I figured out why I can't see potential guests "star ratings" that hosts leave them!

[Donald28]

I had no idea about this. Everyone should be able to see what other hosts rated a guest in each category. It's totally ridiculous to allow only those hosts who use instantbook to see the ratings. At the point the host can see the ratings, it's too late to act on them because the guest has already booked! LOL

Sure you can "cancel penalty free" maybe once or twice a year but you'll lose your superhost status immediately.  Try cancelling more than that and you'll find your listing removed. 

This is a total one-sided implementation of the guest star system to try to force hosts to use iB. Hosts without the iB on would benefit most from seeing the potential guests star rating. At least WE could decline guests based on too many less than 5 star ratings. 

When you let guests book instantly, you’ll be able to see how other hosts rated them on cleanliness, communication, and how well they followed House Rules. Guest ratings will be available for any booking you get while Instant Book is on.

If you’re ever uncomfortable with a reservation, you always have the option to cancel penalty-free.

[Sarah977]

@Donald28  Yes, this is a nasty coersion tactic that Airbnb practices. Really pees me off on principle. Our punishments for not using IB are not being able to see those ratings and lower search ranking, even if we are Superhosts with all 5* reviews.

It's important that IB hosts understand that giving a guest a low rating, but being lesss than honest in the written review is doing all non-IB hosts a disservice, as we can only access the written reviews.

[Emilia42]

@Donald28 I think that is the point. --> "At least WE could decline guests based on too many less than 5-star ratings"

Airbnb doesn't want hosts to decline guests who have less than 5-star ratings. As you said, instant booking hosts don't get much time if any to think about it and many may not take the time to call Aribnb to cancel.

[Anonymous]

@Donald28  I agree, it's an upside-down system. There are many good reasons that hosts would rather screen their guests than use Instant Book, and it's a very shady manipulation tactic to deliberately deprive them of the available data while opening it up to the take-all-comers hosts who don't care.

But this is also why I always stress the importance of writing an honest text review. If the written review doesn't match what you're trying to express with the star ratings, you're doing a disservice to the hosts who don't use Instant Book. And they're the ones who need that information most.

[Susan17]

@Anonymous 

"it's a very shady manipulation tactic to deliberately deprive them of the available data while opening it up to the take-all-comers hosts who don't care'

While I totally agree that it's a shady manipulation tactic to deliberately deprive them of the available data, I just want to clarify that not all hosts who use IB are take-all-comers hosts who don't care! We're being equally manipulated - and potentially put in danger too - because in most saturated  markets, hosts have absolutely no choice but to use the dreaded IB function, or face getting no bookings at all. It's an absolute nightmare for hosts who take bigger groups too. :))

[Susan1188]

@Susan17  from one Susan to another 🙂 

I have 3 properties on instant book and I am anything but a "take all comer" host!

I am extremely careful with who I accept,  and I have had 95% excellent high quality wonderful guests.

You can do this if you set up your listing properly, make thorough house rules, pay attention to all the parameters, do not offer self check in, meet every guest, require ID, have higher-end prices and properties, and communicate with people after booking.

The few shady instant bookings I have had, have violated at least one of my very thorough house rules and I was able to call CS and get them cancelled, penalty free.

I don' t like instant booking any more than the next host - I think it totally contributes to the guest-entitlement attitude and lack of respect on their part for reading the listing rules etc. Click. and book it's too easy then they are surprised that they not only have rights but also some obligations (to communicate, to read and respect rules, to be a good guest...)

But it is possible for hosts to make it work for them too.

[Helen350]

Good point, @Susan1188 , that IB has fostered the new attitude of entitlement without obligation to observe rules, & be a good guest....... Explains a lot.

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 @Emilia42 @Anonymous @Donald28 - I suppose hosts could include stars in the written review? "X stayed 3 nights: Communication 2* Cleanliness 5* House rules 5*" (thinking of my recent guests, tho' I didn't personally write the stars in the written review,)

[Ann489]

@Helen350   that's actually not such a bad idea.....I just wish, we could get all hosts on board--it would definitely help us non-IB-ers.  😉

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  For me, I don't really care what the star ratings are, as they are so subjective, both from guests and perhaps to a lesser degree from hosts. I know there are hosts who are super fussy and would give a low cleanliness rating just because the guest left a few crumbs on the counter or whiskers in the sink, which wouldn't bother me at all. Or gave a 1* cleanliness rating because the guest had sex (gasp) and left a little evidence on the sheets. I just object to non-IB hosts being kept in the dark over them because it's a coersion technique to try to get us to use IB.

I guess if a guest had 10 written reviews that weren't very informative, but I could see a 2* cleanliness rating, that would be valuable to me. But what I really want is explanations, however brief. Was the guest's communication good during booking and pre-arrival, but poor when they were actually in residence? (That might not matter to an off-site host, but would to us home-share hosts) What house rules didn't the guest follow? If they snuck in extra guests, that's more of an issue than if the host has a long list of micro-managing rules and the guest might have neglected to follow one of them, like they took a sandwich into their room to eat, instead of eating at the table.

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 Agreed! When I suggested writing the star rating in the review, I meant as well as the written description, for all the reasons you stated. - I've had some good practice this week, writing cunningly worded reviews which will be heavy with meaning to hosts like you, whilst not offending the guest, nor putting off hosts who don't care about social skills, cos they don't home share, or just want the money!  

[Donald28]

I think that the stars are the only really honest feedback left for guests by hosts because hosts know that guests can't see their star rating. At least, that's my understanding of how it works?

I might sugarcoat a written review slightly but I am brutally honest when it comes to the stars. 

You suggestion would be a work around but I'm it wouldn't work unless everyone did it. 

[Helen350]

@Donald28 True! - I too sugar coat the review but am honest with the stars. I've given out some 1* & 2* 'Communication' ratings recently, & possibly would have upped it to 3 or 4 if I'd thought the guest would see it - and think ill of me!

[Ange2 · Accepted solution]

@Helen350  I don't hold much stock in stars for guests or hosts, it is a broken system. The problem with putting star-ratings in reviews,  aka in-your-face transparency, is that Airbnb allegedly (according to some posts here) makes it super easy for guests to have reviews deleted that the guest does not like!  And some hosts do fear retaliation, especially if the guest lives within striking distance. A guest can also delete their profile and start afresh.  It does seem that transparency is not Airbnb's  goal, if it were the way it approached this would be different, and that includes the crazy way it weights the stars.

I try to make sure that the written review is informative to future hosts: clean, communicative, respectful, responsible, friendly etc.  or didn't read description, suited to a hotel, stayed three nights (and nothing else). I know many hosts are against circumspect and bland reviews. But I was once told by Airbnb if I mentioned the guests transgressions in a review they would remove it, I had a claim in progress so I settled for a bland 'stayed three nights' (which is worse in my opinion than better suited to a hotel - I welcome any suggestions to get a clearer more helpful message across) so the review would definitely stay up.

[Sarah977]

@Ange2  I've not read too many reports of reviews being removed simply for stating that the guest didn't follow house rules, or failed to communicate arrival time, or things like that. Detailing the guest's transgressions, in most cases, isn't really necessary for other hosts to get the picture, for instance, writing that the guest left stains on the sheets, hair all over the bathroom- it's enough to say that there were cleanliness or damage issues. 

There are things Airbnb will definitely remove a review for- any mention of Airbnb involvement in a damage claim or any other dispute, mentioning personal things like the guest having loud sex (in a case like that, you could simply say that the guests weren't respectful as to their noise level), and of course anything that could be construed as discriminatory. Also hosts have sometimes had the review removed if they mentioned someone other than the booking guest in the review, like "XX and YY were great guests" - the guests asked Airbnb to remove it, even though it was a good review, because the person they arrived with was someone they were having a secret affair with. So unless you know that a couple is married or otherwise a committed couple, it's best to only mention the booker in the review.