New Extensive Review Process

Lisa367
Level 10
Catania, Italy

New Extensive Review Process

I am a superhost on Airbnb and recently rented an apartment as a guest.  Has anyone else noticed the new very extensive review process that Airbnb has implimented?  As a host, it's really frustrating because this is where people get the most passive aggressive.  As a host, you're already scrutinized over everything, but to really allow the guests to dig deep into each individual aspect of their stay (ie:  "smells" and "sounds", REALLY??) is really problematic.  For example, our last guest left a private review that there was a "nauseating smell of burnt meat" on the "cleanliness/smells" star.  First of all, we didn't cook at all while this guest was in our house, she must have smelled one of the neighbors cooking, and second of all, we're in Sicily, so there are definitely going to be food smells coming in from all angles at certain times a day.  This feedback really bothered me because it was unnecessary and obviously had nothing to do with us since it wasn't even coming from our house.  I would've preferred these guests just keep these types of thoughts to themselves and enter it in the private feedback to me, rather than giving them the option of selecting specific things to complain about.  As a host who has new guests almost every 2 days, the last thing I need to hear is random complaining from guests about very little things.  Obviously as a superhost, I do my best to make sure their stay is 100% comfortable.  My feelings are also important and I don't need to hear every two days something really small and meaningless that I can't control (like food smells in Italy).  Reading passive aggressive feedback actually makes me really upset and I'm getting to the point where I really just don't want to bother hosting anymore.  I'd prefer going back to the basic rating system.  It's faster for the guest to leave reviews and much less harsh on the host.

307 Replies 307
Blagoje0
Level 10
Split, Croatia

You may try my seventh tip. It is easy to use and efficient!

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Hosts/Seventh-tip-for-great-guests-review-It-really-works/m-p/237672...

 

 

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

Hi, @Lisa367. This might be something to post in Host Voice. I would give it a thumbs up there, and others might as well.

I am both a host and guest, too, and my as-a-guest choices now have extras tacked on in the Booking.com style - is the neighbourhood quiet, active, etc. But what you are seeing - poor Italy with all the first rollouts! - is different. I haven't seen the smells and sounds thing yet, and, yes, it does sound like this will be a handy checklist of even more things to complain about. "Oh right! I had forgotten that I smelled a different smell!" 

Host Voice is in the dropdown under Discuss at the top of this page. See you there?

 

 

Great, thank you!!!  I will check it out!

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

Perhaps when the system become so unhelpful the only solution is to ignore them.

David

For Shure i will ignore this.

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Lisa367 thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware of this. When did it come into place and is it for all countries as I haven't seen any of these new categories in my reviews or stats? I can't see everything anyway right now as I'm in the 14 day superhost review period, but if changes like these are made, do we as hosts not get some kind of message or notification from Airbnb informing us of it?

I had the same bad experience!!

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Also, smells and sounds seems a bit ridiculous. I don't live in Italy, but I do have three cats (made abundantly clear on my listings/profile etc.) so can they now rate me on how my cats smell (they smell lovely by the way - like fresh laundry)? I also live in an urban area close to the centre of London. I think anyone who books in that sort of location and doesn't expect some noise is very naive, but are they going to mark me down on that anyway? Seems ridiculous to me.

 

There were enough categories to be getting on with in the old system. Guests already had more ways to rate hosts than vice versa, and although all our category ratings are there for everyone to see on the listings, hosts cannot see how other hosts rated guests in specific categories such as cleanliness and following house rules, which I would have thought were quite important when vetting potential visitors to your home!

 

Apologies for the rant, but this new system sounds pretty annoying to me!

Zandra0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Hello just to confirm this isn't a roll out that only affects Italy, I travelled to Warsaw, LA and Toronto on Airbnb and the questions were asked for every listing. 

 

 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Zandra0 do you know if this applies to London listings as well? I can't see anything regarding this in my reviews, nor in private feedback.

Zandra0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Have you travelled as a guest recently ? I'm sure it applies to all listings but you can't see all the options unless you're a guest reviewing a host.

Hi @Zandra0, yup, I stayed as a guest last month.  I was shocked at the extensive review process.  I could've really done some damage to the host.  It literally asked me for specifics on the "cleanliness" star.  Instead of giving 1-5 stars I had the option to report on this such as "smells, fungus, air quality". 

I have not seen this new review process, but as a fellow host, I well understand your concern.  As a guest who just traveled through Europe and stayed in about 30 different Airbnbs, I can see why the air quality was added.  There were places I stayed where sound and air quality was incredibly problematic for me relaxing (heavy off-gassing of new carpet, thick toxic anti-mosquito spray in a vaporizer plugged into wall, cigarette smoke coming through neighbor's wall or ceiling,...).   Sometimes you don't notice these things or don't know what they are when you first arrive.  And to leave immediately upon arrival (in order to get a refund) because the accomodations are unacceptable in another country may mean you are homeless for the night.  I was stuck in Venice breathing mosquito spray all night.  I discovered it at 2am as I was looking to turn down the thermostat that was set at 85F.  When I unplugged it, I got eaten alive.  There are some really bad Airbnbs out there, and I think Airbnb is trying to figure out a way to address this issue without shutting down the bad ones.

@Sandy96 some of the issues you mentioned might be more annoying, but there is a difference between pointing out issues (that the person who lives in a specific reality might not be aware of) and pretending to find the same quality everywhere in the world.

 

if you are hosted in a house which is 200 years old you cannot avoid dust, it comes from different bulding techniques and believe me, it is annoying for the host too. 

if you are in Venice you get eaten by mosquitos, unless you keep low temperature or use heavy anti-mosquitos (citronella does not work). 

 

One of the statutory statements of airbnb is to live with the locals and experience a city from the local perspective. 

living like the locals means to understand and appreciate the different realities, and above all, also respecting the host that shares his/her life and house with the guest.