New Host : "Location" Rating is Garbage

[Joshua227]

Ironically I first faced the "Location" rating not as a host but as a fairly new guest a couple years back../story time

As a guest - I had stayed in a neighborhood in New Orleans that was, well, less than what I would consider satisfactory. Rather than being able to feel comfortable walking to nearby restaurants/bars which I had planned on, underneath the bridge that I would need to pass through was a full on homeless city. The gas station next door was ghetto as heck. I was deeply disappointed at the situation but I made due by Ubering around and although it altered my plans a little, it certainly didn't "ruin" my trip. 

When the time came to review my host, I saw the "Location" rating and I at first hovered over the 4 because of my disappointment. Then a brilliant thought entered my mind - It's my fault. I could have researched this part of town and maybe understood the homeless situation under the bridge. I could have used google street view to get an idea of what the gas station looked like and the state of things. Although I was disappointed, my host did nothing wrong and I was 100% responsible for choosing my location which was revealed to me at the time I booked the reservation. I ended up rating him 5 for location after which.

Which now, as a host, I feel the pain of the "Location" rating. I got my first knock on location despite everything else being a 5 for 4 stars. I racked my brain around it for a while because I strive for perfection. I painfully described where we were in the city and the lack of sidewalks in the area in my description. Like many hosts, I try to be upfront about expectations. We're not downtown but we have a lot of restaurants, bars, etc around us that you can drive to. Despite all these things I say, still the bottom line is with a little homework - the guest can figure this stuff out before they book the place. If they're disappointed by lack of sidewalks, use Google Maps street view of nearby main roads. If they're disappointed by lack of restaurants that are pet friendly, use Yelp! If you think the weather is too hot, check the forecast! If you think think there are too many mosquitos, google when there is less mosquitos.

Bottom line, rating a host poorly because of "location" is like downvoting an Uber driver because you took a cab to an area of town you didn't end up liking. Do your homework. An AirBNB CSR will be contacting me with a follow-up about my new hosting later this month and I definitely plan on sharing my opinion of this specific rating.

[Bryan10]

Most folks on this site agree and there's lots of threads already about how frustrating the location rating is. Ultimately, as a host you can't move your place; all you can do is describe accurately where it is. In the case you mention above, the host is unlikely to use the words 'ghetto' and 'homeless city' so that's where (I believe) Airbnb would say the guests' reviews come in handy. It paints a bigger picture. Happy hosting. 

[Jeannette0]

What if a future guest gets robbed/assaulted/knifed/shot/raped/murdered coming to and fro from this listing?

Sounds to me like a slam-dunk "3" for location, at best.

Re: "my host did nothing wrong," ...

One of these days, a "host" (= investor), who listed in a sketchy area all in the name of buying a house at deep discount due to nearby crime, and then listed it on AirBNB to take advantage of out-of-towners and make a killing, is going to get a guest killed, literally.

[Jeannette0]

Re: "I was 100% responsible for choosing my location which was revealed to me at the time I booked the reservation." 

How so? The exact location is not revealed until after booking, and the approximate pin on the map fudges the location before booking. Ideally, you could have an exact location before looking and compare it to a crime map, such as the ones you can consult on Trulia.

Further, isn't there an implicit guarantee with AirBNB that a listing does not put them in imminent proximity to crime and risk? Nonetheless, hosts put non-locals into heinous situations that they are ill-prepared for. So the guest gets beautiful pro photos of the spiffy interior, and outside are PROBLEMS. 

Only if the guests are honest in rating the location down, and noting in the review, "I heard gunfire at night," "the police told me to vacate the area as I tried to check in," (< from real reviews in my city), can other guests perform a price-vs.-safety review of whether a listing works for them.

[Kelson0]

There is pretty much no neighborhood where it's a guaranteed you "won't robbed/assaulted/knifed/shot/raped/murdered coming to and fro from this listing?

Uh, crime is everywhere. Oftentimes where you least expect it. (Yes even in WHITE NEIGHBORHOODS :0!)

[Susan151]

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@Jeannette0 wrote:

Further, isn't there an implicit guarantee with AirBNB that a listing does not put them in imminent proximity to crime and risk? 

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I don't recall ever seeing this guarantee in the TOS. I do believe that hosts should be honest about the nature of their neighborhoods in the description of the listing. I also think that as guests, we should do our due diligence just as we would when booking a hotel.

I wish that the location rating prompt said: "Location. Was the location of this listing as described?" Instead of no prompt at all.

[J-Renato0]

@Joshua227

Location is a very controvertial subject.

That is why "location" does not have any influence on the superhost badge.

Good Location and Bad Location is also relative to different guests.

[J-Renato0]

Since the "quality of location" is relative to the guest liking, It is necessary to describe accurately the Location, as possible as the host can do it.

By doing this, the host will attract the right guests and will get good reviews, even in terms of location.

[Rebecca160]

@J-Renato0Well, you have the correct theory! In reality, at least what I found, is that guests do not read the listing or they do not know how to read maps. They look at a map of a place they have never been to and everything looks close to my house. Now, if they had actually read it, they would see just exactly how far (by car) the main tourist destinations are from my centrally located home. But, of course they did not read it, so the come assuming that they can walk or if they have a car, that it will be a short ride everywhere. Reality is traffic and lack of good public transportation in my very spread out city. Sigh. We can only hoe that guests will start educating themselves. In the meantime, the location rating is really hurting some of us.

[Diane338]

Location, location, location! In my listing I state a residential area. My area is known as a working class area. I do not offer views, waterfronts or coffee shops next door., just a very comfortable home. However my downfall is location! So those that book for whatever reason, at least 80% will give me a four for location. Reason being, my guess is, they do not like the look of the house across the road.  Yes it does very much affect your superhost status.