There has been much conversation about the star ratings and the need to have a full definition of what they are supposed to mean. This example and the comments in this thread are prime examples that there are different ideas out there that are vast and varied.
To me, I don't even think I can be compared to a hotel. This is my home and the star ratings should be compared to other homes like mine - private room, private bath, worth $50/night. I can't compare to the boutique hotels in town like the Aloft or the 21C which book at $200/night. That is not even a fair comparison let alone one I want to make. Since a guest is unlikely to have stayed in a ton of locations like mine, then they should be comparing it to the expectations and standards I've expressed in my listing or to the times they've stayed with friends in their guest room. To get a 3 or a 4 means that I failed somehow, not that it is "as expected". As expected is a 5-star rating!
To me the "accuracy" rating is the most important. It darn well better be a 5-star every time or the guest better tell me where that expectation fell down (something we don't require guests to do at this time). This is especially why I hate the location rating because if I tell you it's 1/2 a mile to that restaurant you want to walk to, you can't mark me down because it is indeed, a half a mile away like somehow I was lying about that. Or if I tell you some of the older homes my neighborhood aren't renovated like mine, then you shouldn't give me 4 stars because the house next door is shabby.
The challenge of being held to a standard that is ill-defined and poorly handled is the reason HR departments exsist. Standards need to be identified and communicated so every host has a level playing field to succeed. Shutting you down without information is egregious. How can you possible improve if you have no idea what you are supposed to be improving upon?!
I love your little Rundown and the only thing I could see about the listing is that there probably should be more pictures about each individual room along with the standard pictures you've provided for all the listings (the street, the outside, the cowbench, etc.). The complaint on the reviews is that the Rundown is more rundown than they expected from the pictures so you could improve upon that without much trouble by supplying more pictures of the details of the rooms. I would probably give it 5-stars because it lives up to its budget description!
