Hi everyone,
Airbnb now uses a new number rating out of 10 (ex. 9.17) to translate guest's reviews from a 5-star rating. I find this troubling, especially because the NUMBER RATING does not necessarily reflect the hosts' current status/rating. For example, the number rating is based on the lifetime of ALL the reviews, so for guests with more than 1 year hosting or over 100 reviews, the is a good chance that OLDER REVIEWS might impact and drop the overall number rating heavily. If Airbnb would like hosts to modify and make changes to their homes/units, to help increase guest comfort and stay, then very OLD REVIEWS should not affect the OVERALL rating. Airbnb should recognize that guests are putting an effort into creating a more positive experience for their guests. NEWER REVIEWS should be rewarded and recognized.
We refurbished one of our units with new floors, all new furniture, paint, and some other cosmetic upgrades and our new ratings have been very high! Unfortunately, since we have over 150 reviews - NEWER RATINGS do not really affect the overall rating that much. OLD REVIEWS is not representative to the changes and upgrades that have been made, especially with customer comfort, cleanliness, and support.
At this point, I am considering DELETING MY ACCOUNT and creating the same one exact one again, WITHOUT any reviews. A fresh start. The one huge disadvantage to this is that I will not have the 155 reviews and the customer confidence, along with the Airbnb algorithm on my side. Competition is tough and this is affecting my current bookings dramatically. New listings with only 5 reviews can have a 9.98% compared to someone like me with over 155 reviews and a 7.89%. The last 75 reviews that I have had have been up in the range of 9.95%. Unfortunately, guests have NO WAY of understanding this!
So, what I suggest -
1) Review number score based on the LAST 100 reviews and/or
2) Review number score based on the last 365 days
3) Either use a Number Rating or use a Star Rating
4) No Number rating to hosts with less than 50 guests
Anyone else agrees??? Please discuss...
Airbnb.com/h/carolina-beach-oceanfront-serenity
Airbnb.com/h/carolina-beach-seaside-sanctuary
Airbnb.com/h/carolina-beach-beachfront-bliss