Should there be a Star Ratings for Guests?

Dustin58
Level 2
Moab, UT

Should there be a Star Ratings for Guests?

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?

65 Replies 65
Tom2518
Level 2
Palmerston North, NZ

Oh I agree if was a private home.

But  5 bedroom boarding house not a private home.

They had converted the place. Our bedroom was a converted traditional reception area next to the front door.

 

What point are you helping to pay rent /mortgage

To running a professional boarding House. This was a modern version of a 1950s boarding house.

 

NYC now are regulating them as small or professional operations.

 

5 rooms is paying off million dollar mortgage. Yes Walls need to be clad for fire

Sinks need to be cleaned

Rubbish needs to be tidied professionally

 

Day before we stayed in young couples 2 bedroom apartment. They spent more effort.

 

Tom

 

 

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Tom2518 I don't see why you object to helping them pay their rent or mortgage! Some let rooms for fun, to meet people, but many need the money, nothing wrong in that!  - I don't know why you say it was a 50s boarding house?! - Just cos they let more than one room? Super cheap = multiple rooms, shared bathroom! (You should see some Airbnbs in London -loads of rooms/guests + host!) - I get the impression the hosts DO live there... so it's a normal homeshare, just has several letting rooms... Other reviewers said it was 'homely', one recent one said more like a proper b&b than a homeshare -praise indeed! -  (You'd hate my place! 🙂 )  - Not starting a fight, just different strokes for different folks!

Tom2518
Level 2
Palmerston North, NZ

Absolutely different strokes, not arguing but responding to Dustins post. Regarding being able to change ratings of guests.

 

I have worked in hospitality industry.

Some airbnbs are people just opening homes as family members would. Will rate them as such.

If people are running professional business on various levels.

I have worked large YHAs & hotels there is standards expected.

So why shouldn't we treat them the same as a business.

 

Interesting world reviews.

 

Tom

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Tom2518 The airbnb you thought little of WAS someone opening their home! The owners live there, & work full time in full time jobs elsewhere! They are NOT hospitality professionals in 'the hospitality industry' - so you SHOULD rate them as ordinary home owners opening up their home! No matter that they let more than one bedroom, that's irrelevant! I looked up their prices: In GBP it's £22 per night per couple! That should be 5* in anybody's book! - In airbnb-land 5* means you got what you paid for, & at £22 per couple, it sounds like you do! 

Do you realise Airbnb tell hosts they must achieve an average of 4.7 (for the general/overall mark? Not the specific sub-categories) Hosts can be suspended below 4.4, & de-listed below 4.0. - So if you rate below 5* you are damaging someone's listing, saying it should be de-listed.... If that happened, you'd be denying hundreds of budget travellers a cheap as chips opportunity; one that many reviewers have enthused about, not just said it was 'OK'. It may not be hotel standard... that's why it is SO cheap!

 

Michael6990
Level 2
Spearwood, Australia

Michael, Host of an apartment in Fremantle West Australia. While guests ratings are being discussed I am wondering how a guest can justify this .... Five stars for each of the categories then give an overall rating of four. 

Biba23
Level 2
kbh, Denmark

i very much agree!  Yesterday my listing was suspended due to a guest who threatend me. He wanted money and threatend me with a bad rating. I told him I was sticking to the rules that I did not have to pay him anything and he gave me 1 star

i equaly gave him 1-star but it does not show. Nor does it suspend him as guest

also had a guest who gave me a 3 star because he had to wait in line at the airport for a train pass. Also he thought the neighbourhood is boring. 
Air bnb is unreachable in these matters. i spoke to the maneger and she was responding with very irrational answears to these matters.