Big Flaws in Airbnb Review System!

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

Big Flaws in Airbnb Review System!

As I'm hosting more and more guests and delve into each review that I receive and give, I find that there are quite a few major flaws in Airbnb review system. I do think that Airbnb should reconsider it and maybe seek to revise it--

 

1) Lenient Hosts and Inaccurately Positive Reviews of Guests

 

I have found that many fellow hosts are too lenient to their guests and thus leave inacurately positive reviews for their guests. For example, I have had a guest whose reviews from previous hosts indicate that he is "a joy to host," and leaves the room clean and tidy. Only one review expresses the host's "disappointment." The fact of the matter is that this guest is not a joy to host, but turns out to be a pain in the ass. Also, I have received tips on writing reviews from some fellow hosts that ask me to write polite words while ascribe their misconduct to "language and cultural differences."

 

2) Irrational Star Rating for Location

 

The location of my place cannot be better. I purchased this house only because of its location, and my realtor reminded me "location, location, location!" However, I don't know why two of my previous guests gave my location 4 stars. Was it just because my place was not next door to their faroroute tourist attraction? How do you evluate location? What's the criteria? I think this is way too subjective!

 

3) Cross-Reviews?

 

This has happened a couple of times. While my place is immacurately clean, one guest would give the cleanliness 4 stars only because another guest did not keep the bathroom clean after use. I have announced in my House Mannual that I do clean the guest bathroom on a daily basis, but I'm UNABLE to clean it after everyone, so I would ask all guests to maintain the cleanliness. Most of my guests would clean the bathroom after their use, but one or two have been really really inconsiderate and untidy, leaving stains, water and fallen head and body hair everywhere. This has affected others' stay. It turns out that two previous guests leave feedback (one made it public and one in private) about the problematic cleanliness of the guest bathroom caused by his/her fellow guest.

 

I feel that it will be probably hard for Airbnb to think of a better way to resolve these issues, but I do think that as hosts we are vulnerable, we open our home to strangers, and we need more objective and fair reviews. Currently, it seems that guests have more control over the review system than hosts.

 

Any ideas???

 

26 Replies 26

@Branka-and-Silvia0

 

So true. I agree most guests fall into grey areas and are hard to review in a few words. But we need to let other hosts know what they should expect. For example, some guests may take over your kitchen and you have to starve till then finish their slow cooking...

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

And, by the way this post was meant to explore if there is any better way to evaluate/review hosts than the current system, NOT about taking negative reviews. For example, shall we change "location" in the star rating to "convenience (to transit, groceries)?" Shall we offer a 1-10 scale with 1 being "extremely unsatisfied" and 10 "extremely satisfied?" The 1-10 scale will do better than 5 star rating.

@Huaai0

Comment re: the location question..... this is a complex one isn't it. The only thing about your suggested change to conveniences and closeness to transit/groceries etc... it what about the listings that are in the middle of nowhere? Would they automatically get a 1 star rating as they are not near anything? It seems that location means different things to guests - and then you have to add on the factor of the guests who just don't know how to read a map - even when it is right in front of them!

Maybe if there was a short definition sentence to help the reviewing guest..... can you think of what a good explanation line might be?

 

Best Wishes.

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

Well I perceive great location as closeness to public transit and amenities, and my place applies to this perception. But two previous guests gave my location 4 stars, and I do not have a clue why. One was visiting a cyber friend, and maybe my place was not close to his cyber friend's house. The other was probably like one who primarily visits Manhatton but chooses to stay at an airbnb in New Jersey, so the value is good but not location, regardless of the fact that the airbnb in New Jersey is in a great location. Airbnb should add notes to its star rating system to give guests a better idea of what is considered a good location. 

It's all relative to the guest's expectations and how it matches their experience. Many guests want a location that is close to what they came to see or do. What is "close" to one person, may be "far" for another. The best we can do is be accurate in our listing descriptions. It's unfortunate that some guests will mark us down for location, when they're the ones who made the choice of where to stay.  

 

Some guests want to be central to where the action is. While for others, a good location is a place that is peaceful and quiet, off the beaten path. Those who come to town for business or for a conference want easy access to their work site. Some want to be in a place that has good walkability, for taking a pleasant stroll or for getting to nearby sites.

 

Our place is in a smaller city next to a larger city in an adjoining state. Unfortunately ABB groups the listings in our city as part of that larger city. Some guests from afar will book in our town, thinking they are booking in the bigger city or because they plan to spend most of their time in the bigger city. Some are disappointed because we're not on the same transit system as the other city or that there's a river with a bridge to cross or they get stuck in rush hour traffic when venturing over there. So in my listing, I try to make it clear that we are in a separate town with our own sites to see and things to do, as well tips for getting the most out of their stay and for venturing further away.  I also try to give accurate information as to how far it is to the natural wonders of our area, such as the scenic river gorge, mountains, and ocean beaches.

 

Once a guest requested to book our place, because they were going to a conference in downtown Vancouver - CANADA. I quickly let her know we were in Vancouver -USA, six hours to the south!  There was another guest who wanted to be close to the homes of their relatives and I encouraged him to check out other ABB listings closer to that neighborhood.  I'm able to help guests avoid making a "location" mistake, by conversing with them in the message thread and ferreting out the purpose of their trip and what they need/want. However, still there are guests who say everything is perfect... or even rave about the location.... and still give less than a 5 star rating for that category.

Gary-And-Rose0
Level 7
Chemainus, Canada

My thought is give honest and subjective reviews.

 

I think we would all appreciate knowing who we are inviting into our home and can then decide if the "flaws" are something we can live with. 

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

@Gary-And-Rose0

I find the review system of www.booking.com reallly helps a lot, and also of amazon.com/ca If the reviews are good, than it must be good. But how reliable is Airbnb's review system? I don't think the current review system reflects the host/guest accurately because of 1) too many wonderful reviews about guests, and some some host considers "a joy to host" turns out to be a pain in the ass to host. 

Betty-B--M-0
Level 10
Nairobi, Kenya

@Huaai0 if not already done, use the "Reply" section in reviews that guests posts. You can explain some of the issues guests raise and if you do it in a dignified way, major points to you! 

Judy29
Level 9
Brant, Canada

Flaws????  I think the review system is beyond flaws with Airbnb.  I am sick of spending hours changing and cleaning linens, bleaching the bathroom and kitchen, scrubbing floors and windows and making sure the 1,100 square foot cottage is prestine and smelling new for every new guest.  AND FOR WHAT?...the next guest to say the cottage is too small, the bed is too hard (cause they only sleep on super soft mattress at home), or the bathroom is not big enough (cause they have a 12'x12' ensuite at their home) or perhaps the 'one' dish in the cupboard that was not put back without egg yolk that was overlooked because of the extra time to repaint the  hole in the wall, or prying chewing gum out of the new carpet!

 

I cant see or speak to these strangers before they book..who are they...Goldie Locks and/or the three bears? ..or the three little PIGS? As Hosts we are trashed and loose our Super host status because someone had a bad day, or it rained during their stay and couldnt enjoy an outting.  One guest spent a weekend drinking and cutting coke on our new butcher block counter leaving expensive damages to repair and then gave us a 3 star because she didnt like our gardens.  The last guest left our front door locked but wide open (Knowing we are away for a week and promised to leave things in perfect condition...NOT).  After looking at their other host reviews , it was obvioius that they are hugh complainers if they didnt get the 5 star review...and there were very few  handed them.  Smokers are the absolute worst guests as they do not realize how bad they smell and the odour that lingers when they leave.  Often they smoke by the open windows thinking this is not considered inside.  Im so fed up with Airbnb which is the biggest takeover in the BNB business.  Reviews can be unreliable and untrue and able to ruin a reputation in less than one sentence. 

 

There should be manditory community inspections ie, Fire Department-alarms systems, Board of Health-clean water, proper bathroom and kitchen facilities, associations established to make sure accommodations are properly furnished.  This is what a true BNB is all about...not just someone with an extra bedroom, or the idea to add a "basement apartment" for additional income.  There is a shortage of affordable housing that is now gobbled up by the take over of this hospitatlity service that is also affecting Hotel business.  People are renting apartments and turning them into tourist accommodations for huge profit, all the while feeding into the fat pockets of those running Airbnb.

 

So today my little house on the river is being sold and I am out of this business after 27 years!  I had a nice little business and enjoyed meeting wonderful people from around the world...most with wonderful memories...until I joined Airbnb...and it then became a costly nightmare.  Thank you Airbnb...Judy has left the building!

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

@Huaai0. I agree. The review system is SERIOUSLY flawed. And this will become more and more evident when the new standards are rolled out this summer and hosts and super hosts drop below 4.7 / 4.8 and are threatened with being suspended or delisted. I did a post today entitled 'Review System Needs To Be Revised'. I'm getting feedback before posting an edited version on Host Voice. Would love to have your thoughts / input as well. 

Zon0
Level 3
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

AIrbnb system is beyone flawed it is not repairable. accoding to airbnb  a guest can admite he or she has accidentally put in the wrong star rating. Airbnbn will not change it .they will just remove only  if the guest calls and askes. Airbnb will not even accecpt in wirting on the plafrom that the guest made a mistake. This is a big faliure as most guest on airbnb are new or only used the platform once most proably 1 year prior.  If the review is removed it does not remove the star rating accoding to airbnb. What? How can 50 % of a review be left on the staticis.  I have hosted  over 3000 guest , 1500 booking and have a 96 percent 5 star rating. Had the mistakes been fixed i would be runing at 99 percent 5 star rating. that a 3 percent faliure rate, sorry but that 3 percent can be the diffecence between a   4 Star in all the rating optiones we are judged on and a 5 sta .   Why is this such a big deal you aks? how abou he fact airbnb advertise your property based upon your ratings. how about the face airbn can kick you off the platfor if you drop to low.  You can not have a bad  day on airbnb vbeacuse you are arelady loosing from the time you start taking bookings. To allow case mangers to fix these ratings when its in wrting would solve all these probelms.Sombody please tell me why   billion doller comapny will not fix this issue.

John1574
Level 10
Providence, RI

 @Huaai0  @Robin

 

This thread touches on a topic near and dear to my heart: the half-assed review system set up by AirBnB. But just, you should remember, no one reads reviews at AirBnB: there is no room full of dedicated people pouring over each and every one of your reviews, hosts or guests in a quest for fairness or even improving the quality of the experience – it’s all run by artificial intelligence (AI) and it’s called artificial intelligence for a reason, aye, therein lies the rub. No person at AirBnB reads a review unless there is a complaint.

 

What I enjoy about this thread is reading the discourse between the original poster,  Huaai,  and Robin. That is some **bleep** good discourse. Hats off to youse

 

While I don’t have a home sharing business (mine is a stand-alone unit), I would think that cleanliness would be the most important factor in hosting, either way. I offer a spotlessly clean unit for my accommodation, and I believe that approach is responsible so far for my success, the little success I’ve experienced.

 

My AirBnB is much cleaner than my own home: I love a mess. But travelers value a place that feels safe and comfortable, and nothing conveys that feeling like cleanliness.

 

The paragraph I quote below to me illustrates the problem described by Huaai

 

"While my place is immacurately clean, one guest would give the cleanliness 4 stars only because another guest did not keep the bathroom clean after use. I have announced in my House Mannual that I do clean the guest bathroom on a daily basis, but I'm UNABLE to clean it after everyone, so I would ask all guests to maintain the cleanliness. Most of my guests would clean the bathroom after their use, but one or two have been really really inconsiderate and untidy, leaving stains, water and fallen head and body hair everywhere. This has affected others' stay. It turns out that two previous guests leave feedback (one made it public and one in private) about the problematic cleanliness of the guest bathroom caused by his/her fellow guest."

 

Excuse me, but I think that a host offering accomadations of any kind has an obligation to insure the cleanlness of their accomadations. Anything short of that invites problems.

 

But what's that got to do with the half-assed AirBnB review system -- nothing!

 

 My pet peeve on reviews is "LOCATION & VALUE." So subjective.

 

My AirBnB has been in it's location since about the 1880's. It's a **bleep** good location. I've been dinged a star because a guest may see a black person walking down the street, most likely a grad-student, and some people who aren't familiar with urban life, not used to seeing people of races different from their own see that as a negative. What that has to do with location is a stretch when you really think about it.

 

Another guest dinged me a star because she came to Rhode Island for the beaches: problem is there are no beaches in the city of Providence -- she had to drive 30 minutes to a beach every day. Bad location!

 

How can AirBnB control for that? Eliminate the category. Or rephrase the question into "Is the location where it was advertised to be? Was the map accurate? For LOCATION, it should be "buyer beware" because the location is fully disclosed by the adress and the map right after booking.

 

As for VALUE, a couple with a dog can stay at my 2 bed, 1000 sq ft, Frazier House, fully furnished and stocked with food, for about $150 per night.  If you could find a hotel suite like that , how much would it cost per night? It's not even a feasible question for no hotel accomdations, similiar, outside of major world cities, exist.

 

The value of an AirBnB should be compared to the comparable available accommodations in the local motel/hotel industry.

 

After a guest leaves my AirBnB I send them a SAVED MESSAGE called, My AirBnB Review Primer from a Hosts Perspective.

 

In my primer I explain how the reviews are run by algorithmn and not read by people and how misleading the AirBnB guideines are for guests; for instance, implying that 4 Stars means GOOD, when AirBnB requires 4.8 stars for Super Host status.

 

Here's a sample of my primer:

 

Dear Guests,

 

We hope you enjoyed your stay at the Frazier House, and we wish you happy and safe travels where-ever your road may lead.

 

If you wish to leave a review of our accommodations, we encourage you to leave a fair review with AirBnb and we will in return leave you a fair review.  We usually wait until notification that the guest has written a review before we write our review. If you do not wish to leave a review that is alright too. We usually write one anyway for good guests.. 

 

The review period lasts 14 days: after 14 days neither party can write a review.  If only one party writes a review that review goes live after 14 days.

 

But before you decide on leaving a review or not, please read the brief primer I wrote explaining the review process from the host's perspective.  And thanks for reading,

 

Well, it goes on from there in great detail on the review process and specifically covers my pet -peeves, Location and Value. It is not all that brief.  But guests seem to enjoy reading it and taking it into consideration.

 

I find this approach to be most effective.

 

If anyone is interested in reading the  entire lengthy primer, and adapting it to their own use,  I'd be glad to share it. Simply pm me and I will send it to you in it's entirety for you to edit to your own personal specs.