Superhost Review Standards--Revision!!

[Olivira0]

The new Superhost review standard that will roll out after April (I believe it is now a 4.8 out of 5.0) is quite detrimental to Superhosts. I don't know of any other company where the hosts who are your actual "bread and butter" are treated more unfairly. Take a step back from this, Airbnb, and reconsider. Your Superhosts represent the bulk of your revenue concentrated in a small minority. They do the most hosting and attract the most guest loyalty. Yet your new review system sets out a "5.0 or bust" standard of achievement (because, truly, anything less than a 5.0 might as well be a 4.0 the way things are weighted).

But let's talk about weights, because I think this is where a reasonable solution lies. The reviews themselves need to be weighted based on the aggregate number of days that a guest has stayed with you. Most of my renters are what I would consider "long term" renters--they remain with me on average a month or so. When I get a review from them at the end of their stay, it is honest and involved because of the duration of their stay with me. It is critically disadvantageous to have the review of a "one night" guest weigh as much as someone who stayed with me and actually enjoyed the hospitality of my home. If the reviews are calculated over a rolling 12-month period, then the guest reviews can also be calculated as a percentage of that time frame.

Think about the benefits to this method, Airbnb and Superhosts. Using this method, a bad review is far less damaging than the reviews of those who were guests in your home for longer periods of time. If you get a bad review from someone who was with you for a while, then it probably is an accurate review. You have more opportunity to interact with and respond to guest needs over longer periods of time.

The way the system is currently slated, hosts are striving to do more while guests are allowed to do less. Airbnb will start to find that hosts make adjustments that result in fewer, more controlled bookings and that equates to less revenue from your "bread and butter" base. I'm to the point now where I am going to start adjusting my minimum stay requirements just to ensure that I have host interaction time. I have already removed Instant Booking because the review process is so deeply flawed that hosts are erring on the side of good reviews just to placate guests which means some not so great guests are slipping through the cracks.

Another suggestion is to allow hosts to see the kinds of reviews that a guest gives. If they came recommended, we should be able to see how they reiewed their past hosts. If reviews are made public, then we should have access to that information.

Airbnb needs to look into this adjustment seriously. It is possible to recalculate and necessary to ensure that the host community is not alienated from hosting.

[Gordon0]

Airbnb have moved on, it's all about 'Plus' now, and let's face it, Superhosts are ten-a-penny, not a 'small minority'. 

[Willow3]

I agree with Gordon - in my tiny town, 38% of listings are hosted by Super Hosts... hardly all that special.  I know a lot of SH are nervous, and I really do feel for those who host extended stay guests... it's next to impossible to get the requirements met.  But I think with the new more stringent standards, SH will begin to mean something.  

[Fred13]

And maybe, just maybe Airbnb may give them more support @Willow3.

[Willow3]

A girl can dream...

[Robin4]

@Willow3 @Fred13 @Gordon0

My next Superhost congratulatory benefit announcement is in the mail!

Pigs might fly!

Cheers.......Rob

[Rod21]

I agree with Olivira's comment that the reviews themselves need to be weighted based on the aggregate number of days that a guest has stayed with you.  

[Carolyn24]

1. I think the written commets made by the guests should be taken into consideration.  I have had numerous guests who praised my hopitality and accomodation and yet would give me 3 or 4 stars,  there is not always a correlation between expressed guest satisfatction and the overall rating that they click off.  Most of my guests are very short term.  I provide  sofortable, clean accomodations at a very reasonalble price.    I go out of my way to accomodagte specail needs.  In several cases I was praised and thanked for my special efforts and still only recieved less than 5 stars, this makes no sense and I resent that Air BnB does not seem to have a way of looking at the whole picture.   At this very moment I am confronted with a situaltion that I was totallly unprepared for,  I seem to be hosting a person who is not actually the person who made the reservation.  This guest has no real understanding of how air BnB works, has cl;early not read the detials of my lising and I am very concerned as to what kind of review I will get.  I intend to contact customer service about this.  I would welcome any advice or comments from the community.

[Rebecca160]

You can ask the guest to

leave. Then, contact Airbnb and explain what happened and request that it be cleared from your records. I suggest this, as I do not see how you would be covered in the event of something going wrong. The guest is not really a guest, if their name is not on the paperwork.

As far as getting great write ups and not the corresponding stars, it is frustrating. Data should be combined and considered in total. I asked one guest why he gave me 4 stars and an absolutely glowing review . He had been here over a week and it was great! Anyway, he said that he never gives five stars for anything , not for dinners, movies, Amazon, Airbnb... For these folks , we will never be worthy.

[Allyson17]

I myself have tried this and they will not remove a bad review unless it violates the content policy. Even though I had correspondence of a guests begging to pay me cash they wouldn't remove the review.

[Mark874]

Hi Carolyn, when I have a guest who was booked by someone else there is inevitably a problem. Question is, why did that guest not book for himself? So that guest is relying on the credentials of someone else who has been approved by Airbnb in terms of identity etc. I will now only accept bona fide individuals who are registered and approved by Airbnb. No more will I accept reservations on behalf of someone else.

[Jean-Michel19]

the worst part is when you have 5 stars all the way and you see a total of 4 stars it happens to me , there is a double rate somewhere one you can see and one you cant see , their rating system sucks just because the guys who have created that they dont know what SUPER HOST MEANS AT ALL...They never received GUESTS IN THEIR LIFE because the only thing that they owned is their JOB in accounting on AIRBNB :))))

[Jayson9]

Some people’s eggo and simple psychology prevent them from leaving a 5 star review regardless of how great an experience you provide.  Recently had a guest rate me 5 on everything but value.  Thi couple spent 4 nights in a LUXURY ski area condo (hardwood floors, granite dountertops, steamsauna shower etc), with free firewood and paid just over $500 and enjoyed FABULOUS snow conditions and left me a 4 for value and 4 overall but 5 for everything else?  A 4.8 standard is simply unreasonable.

[Allyson17]

I agree. I've had 2 guests not get there way when breaking my house rules and the Airbnb rules and because they got vindictive with their review and told lies. Now I'm screwed because the did t break the "content" policy. This is awful now my standing took a major hit ad it's impossible to recover from! I provide food drinks fridge stove a d many many other amenities and this is how we get treated and Airbnb doesn't stand up for us it's deplorable!

[Morrice0]

Yes no I completely agree with Gloria! I hosted some people who I caught going thru my mailbox via my door bell camera and then having more guest than originally advertised. I confronted the issues and the first was still permitted to leave a disparaging remark. AirBNB does not stand behind its guests.