Reviewing guest

[Deborah614]

How long has a guest got to make a review?     I gave my last guest (a couple and 2 young kiddies) a 5 star review.   They were nice, and they also seemed appreciative of my B&B.   The wife said she loved my coffee, fresh ground beans presented in her own personal silver plunger.     I asked if she would include 'good coffee' in my review.    

Well, I've given them a great review.   But there is complete 'radio silence' from them.    

I have made recent improvements to my Airbnb.      I invested in a set of Royal Doulton pure Irish Linen sheets, and some 400TC Egyptian cotton sheets.    Furnished the dining room with some divine antique furniture and rich soft furnishings.    Fine bone china to serve breakfast on.   

I had better reviews without all the improvements I made.      So I messaged the guest this morning:   

Hi Tom,
I want to thank you for staying with me, I hope you enjoyed the improvements I've made. You're the first to have the pure linen sheets. I've invested quite a lot of money in Royal Doulton pure linen sheets and 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets and I wonder if guests will notice the quality, or whether it is not worth providing those things because they are not noticed anyway.

Also, I forgot to show you the bath robes in the closet - I must type up a little page of reminders for the guest.
(your wife) said she enjoyed my fresh ground coffee too which I appreciated the feedback on.

Could I ask you to write me a nice little review of your stay, mentioning the coffee which Lacey liked, the toys which the children liked, and the beach camp fire dinner? It would help me immensely.

Thanking you in advance,

[Rebecca181]

@Deborah614 Not sure if you know about the changes to the review system that took place mid-to-late last year: It now rivals Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' in length and can be quite tedious to fill out. Many hosts here report that their review stats have been negatively impacted since this change took place. Hosts who have traveled as guests and used the new review system found it to be very tedious and confirmed that many guests might not bother to leave a review as it is reportedly a real pain. So that's another possible reason your guests had a lovely stay but failed to review.

With that said, I found that guest reviews don't change much when adding fancier, more precious and expensive amenities. Standards like luxe spa robes and towels, a good mattress and soft sheets (no matter what kind) seem to lend themselves to good reviews, and can be found on sale and won't break the bank. The few times I added 'special' amenities I found it was nearly taken for granted by guests and wasn't worth the trouble. But that's just me. 

[Deborah614]

Thanks for the reality check there, @Rebecca181 .     

I love it so much when my friends come to stay, that I love to spoil them with the silver and bone china tea service.   I need to curtail that for guests as I'm sure you're right.   Why risk breakages and heartache, when the guest doesn't really expect - or value -  those things anyway.