Im having a BIG problem with the new policy to not order the reviews chronologically so that 1 unfavorable review from the worst guest I had in 5 years (out of most 5 star 51 reviews) keeps showing up at the top of my page while 5 great reviews are buried on page 4-5 where NO ONE will ever see them. Also makes it look like not many people stayed with me this year. Nobody at Airbnb can tell me WHY they changed this or how it's supposed to help Hosts get bookings when if fact it's HURTING hosts like me. I haven't had an inquiry in 32 days and this is NOT normal.. will cancel my account and go to Homeaway or VBRO if someone doesn't listen to me!
Any suggestions out there?
Response from Airbnb
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Your experience as a host matters, and we’re constantly looking for ways to support your hosting success. You’re noticing that reviews are being sorted a bit differently than they had before. Here’s what’s changed and why:
We’re sorting reviews by language and country first so that when a traveler looks at your listing, they see reviews by your previous guests who either speak their language or are from their same country. This way when a French traveler looks at your listing, they’ll see all your reviews from French guests first, in chronological order—and then they’ll see the rest of your reviews, also in order. The intention is to help travelers find the reviews most accessible and relevant to them. So, not all travelers will see the same lineup of reviews.
This new sorting method does not take into account the review rating or sentiment of guest feedback, and we don’t intentionally surface poor reviews.
We made this change because we found that allowing guests to see reviews they understand helps them make a more informed decision and increases the chances you’ll get a booking. We’ll continue to take your feedback and concerns into consideration as we build and improve Airbnb with you in mind.
The Airbnb Team