Classic review from guest

[Inna22]

I know we have chewed this subject to mush, but it amuses me every time. A guest left an overall five star review that said: Great location!! Five stars in all categories and 4 stars... for location!

[Maia29]

The guest is aware of your location when they book.

It’s unjust that you can be docked in a rating based on location.

I understand the point of the system asking guests this question, however, it seems somewhat unjust to me.

Especially if you notify in your listing what landmarks, facilities, etc. that you are close to. 

Its just another way to unjustly make the guest’s review of you less than 5 stars. 

The computer system that allows this to happen has its algorithms all messed up.

Great location response in the guest’s worded response? No one catches that?

[Gerald108]

I've only had one group, of three young ladies, who were mildly disappointed that my home is in Riverview, FL, about 20 minutes from the hot-spots of Tampa and 30 minutes from the beaches.  I respect their 'four', and have tried to do a better job of explaining local distances.  However, the group raved about our home and our hospitality, swearing to come back again next year - so the extra driving did not dampen their over-all enthusiasm with our property.

[Emilia42]

@Maia29 I agree with Inna, that review is ridiculous. But I have trouble with the reasoning behind "The guest is aware of your location when they book." I see many, many hosts say this as if the only reason a guest would choose a listing is because of the distance from A to B. Have you never visited a place in which the surroundings just weren't what you expected, despite your research?

[Inna22]

@Emilia42 I agree with you 100 percent. The location can be in amazing part of town but across from train tracks, over a bar or with a liquor store local hang out by the front door. 

[Lawrene0]

Funny, @Inna22 . "Great location" then four stars in that one category...

It is like one from this summer for me: "Super clean!" then four stars in Cleanliness. Needed to be super-super-duper, I guess. 

As you say, classic. 🙂

[Sarah977]

Honestly, I think guests simply hit the wrong button sometimes. I know I've read posts here about hosts asking the guests why they gave a certain rating and the guests were taken aback, because they actually meant to and thought they hit 5*s. Likely more prevalent when guests are using the phone app to write the review, rather than a computer. Fat fingers and all. I have a really hard time typing on a phone screen myself- I usually hit 2 letters at once.

And I've noticed that people tend to hit send, or submit or next without bothering to read over what they've written. I'll often get virtually unintelligible text messages from my upholstery clients because they use predictive text and don't look over the message before sending. Everyone's in such a rush these days 🙂

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 you are totally describing me! Sometimes I reread what I texted someone or what I post here and it is ridiculous 

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  I hate predictive text 🙂 It may be a time-saver, but not when you have to send another message correcting all the errors 🙂

[Maia29]

@Sarah977  That's a valid point; you're right about that. I've had guests say that is what happened when they left a review.

[Kath9]

@Inna22 hahaha, go figure! In the words of the great Jim Morrison, people are strange. And he wasn't even an Airbnb host! 

[Sarah977]

@Kath9  That should be the official theme song for Airbnb hosts.

One thing Airbnb could do to cut down on "mistake" reviews and ratings is to show a guest a preview of the entirety of their review, including all the stars they gave, the "was their toilet paper?" page, etc, before a submit button appears, with "Please look over your review to make sure you have marked things in the way you intended, and edit if necessary", then a "I confirm I have previewed my review" button, and only then a "submit" button.

[Robin4]

@Inna22 @Kath9 @Lawrene0 @Sarah977 

Maybe there could be a rationale for a check-out message.....

But guests start to get annoyed if you tell them how to review.

I have that 'review explanation' sheet in my house rules that I adapted from yours Kath, and I just leave it at that although, I have thought about putting a little sign by the door.....

Thanks for staying here in our garden, I know we were not  in the middle of the city.......but neither was our price! 

And then when I look back on my reviews I notice the ones who dinged me for location also dinged me for value ....it seems the two go hand in hand.

So I think we just need to cop it on the chin, they don't crop up that often!

Cheers......Rob

[Lawrene0]

Agreed, @Robin4 . Copping it on the chin works for me. And I do keep in mind that the opposite of the amusing/depressing markdown is the surprise markup. Everything seemed to go haywire with a guest this winter. The sorts of things where the guest is wrong enough (hasn't read the listing, expected wifi, cannot light a fire) to lash out star-wise at the host, a feral cat from heaven-knows-where shows up to yowl on the porch, and the weather steps in to add freezing rain to the mess.

Five stars! Glowing review!

I couldn't believe it. But I'll take it. 🙂

[Robin4]

@Lawrene0 

I don't have howling cats, but I do have hissing possums, and probably more regularly than your howling cats!  There is always a territorial dispute going on, on the roof above or one of the close by trees. So frequent in fact that Betts the dog doesn't even raise an ear any more let alone go and investigate or get involved!

*

Young guests always give me straight 5's in the review, When I say young guests, those up to 40 years of age, haven't missed one yet.

Forty Five + to early 60's....... all those insecurities from their childhood come back to haunt them....the woman who called me a creepy old man, the one who cleaned out the medicine cabinet, and another the restock cupboard!! Or they have 3 teenage kids to whom Mom & Dad are a social embarrassment and every aspect of life has a problem attached to it!  You might get them on a good day....lucky me.....or it might be a not so good day....stats, prepare for a hit!

But 65+.........Oh dear, they grew up without Airbnb, spent their whole traveling life away from home in a hotel/motel. Many of them never even stayed in a trad B&B! But they have heard how Airbnb have taken the traveling world by storm so, it must be soooooo much better than a hotel. Royalty treatment, here we come! The first sign of trouble comes when the dog barks at them from the gate....what th, I expected a concierge, not a nipping, yapping bladder with 4 legs to greet me! Next they realise that someone else is going to actually be on the property as well, they are going to be sharing that hard earned holiday with a stranger.......plus the strangers dog!

Room service......why wasn't I told it's 1.5 Kms to the nearest shop that actually sells anything to eat or drink. The bubble bursts and from that point on they look at what was wrong with the stay, not what was right with it.

And that folks is where that pool of 3's and 4's  come from!

But Lawrene, we cop it on the chin, hey! 

Cheers.......Rob