@Jutta139
Yes, your post hit a chord with me.
I just got a 3* and a 4* and, because I host long term guests and every rating counts a lot, I will lose my Supherhost status after 5.5 years of maintaining it. I had a 5.0* rating for some years before those last couple of reviews. Honestly, nothing had changed in my listings, so it must be down to guest expectations.
There has definitely been some sort of change but I don't know if it's just post COVID or a combination of factors. I have decided it's better to try to not stress too much about it (I used to stress a lot about ratings).
I had a very similar experience to you. The guest contacted me asking for a big discount because it was over her budget. I explained sorry, no, there is already a long term discount and the price is reasonable before that. Her aunt (a Superhost) then contacted me telling me she really thought my listing was the best but that her niece was a poor student (I found out later that was not the case and she had a full time job). Again, I declined to give an additional discount.
The guest went ahead and instant booked anyway at the advertised rate. She seemed happy but needed a lot of extra assistance, which I provided. She left me 3*. When I asked her why, she said it was because the price was "above my original budget".
I learnt a lesson the hard way. Do not accept those bargain hunters. They will never appreciate the good deal you are offering.
I have also turned off instant book.