Do you respond to positive reviews or only negative ones?

[Helen267]

I've just had my first review (5star) and wondered what the done thing is? On TripAdvisor I think it's great when the owners respond nicely to positive reviews, but I can't recall seeing it done on Airbnb - it may not even be possible?

[Emily487]

@Helen267

I think it's always nice to leave a quick thank you for a kind review! I wouldn't respond to a negative review - your response will just draw attention to the guest's review. Any response you write will show on your listing page so it's really for future potential guests to see and judge. 

A word of caution: if the guest sends you private feedback at the end of their stay and you want to respond, be sure to do that in a private message and NOT in the public response to their review. 

[Susan151]

I chose to respond to all my reviews, which also happened to have been positive, until I hit 50 reviews. At that point, I no longer thought it neccessary to show potential guests that I was a real person who cares about my home and my guests. Plus, I was running out of things to say!

[Victoria567]

@Helen0

I respond to ALL my guest reviews.

It adds a personal touch and always appreciated.

[Lawrene0]

I don't respond to either bad or good, @Helen267. It is nice to thank people when there is no reciprocal review, as is the case on other platforms, but since we review on both sides on Airbnb, the "thanking" is really already done. 

Bad reviews just get buried by good ones, so no need to highlight them.

I would respond if the written public review had something blatantly false in it that needed correction for future guests to see, but, even then, it is best to go gently. Just indicate that the door does indeed lock properly, or that, no, there is no cat, or whatever.  

Guests are not notified that a response has been posted to their review, so it is truly only for prospective guests.

The cool thing is that it is up to each of us. We are not rated on our responses to reviews, so it is just whatever fits our style.

Congratulations on your first (and perfect) review!

[Lisa723]

I generally don't respond to reviews at all, like Lawrene, unless something needs factual correction. The exception is if a guest leaves a great review and expresses a wish to return, then if I would welcome them back I'll leave a thank you and we'd love to host you again, or similar.

[Letti0]

@Helen267  I also do not respond to reviews. Like @Lisa723 and @Lawrene0 I would respond as they do to a complete lie or a false statement that might effect me with future guests, but otherwise no. 

[Robin4]

@Helen267

Helen I respond to all reviews....to me I see it as finishing the last chapter and closing the book.

If it was a great review, you can thank them and everyone feels warm and fuzzy.

If it was a poor review you can respond, thank them for their feedback and perhaps point out where they could have made it better for themselves.

Or, I seem to strike a few of these which infuriate me......

Nothing there I can improve on and everyone thought the experience was great.....except for Airbnb! They will penalise me for this review, this will once again drag my 5 star % down when I have done nothing but my best and done it to the guests satisfaction!

Airbnb are to be dam*ed for this cobbled nonsense....the guest does not understand so blame the host.

My defense to this is to say in the public response how lovely it was to host them and how nice it was to read their nice words. Hopefully next time we might snag that 5 star review because everytime we get anything less it brings us closer to losing our priviledged hosting status. Airbnb sees anything less than a 5 five as a failure for the host. I will post when I have given it a bit more thought and responded. I don't want to make the guest feel uncomfortable I just want to embarrass Airbnb.

Cheers......Rob

[Kelly149]

I respond to most reviews -- didn't want bad ones to stick out as the only ones with response. As others have said, keep it simple and always remember that the response is not really written for the benefit of the guest to whom it is addressed, but rather will be read by guests who are considering your listing. So, it is one more opportunity to highlight something about your space. Good luck

[Paul1255]

I respond to all reviews, making sure that my responses are at least 50% shorter than the original review.

I make sure I summarise the positives from the review, as I believe this reinforcement helps potential guests reading through reviews- this is a marketing tool afterall.

If there is something I perceive as negative or constructive I will address it too.

Personally, I feel that hosts that only respond to negative reviews actually draw attention to them so much more easily!

I also feel that a positive review deserves as much a response as a negative or constructive one, and gives potential guests much more of an opportunity to see the personality of the host.

[Helen267]

Thank you very much everyone for your replies. I can't find where to respond to a review - it's not immediately obvious. Can anyone tell me where to go? (not like that!)

[Lawrene0]

@Helen267, are you working from a laptop? If so, go to Progress. Down below the stats for overall rating, etc., you will see your reviews. Those for which public replies are still allowed (there is a time limit) will say "Reply to this review". Click that.

Did that help?

[Sandra126]

I responded to every review in the beginning of hosting on airbnb, then I stopped and only responded to the odd one which really had taken the time to write fantastic things. Now I never respond, as one response will stick out. I had run out of things to say too, like Sarah... I have a lot of guests.

[Emily487]

I just had to reread this to remind myself NOT to respond to a negative review/ratings in public feedback. It's so tempting but it's just shooting myself in the foot if I do. 

[Robin4]

@Emily487 @Sandra126 @Paul1255

Exactly! Emily a review and the review response says as much about you as it says about the guest. You can be seen as a person of grace and wisdom....or you can be seen as a tough nut to crack.

In general most good reviews go un-noticed because there is nothing about them to attract attention.

Poor reviews on the other had tend to solicit lengthy ugly responses....and Emily, this is what we all like to see, a bit of verbal 'biffo'! So just the review you wish would disappear becomes like a magnet, a lighthouse beacon for other readers.

@Paul1255 is absolutely on the right track, a great post of his....congrats Paul

Cheers......Rob