@Emily631
Guests are not confused by the Airbnb star rating system, they are using it just as Airbnnb have told them they should use it....
A 3 star means the listing met their expectations.
A 4 star means the listing exceeded their expectations.
A 5 Star means the listing was faultless and needs no improvement!
The problem is Airbnb have not told the guest how they will interpret their star rating of the host.....but they certainly tell the host!
Any review system should be open, honest and transparent.....Airbnb's review system fails on all those points
A/.....It is not open because it is subject to Airbnb's interpretation, not the users, and the openess of it is lost because in many instances one party loosed the right to have their opinion substantiated or will have their opinion removed by the other party on request.
B/.....It is not honest because the fear of retaliatory action leads all users to offer what the system feels is acceptable rather than the actual experience.....we all pat ourselves on the back and say what great individuals we are so we don't get penalised.
C/.....Because of A and B we end up with a review system that is not transparent and is confusing to all users.
The main thing that ruins a really good platform is the review system!
Cheers.....Rob