Location vs. Neighborhood #ratings

[Lisa7]

I recently had a worriesome experience. A yellow warning sign appeared on my guest ratings, and Airbnb "tips" furiously flashed on the page in a cycle. (As if they mis-coded the timer on the tips feature.) Turns out I got 4 stars from a couple of guests for Location, which was why I was being alerted.

I'd never really thought about the Location category before. I'm in a great neighborhood, despite not being immediately next to the subway. I often get five stars for Location, but not always. I would assume that everyone in my neighborhood would get, on average, roughly the same ratings for Location.

But the Airbnb tips made me pause:

Ask guests who have stayed in your listing what was surprising about your neighborhood and add those details to your description.

Describe your neighborhood to guests in advance so they know what to expect.

So if I just describe my location accurately, that should be enough for a guest to leave a five-star rating?

What does the "Location" rating mean to you? What if it were called "neighborhood" instead? Would that mean something else?

Eager to hear your thoughts.

[Anonymous]

Hi @Lisa, for me don't mean anything! It's a subjective criteria. One location could be 5 star for somebody or 3 for another. I had a guest who gave ma a 3 star for location because 1km from the center of the town. The same guest rent to another host (one of my friend) in the heart heart of old city town... and give a 3 star too because it was very difficult to park his car and a bit noisy! Even if you give many indications most guests don't read. So I don't care much about location rating.

[Shirley1]

My two most recent guests gave me a 4 on location also. Every other guest since day one gave me 5. The only thing I can figure out is that these guests stayed during the winter and the weather was not the best and being in a rural location might have been slightly inconvenient because of that. My map display is not right on, however the house is a very short distance away.   I don't want the pin too close to actual location for security reasons. 

Also try to be as clear as possible in my listing about how far away attractions and shopping are that guests might be interested in. 

So I agree, the drop in rating has to be subjective. 

[Lucille-and-Alan0]

I occasionally get 4 stars for location but I think location is the right tem from a guest point of view.  It's a personal thing. My house overlooks the lake so it is a really beautiful location but It on the other side of the city from the airport so so someone who thinks the airport proximaity is more important I'm going to lose a bit. In the long run most people love our location and we are winning.

Most of my guest come here beacuse that want to be in a quiet natural location and that's what they get so they are happy. I think telling people what you are offering  and what they can expect in your location will attract the people that are looking for those things and they will be pleased that they got whatt they were looking for and the stars will follow!

[Monica4]

I've had guests give me 3 stars and 5 stars on location. I give them so much description that my listing is practically a book! I warn prospective guests that the listing is located near a busy highway, although in the country, but is a walk away from the village. Some guests love how close it is to restaurants and stores, others want a quieter place. You can never win, because you cannot please a guest who is unhappy because they didn't read the details.

[Lisa7]

Thank you guys so much for your input! 

My feeling after reading this is that perhaps it would be better for Airbnb to use its algorithmic juice to create an average rating for the neighborhood -- not for individual listings. That would certainly work well in a place as busy as London, where there are dozens of properties listed on airbnb in the same tiny radius.

That way, a prospective guest would have the information needed to understand what a neighborhood is like in an unfamiliar city, and a host wouldn't be penalized for living where they live.

[Diana25]

My place is in downtown LA, and not in a beautiful part, but I accurately describe the neighborhood and its ups and downs. Some guests i notice submit requests without reading entire listing, I make sure guests read entire listing before booking "specifically about the neighborhood" and I still suffer in this category of the rating system. Additionally, i try to ask the right questions to make sure the guests would be a good fit, because my neighborhood is not for everyone. I somewhat think its slightly unfair because I cant control the way my neighborhood looks, or makes someone feel because they are in a new place.  I can only be held accountable for the way property is once inside. Its quite strange though because this rating does adversely affect our overall rating.  Ive been given 2 or 3 stars.  But what do people expect when they are coming to a metropolitan neighborhood near a convention center?  I dont think we should be penalized for something that is subjective based on the guest whos here for 2 days.  I also feel like Im compensating for this shortcoming already in my nightly rate compartively to nearby hotels, etc they are considerably higher, (75 compared to 150-300/nightly).  Ultimately i think the "location" category of the review system is frustrating as someone who really tries to provide something affordable for guests.  

[Lynn11]

When I look at my listing I do not see the neighborhood part of my description displayed.  Can anyone tell me where it is?  I also get penalized for my neighborhood because it is rural and a distance from attractions.  Others love it and give the scenic beauty 5 stars.  But I want to be sure that people are seeing my careful description of how far they will have to travel to restaurants, etc.  Thank you!

[Ange2]

It means nothing to me and neither does neighborhood. A 'good' location is relative to what the guest wants to experience, sometimes not the same as what they are willing to pay for or what their "dream" location offers .  Some guests want to experience local life others just want to see  shining tourist attractions.  Some don't read and others will never give 5 stars because nothing is ever perfect !

[Ken22]

I concur! The guests choose the city they book in. I had two guests give me a 4 for location. One of these guests were  4 miles from where they work, the other guest was within one mile of a concert they were attending. They both know the city I live in and I live in the better, more affluant part of the city. I just don't get it. They both gave me 5 stars for Accuracy...

[Patricia86]

Yes, the location rating is crazy.  Some people seem to think that the rating system is a bell curve and only the top two or three percent of places should get five stars.  

We live four miles from SFO.  The neighborhood is quiet and very, very safe.  We tell people that we are about a half mile walk to shops and such.  AND, we usually provide at least one ride to or from the airport.  Most of the time, it is both ways, if they need it. 

And still people have given us four stars.