Should there be a Star Ratings for Guests?

[Dustin58]

Hello Fellow AirBnb hosts,

I'd like to see a star ratings system for guests. If guests can review us as hosts, why can't we review them as guests? It would be great if we could work together as a community to give feedback on who we actually want staying in our homes and properties. The existing "you can't see what a guest said until you leave your own review" system is very broken for many reasons. The star ratings for hosts are painfully important to hosts; why can't they be just as important to guests? Hosts can be suspended if your rating drops below 4 stars.

So guests have a weapon they can wield to bilk hosts out free extras, unwarranted refunds, etc. all in the fear of a bad review. But if hosts had that same weapon, it would level the playing field. We'd no longer get threats of 1 star reviews because a guest wants hundreds of dollars for minor inconveniences, because hosts could point that out in their review that guest and give them a 1 star rating in return. And no host would accept a reservation from a poorly rated guest. So guests would have to return to being reasonable again as would want to be highly rated as well. And we'd want the ability to rate guests at any time; not just in a small window after the guest checks out. We've all had guests with whom we thought everything went well, and then the guest leaves a negative review with a low start rating for things out of our control or things that are unwarranted. I'd sure want to know if that happened to a fellow host, and then I could avoid renting to that guest.  But we'd have to be able to rate that guest for any amount of time after their departure. This would make guests more reasonable and would give invaluable information to us as to who we want to allow into our homes. There are, of course, times when a guest isn't treated right, and they certainly have all the tools at their disposal to make that known. But I think we are tired of working our butts off for guests and doing everything right, and then being threatened or slammed by a low star rating review. Like the time you engaged with a guest, made their stay great, and then get a low star review because they didn't like the cleaning fee; which they knew about when they booked and agreed to. And they only made a stink about it after there was nothing that could be done; after check out. I'm sure we all have a hundred stories about guests that we did everything for, and then they stuck us with a low star review. And there is nothing we can do about as it's after the fact.

Please let us all review our guests on a 1-5 star basis at any time. And let us adjust our booking requirements to only accept guests with a certain rating. Just like guests do to us. If I was able to let everyone know about the bad guest who complains about fees after checkout, wouldn't everyone want to avoid renting to that guest? But our hands are tied thanks to Airbnb's poor executed tit for tat system where you only get a small window of time to review a guest, and can only see what someone wrote after the fact. And there is no star system for guests, so there is no way to easily sort bad guests out. I don't want your bad guest that asked for a $1000 refund because the AC wasn't set at 72 degrees on arrival, and you don't want my bad guest that left a bad review because they didn't pull up the detailed map that was sent to them and got lost using MapQuest (who uses MapQuest anymore?) Thoughts?

[Kath9]

@Dustin58, guests do have a star rating so I'm not sure I really understand what you're getting at. As hosts, we rate our guests based on a star rating out of 5 for cleanliness, communication and observation of house rules. Then we decide whether we would recommend them or not. You can also flag guests to report them for very bad behaviour. In response to your statement "If I was able to let everyone know about the bad guest who complains about fees after checkout, wouldn't everyone want to avoid renting to that guest" Yes, we would. That is why it is important to leave an honest review of your guests.  

Unfortunately, we can't control how our guests rate us, we can only do our best to make their stay as great as possible. I honestly haven't shared your experiences of "working our butts off for guests and doing everything right, and then being threatened or slammed by a low star rating review" or "have a hundred stories about guests that we did everything for, and then they stuck us with a low star review". And if someone does leave an unfair review, you can always leave a public response to it - most guests will see this in perspective, especially if the majority of your reviews are positive. If it's really dishonest and inaccurate, you can ask Airbnb to have it removed.

In response to "let us adjust our booking requirements to only accept guests with a certain rating" - there are ways you can do this. Either turn Instant Book off so that you can pick and choose who you accept, or set your IB settings so that only guests with good ratings can Instant Book.

I also think that the way the reviews are set up so that you can't see a guest's review until you leave your own review is actually an excellent system as it avoids tit for tat. Imagine if you left a poor review for a guest before they left their review - then they could retaliate by leaving you a bad review as well. And everyone would leave it until the last minute to leave a review so they could read the other one first! Also, two weeks is hardly a small window of time to leave a review.

If you don't like the system, maybe AirBnB is just not for you...

[Kath9]

I also see you have 103 listings. Wow. I guess you're one of those cashing in on Airbnb and probably creating a social housing shortage while you're at it.

[Matthew285]

@Dustin58 I don't understand your post. Airbnb hosts already give the guests star ratings.

Have you not written a host review of a guest yet?

[Ute42]

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@Dustin58, @Kath9 , @Matthew285 ,

Hi Dustin,

are You sure You wanted to publish this post on airbnb?

I tend to believe You wanted to post this on trip advisor which

is for restaurants, they don't have a guestrating yet.

If they had it, the Chef of a steakhouse could read the reviews of a

guest who always complains that his steak isn't well done enough,

this Chef could now prepare the steak for this guest accordingly and

barbeque it down to charcoal.

For trip advisor Your proposal makes sense and I'm supporting it.

[Jenée0]

I have just recently sept 2019 not been able to see the guests rating is this something that is available only to instant book hosts or is it a current system glitch? 

[Tom2518]

I could say the same but opposite. 

I gave mild review of place, no door locks on bedroom, dirty plugs in sink. Piles of rubbish in kitchen. 

I made private recommendations for possible improvement. 

As he was a young guy trying to make it work. 

He said I was noisy (was 3.30pm) another guest was night shift worker. 

Really wish I had given Frank review. Looked at past reviews and others had said what I had. 

[Helen350]

@Tom2518  'No door locks on bedroom' is NORMAL in a private room in a private house. So is containers of rubbish in a host's OWN kitchen, especially if they collect stuff for recycling. Airbnbs are NOT hotels - they are like staying with friends or family - with the clutter that folks ave in their lived in homes... And who has bedroom door locks in a private home? Consideration for ALL people in the house is the 'thing' with homeshare.... If you think it's OK to disturb a night worker's sleep, you are the dreaded 'entitled guest', and 'BETTER SUITED TO A HOTEL!' 

[Juan63]

No locks on a room being used as an Airbnb is not normal. I've stayed in such listings and it makes for a very uncomfortable stay, specially when the host rents out multiple rooms.

[Helen350]

@Juan63 Private home hosts do NOT want to damage their homely doors or make them look like hotel rooms by installing locks.

Airbnb are known to de-list hosts with no warning, for no reason, - I don't want to ruin my doors, only to find I'm not a host the next day!

Locks are NOT the norm in private houses! Airbnbs are NOT hotels! It's rather against the spirit of homeshare to assume other guests will rob or harm you! (Many hosts are selective about who they let in.) ASK before booking if bedrooms have locks, don't assume!

I've hosted 350+ guests & only 2 have complained about lack of locks! If you want locks, go to a hotel, or rent an entire place!

[Juan63]

You are wrong Helen, locks are expected and it is the norm. It's your choice not to change your locks of course. I've had over 1000 guests and have stayed in over 40 airbnbs around the world and privacy is the most important and having a lock gives a guest security and privacy. It is so important that Airbnb lists "lock on bedroom door" as a "common" amenity. Even the heading they provide says so:

"What amenities do you offer? These are just the amenities guests usually expect, but you can add even more after you publish"

[Alon1]

@Juan63 @Helen350 

Juan,

Airbnb was born on 'trust'.

If I'm not mistaken 'Lock on bedroom door' is a belated addition to amenities. 

I've been hosting as long as you have with similar figures. I don't do Instant Book and  dealt with over 1,300 enquiries.The vast majority never raised the question of locked bedroom which clearly indicates it's not a major concern, further proven during their stays. Indeed, many of the Reviews convey the feeling of ease and comfort and security which serves to create confidence for others. .

My response to those who have raised the question during Enquiry is  simply advise them to keep searching for the appropriate place. All of them took the advice as none ended up booking with me. Good solution for both parties.

[Helen350]

@Alon1 Couldn't agree more!

[Juan63]

Facts are facts Helen. 

[Alon1]

@Juan63  @Sandra856 @Helen350 

Juan,

Facts are facts. You are absolutely correct. 

The only 'Essentials' listed in Amenities: are' Towels, bed sheets, soap, toilet paper, and pillows.'

Beyond that there is no obligation to provide anything. 

That's the fact of the matter.