I am in horrow over a review. What should I do. I left the message below to AirBnB. But now what?

[M54]

I need your help here. I had a guest that has made a review that is very poor. I'm Not Surprised. They showed up very late and went right to the room. There was very little conversation with these two single people other then what I started. I just thought they were city folks with a city attitude.
My ad says this is a shared space. If these single people needed more privacy in the bedroom for any kind of activities, sexual or not, I think they should not have selected a shared space ad. 
They complained they could not have conversation. They are upstairs I am downstairs. There is less privacy in a restaurant where they would have conversations. What conversation could they possibly have engaged in that they were afraid to have in the room? Save for loud noises in sex.
The pictures of my home clearly show the type of room available, see for yourself. It is a 2 story room in a Cape Home, common in our area. This is an official bedroom, approved by the town and taxed as one, not as an attic. I take deep offense to their comment that they were given an attic to sleep in.
I take deep offense to the suggestion that their valuables were not safe. Of all the people who have stayed with me no one has ever made such a horrible accusation. Who takes hi ticket valuables on a trip in the first place. Tablets or phones I understand. They told me they had that. I have had folks here with tons of computer equipment nothing was lost or stolen. I clean the rooms once a day. Do you really think I would steal from them. How awful. 
This is a home I live in. Of course I am going to be there all the time. Which is also hard to understand such a statement considering I do go out! I shop, go to church, which these people were told. I take offense to this.
Plus this couple checked in very late, left early and came back late each day. They avoided me to the extent they would not even take coffee from me. 
I repeatedly asked them if every thing was alright. Yes, yes I was told. 
I never leave a bad review because I feel everyone has problems and deserve kindness. But this is outrageous, how insulating. Next time I will be more honest in my review. I would say if you want a two faced couple, let them stay with you.
I expect AirBnB to remove this review immediately. 

[Kelmany0]

Hi, sometimes you have a bad guest whose expectations were not aligned with what you described. You clearly say you are at home with the dogs and live in the house. If they felt they didnt have privacy, thats their problem, not yours. I wouldnt respond like you did. I would only state something like "sorry things didnt meet your expectations" and leave it at that. I went on a rant when someone gave me a hard time and I regret it now. Its better to "go high when they go low". Your home is very cute and clearly written to attract a certain type of person. They failed to do their research. Thats not your fault.

I have had people ask me for a locked door on their room. My response is, noone but you goes in your room. I am giving you unescorted access to my home 24/7, i trust you so you should trust me. If thats not satisfactory, please go ahead and check out early. I cannot accommodate locked doors for insurance reasons. If there is a fire the door needs to open so I can ensure noone is in the room... etc... as for a loft or an attic, some people do call a room like yours an attic. Its not derogatory. Its just a title for the location described. I would put a note saying there is no door but noone but the guest goes in the room. How do you keep your dogs from going up? I would address that in the listing too.

Cheers

[M54]

Thanks... for the same reasons as you... fire we have no real door. We have gates at the bottom of the stairs and at the living room entry to prevent the dogs from getting into their space. When folks arrive, I put the dogs in the yard and introduce them to guests as I see the comfort level for the guests. If I see any fear the dogs are leashed and not permited to get close to the guests at all.

We you hit a nail on the head, its my home, my personal peoperty they are using..

What on earth did they think I was going to steal.

Again Thanks for your input.

[John1080]

@M54, your listing description and photos seem to represent the space correctly. I see the guest said something to the effect of, "Make sure you read and understand what this space is..."  Actually, that's exactly the problem - he didn't read well and didn't pay attention to what he was doing.

That isn't your fault and it's outrageous that people want to pay $49 or less and expect the Hilton. If they want more privacy, they should rent an entire house or get a hotel room. 

[Susan151]

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@John1080 wrote:

@M54, your listing description and photos seem to represent the space correctly. I

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Can you point out where in the listing it states that there is no door to the room? Since this is really unusual, I would think it should be very clear. [Not to be confused with a door that locks.]

This review, not your response, might be a gift. It should highlight to future guests how shared the home is and encourage only those that are comfortable with your home and your hosting style.

[M54]

I am outraged.... the opening statement says clearly...... I'm around most of the time.

" This is a BnB City Home w Country feel near all colleges, train n hospitals. 2 story home, w upstairs bedroom n private half bath. Down a small bedroom. 1st. Floor extra lg. shower stall, no tub. Great room, combines living room n kitchen. You may use the total house. The share simply means I usually fall asleep on the sofa, waiting for folks to get home. I and my dogs are up 6 AM to make the Breakfast. The dogs will bark. I give you as much space as you need, but I'm around most of the time."

Any Ideas what I can do to get this review off? and my ratings back up to norm.

I have already contacted furture folks to aleart them to the problems so I don't have it again.

I'm sick over this.

[John1080]

@M54, I don't have any experience attempting something like that. There are some much more experienced hosts here who will probably chime in sometime today and they might be able to give you some advice.

I can just say, I the photos coincide with the description and had I stayed there, I would expect exactly as described. That said, from what I have heard on other threads here, it seems like it's very difficult to get a review removed. 

[John1574]

@@M54

I agree that it is an inappropriate review.

But I would have left a less wordy, less defensive reply to that review.

Somnethings like:

I agree with ----.  I wish she would have read my listing more thoroughly than she did for the description of my accomadation, in my listing, is very accurate, and I've had no such complaints in reviews from other guests.

If you can edit that reply I would. 

Anyway, for future reference, avoid point by point rebuttals and keep your reply short and sweet and to the point.

Thumbs up if you like a post.

[Kelmany0]

Yes, my take away in reading all the things other hosts go through and then reading the reviews and responses is say nothing more than the basic as it makes you look way better as a person. We all get bad ones, I have had a few, and honestly, its not worth it letting yourself get hung up about it. Also, to be honest, I would never repeat your bad experiences with upcoming guests. It will make them think they are walking into drama and they need to know they are escaping into someone else's safe world of relaxation. All the best! K 

[Paige73]

That's so annoying!

Definitely make it crystal clear in your listing photos there's no door. I have dogs and they're in about 10 of my 16 pictures! Don't rely on the written description. For some reason perfectly literate people lose the ability to read when booking an airbnb!

I'd also call it an attic room. Most people won't care, so you shouldn't lose bookings. One of my listings is a studio with a built in bookcase divider. I could call it a one bedroom but I'd rather people were pleasantly surprised than disappointed. 

Also, read potential guest's past reviews of hosts! You can usually spot the finicky ones.

For my guestroom listing I have instant book with strict settings (positive reviews, government id, why they're traveling, who with). Then I look up their social media. If I'm not happy, I cancel booking (you can only do that penalty free if you use instant book). 

And don't take last minute reservations (i require two days notice) or people who live within 100 miles! Or people who contact you in a terse manner or ask for discounts or have a bunch of questions. 

Sounds like alot, but my studio is booked solid till october and my guestroom does ok.

Good luck!