Hi Stephanie,
I'm pleased to see that an administrator responded to these suggestions.
From my experience, the biggest faux pa seems to be what the rating system means to hosts vs. to guests. Guests need to know what qualifies as a 5* vs 4*, 3*, 2*, 1*. In my estimation, a 5* is earned when the host delivers what they promised in the listing.
However, after surveying dozens of airbnb users, there is an overall misunderstanding of what the stars mean. A few of them told me that they never give 5* even if everything is spot-on because they don't believe in perfection. Many of them told me they have given 4* to places they adored and plan to revisit. When I asked why they gave 4* instead of 5* I was given various reason from not being able to book a different place they wanted, to thinking that 5* was only reserved for super-luxe places. One thing they all had in common was every single person thought that 4* is a good thing and actually helps hosts! Yikes!
It would be helpful for airbnb to offer a legend that explains how airbnb sees the ratings. An example might be:
5-star: Listing as described; clean premises; hospitality was good; host was friendly, helpful, and responsive; host resolved issues that arose; host provided extra service or amenities
4-Star: Listing is missing one or two small elements (such as forgetting to mention steps to key areas of the home or that a kitchen doesn't come fully equipped), clean premises, hospitality was adequate, host was intermittently responsive, small issues not resolved after alerting the host
3-Star: Listing not as described (some aspects incorrect or misrepresented, such as not noting that pets or children are on the premises), host unresponsive or hard to reach, moderate issues were not resolved while on-site, unclean premises
1 & 2-Star: Listing not as described (inadequate information, numerous aspects incorrect or misrepresented), several issues while on-site not resolved, host unresponsive or absent, unclean premises, major issues that were not resolved while on-site or after check-out
Another suggestion is that when guests rate an overall rating less than 4* (or when they give 4* or less in host feedback), they should be required to fill out a form or comment box that explains the exact issues that they had. For example, if a person gave a 4* or less due to the location and accuracy of the listing, they should have to provide exactly what was missing or misrepresented so that the host can correct the problem. As it stands, a host has to message a person who gives 4* or less and request feedback and most of the time guests do not reply. This is not helpful because the host has no way of knowing what earned the rating.
Finally, guests have no idea that not rating a host can be harmful to their ratings. Many people who use airbnb are traveling and do not have regular access to the internet. Many of my guests have texted me instead because the Airbnb platform does not work on their phones. Plus, while they are traveling they are not checking email or on their devices as much. If a guest does not leave a review, perhaps it should not be reflected in the rating. We cannot assume that just because a guest didn't leave a review it was because the experience was bad. In fact, many people will only leave a review if they have a negative experience. This should be taken under advisement when considering changes to the rating system.
Thank you for your consideration.
Warmly,
Andrea