Call for more attention to composing guest reviews!!!

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Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

Call for more attention to composing guest reviews!!!

Hi all,

 

Although I have seen posts providing tips about composing and evaluating guest reviews here and there on the forum, I still would like to start a thread to call for more attention to composing guest reviews!

 

The reason is because I have seen too many positive guest reviews, some of which may not truthfully reflect the guest's personlaity, lifestyle, manners and behaviours. General and vague reviews may mislead other hosts, let alone inaccurate reviews.

 

- Everyone has an issue in some sense. Instead of saying he or she is a joy to host, you should identify what strikes you most about this guest's personality, lifestyle, manners and behaviours. For example, if this guest is super friendly, clean and tidy, but tends to take over your kitchen by cooking too much, this can be a non- issue to some hosts, but can be an issue to some others. So, it would be great if you could state it in your review for the sake of other hosts. 

 

- If the guest is not terrible and not wonderful either, it is more important to be as descriptive as possible, because we want to know who is going to enter our open house! Many guests I guess would fall into this category and we gotta be more careful about what we put in the review. 

 

- Be specific in your review so we can determine if we can handle this guest's issue or not. For example, I see that one of my guests' revious review indicates this group is "diasppointing." How? In what areas? As a matter of fact, when I'm hosting him, he IS disappointing! I only regret 1) that I did not track his previous reviews further 2) did not ask the previous host to elaborate what about his guest disappointed him. 

 

Truly important.

 

 

 

1 Best Answer
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Huaai0 it is possible, but I think more likely it is their way of weeding out the hosts with listings that aren't really available or very rarely available. Of course, those hosts could simply block the unavailable dates, but there are circumstances where you're not 100% sure. For example, I'm currently waiting on confirmation of a work trip taking place in a couple of months time, but the person organising it is on a long holiday so I'm having to wait a few weeks. In the meantime, I'm getting lots of requests for those exact dates.

 

I don't to block them because it's only a short trip and I could lose longer bookings. I'm okay with leaving guests longer term guests here with my housemate, but I can't do check in on those dates.

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159 Replies 159
Jo13
Level 10
Durban, South Africa

@Momi0

 

Aloha Momi,

 

Thank you for your humorous, interesting and infromative posts! I always learn a lot from you. 🙂

 

-Jo

@Jo13   What a nice surprise to have you find me on Social Media!  I enjoyed the chat very much. You absolutely made my day!  I am glad that I was able to help you during that Live chat as well as through this CC.   Thank you for taking the time to post this very sweet message....I am still smiling even though another host just posted a criticism of me a few minutes ago.  But you know what they say....."If they are talking about you, then MY life must be interesting right?!"  LOL!!!!!

 

by the way, you are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!  

 

EDITED:  to correct typo

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


@Momi0I want Airbnb mugs!!  How do I get them????

 

And I want to go to Hawaii to stay with @Momi1

 

@City-Limits-Ranch0  Hi Karen and Dink.....(not sure which one wrote me, but thank you for the chuckle and compliment.  I would  LOVE to host another Superhost.  I have hosted 3 already in the past 2 years.  And each one was an amazing experience.  I am still in touch with all 3 to this day too. Just sent a gift to one of them in New Zealand bc she loves loves Hawaiian coffee  A LOT!  haha

 

1.  You want coffee mugs huh?  LOL!!!!  Here's a great tip.....spend about 25+ hours a week promoting Airbnb on social media like I do and perhaps you will receive a lovely gift in the mail from the Airbnb Love Team.  yes, that's what they are called and they always write the sweetest hand written messages too when they send me and other hosts a gift.  (I post those gifts on my Social Medai as another way of promoting Airbnb, but the majority of my marketing is posting photos of Airbnb guests having a great time with me at my home, beach, hiking, etc.  EDITED TO ADD:  Keep doing what you are doing as a Superhost and I am sure they will send you mugs too.    

 

2.  Congrats on being a Superhost with 82 reviews.  I am catching up to you as I now have 79.  🙂

 

3.  As an animal lover myself (my dogs and cat rule our home), I really enjoyed seeing your listing photos.  So cuuuute

 

Stay in touch....and let me know when you can come for a visit....I recently lost 2 bookings from other Airbnb hosts bc I was already booked for July and September on the dates they wanted.  Bummers. But at least I was able to recommend another awesome Superhost for them in Hawai'i. 

 

Come enjoy a Momi's Marvelous Mango Margarita.....I serve them in the beautiful glasses that Airbnb sent me. Seems they really appreciate what I do on social media. :-))  

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

@David126@Momi0@Huma0@Zed0

 

No, Momi should start another website like Airbnb, maybe a competitor of Airbnb. Let's say www.momibnb.com? If Momi takes the lead, then maybe we can convince Keanu Reeves to be our investor!

 

We can't make Airbnb change or improve based on our comments here. The only thing we can do is to enourage more competitors in the market. 

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

I was writing multiple times on the CC that us hosts and guests are not that equal, though a couple of fellow hosts reaffirm that guests are as vulnerable, if not more, as us hosts.

 

However, I think hosts are more vulnerable in that --

 

1) Guests know where we live, but we don't know where the guests live.

 

2) Guests hold hosts hostage with the review, but hosts very rarely leave guests a negative review, with generally the most unfavourable review being "better suited for the hotel setting."

 

3) Guests may use Airbnb once a year; but us hosts use Airbnb 365 days a year.

 

4) Guests can easily set up a new account with an alternative email address, but hosts find it hard to create another listing with the same content.

 

5) Hosts can be lying, cheating, misrepresenting their places, but if three guests leave a negative review, then it will be a dead end to the host's hosting career. However, guests can be unrespectful and disruptive, but they can still get away with it. At least they can choose hotels the rest of his/her life!

Zed0
Level 4
Frome, United Kingdom

@Huaai0  I absolutely agree!

Natasha-And-Dale0
Level 6
Athabasca, Canada

I am definitely adopting Momis review star process...i have also had guests that were "fine" but oblivious to house rules. It's a great idea!

@Natasha-And-Dale0   What a huge compliment to read from you!!  Mahalo Nui Loa.  I'm glad to hear that my suggestions are going to be implemented by you.  Wish more hosts would do this.  Maybe I will start another new post conversation with this so more hosts will try to do it too since so many hosts wonder why they can't see the guests Stars in their review. It was a great idea passed onto me by another Superhost 2 years ago.  But I have taken that idea up a notch by adding another category to my review and here it is:  "How Much Fun Is This Guests To Have Around?" - here is the following reason why.....

 

1.  I host guests in my home.  Their private bedroom /private bathroom share the same hallway as my home office.  Our guests bedroom is nearest our front main door so we do walk past each other as they leave or enter.....our guests also join us on the weekend to eat breakfast together in the garden, but they are welcome to sit at another private table outside or inside at the dining room table. But the bottom line is, we share  A LOT of space with our guests.  Being that I host in my home, I get to know more about my guests and I can give that in depth details for other hosts who also host in their homes with PRIVATE ROOMS.  The guests who comes with a great Sense of Humor is definitely mentioned in this category because we love to tease, joke and laugh around our home.  And we enjoy a guests who does this with us. 

 

2.  A few months ago, we hosted a guest who didn't even say  "Hello" or "Goodbye"  to anyone in our family as she entered /left our home even though SHE clearly could see me in the kitchen because as she enters our garden door leading to our home, you can see me standing in the kitchen......if I didn't say hello first, she would have just walked past and said nothing, (she did many times) nor would she even offer up a "Good NIght"  as my family watched tv in the family room,  (my listing tells guests to join us if they like),  so that particular guests received 3 Stars for that cateogry because for us, SHE was just not much fun for us.  She never even used any of our names the entire 3 nights.  But she had no problem entering our living room asking for more ice for her water pitcher.

Talk about awkward.  So I gave that explanation for those 3 Stars in my review for other hosts because for some people, that's a great guest.  But our listing says we like to interact with our guests and get to know them.  We are in this for the ABB experience, not just the income.  Unfortunately, some people book bc of availability, room rate and my yummy breakfast being served every morning. She never even asked one question of any of us to get to know us but she definitely loved talking about how successful her business was at breakfast time.   I also gave her PRIVATE FEEDBACK that she could have at least thanked my husband during her stay for allowing her to be a guests in HIS HOME....that's a huge issue for me when a guests doesn't even acknowledge my husband at all.   I told her she could have been a more appreciative guest by taking a moment to thank my husband while he sat in the living room on any of her 3 given nights when she came in to ask him for more ice.  Manners are everything to us.   Guess we were hotel employees for 3 nights.

 

Its sad that a few people enter our home thinking its the front lobby of a hotel and can't be bothered to thank the very people who open their PRIVATE homes giving them a much more affordable option to stay in Hawai'i then the average $348 hotel room where hotel employees don't bother to even learn the guests name.   (that price does not include parking, taxes or resort fees)

 

But every morning, I say "Good  Morning __guest name_____, how did you sleep?  Is there anything you need to make your stay more enjoyable?"

 

Its a low percentage on how many guests recipocate and actually ask me how did I sleep?  ( And I am the one getting up much earlier to make them a big home cooked breakfast!)

 

Thankfully, my most recent wonderful 5 Star Guests (first timers to Airbnb ) from Austria actually used all of our names throughout their week long stay, making everyone laugh in the process with their great sense of humor and even asked me how did I sleep because they were convinced I never slept during that entire week.  Hahahaha  🙂

 

For those reading this post:  We are talking about the fact that I PUT STARS IN MY REVIEWS.  This is just a SHORT example

 

For our guests, Mary Little Lamb and her husband Little Boy Blue,  we gave them 5 Stars for Communication and here's why:

For the category of Cleanliness, it was 4 Stars and here's why:

For the Category of Respecting House Rules, it was 3 Stars and here's why:  ( If I have to remind a guests several times to turn off fans, lights and stop wearing shoes in my house, the amount of stars diminish based on how many reminders day after day I have to give.)  

If a guests clearly needs a reminder on Day 1 and never does it again, that's a 4 Star guests.

If a Guests respects and follows all rules, that's a 5 Star guest for me in House Rules, but they might possibly get 4 Stars for Cleanliness.  ( and that guests will always be welcomed back for sure because following my House Rules is much more important then someone who leaves water/hair all over the bathroom counter and floor)

 

Again, thanks Natasha & Dale for taking the time to read my post and appreciating me.  I love being adopted!  LOL

 

EDITED:  to correct typo

 

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


Edwin57
Level 10
New York, United States

some people don't need to be Host at all, and some guest don't need to be guest at all they know who they are you know what i mean so come on now pros and cons