given a low score because someone was not paying attention to the listing before booking does not seem equitable.

Now, we can expect that our Superhost status will be taken away at the next assessment because of this. Eight quarters in a row, down the drain because of one thoughtless guest.

If you could please review the rating criteria and think about how it works, perhaps evolve it a bit, that would be great for hard-working hosts such as my husband and I. We derive a good chunk of our income from our rental. We are meticulous hosts. We keep our Airbnb fully stocked and regularly replace items such as linens with new.

[Ryan27]

I agree with what other hosts have mentioned above and have had similar issues.  Guests should have evaluated the location prior to booking, so if they weren't happy with where THEY chose, it shouldn't be held against me.  My listing price reflects my location.

[Helen56]

Yes, I agree.  Please remove this star rating, or not have it affect our status.  

We have no control over our location, and guests can clearly see on the map where we are.  

If they don't know how to find out the distance to places on google maps before they arrive they can just message and ask.

Luckily I'm in a fairly useful location, but it really depends on where the guest needs to go while they are here.

[Hans--Sandra-and-Son0]

Basically I agree with you. From my experience guests make their rating about the location based on two factors:

1 - distance/commute to city center/point of interest (Here I absolutely agree with you. Guests can get an idea about the location on a map and so THEY make the decision if they like the location or not. In most cases they decide to take a accommodation far from the city center to save money.)

2 - neighborhood/cleanliness/shopping (These are factors which can not be evaluated on a map easily. So it makes sense for guests to review the location.)

But I think guests should be educated that the location evaluation should be clearly FOCUSED about what the neighborhood is about in regards to the cleanliness and safety of your area and if there are plenty of shopping opportunities or if you have to walk for miles to get a coke.

Not in regards to the travel time to the city center. Again, the travel time to the city center is also kind of reflected by the price per night. So you cannot expect to get a cheap accommodation and a short commute to the city center. That's what some guests are mixing up.

[Susan222]

Agree totally.....the only ratings that I have not got 5 stars on are 'location'. My details of times/km etc...to certain places are very accurate so what are the guests rating me down on?

Did they just not like the location? This should not be a factor in respect to location. Surely 'location' details apply to the distance and time it takes to get somewhere?

In addition, (and I have brought this up seperately) I cannot see which guests are rating me down on location so cannot find out why and do somethign to improve the situation

[Amani0]

Agreed. My house is 10 minutes from downtown Atlanta, walking distance to the subway, grocery store and fast food restaurants. In terms of accessibility, it's an excellent location. But many guests knock us on location because the neighborhood is predominantly black and up and coming. While we describe the neighborhood well in the listing, many people don't read it and expect the city to look and feel like the suburbs. They're not rating the location but their sense of comfort here, which is determined by their own preconceived notions of crime and safety. In that sense, the location rating is not only unhelpful, but also punitive and discriminatory.