The platform should explain star rating for guests

[Ramzi2]

I think most hosts have had guests who were having their first AIRBNB experience renting their place. Many of those guests have 5 star hotel expectations, and others are just amazingly easygoing. 

I have a couple of average reviews (3 star) which i got from people using airbnb for the first time. I think many people do not understand how much a 3 star, or even a 4 star effects the host, specially a super host ( i lost the status this month). 

The platform should explain to guests just before rating, what is star rating, and how it effects the listing, and the host. 

Maybe like write a small phrase next to each selection, for example:

1 Star: Very Bad Experience, Wouldn't come again

2 stars: Less than Average Experience, not recommended, and wouldn't come again

3 stars: Super Average, details not taken care of, wouldn't come again. 

4 stars: Good Experience, MIGHT come again. 

5 stars: Perfect or near perfect Experience, genuine host, definitely recommended. 

I believe that the rating is hurting hosts ore than helping them improve, right now i am switching my instant booking to only people who have had a review before booking with me. 
OF course the above is just what i can think of as i write, but it can be written in a much better way. Let me know what you guys think. 

Your thoughts please. 

[Niel3]

I think it does, from what I understand guests are informed that 3 stars is "as expected", 4 stars is "better than expected" and 5 stars is "much better than expected" or something similar.

Quite what motivates AirBNB to essentially give disinformation to our guests when anything less than 5 stars is actually harmful to hosts accounts I do not understand.

However in my welcome letter I have in all my rooms I have  a paragraph explaining that as a host I am held to a 4.7 'acceptable' average (4.8 for Superhost) & if they feel they can not give me 5 stars I would welcome their advice on how I could improve. It's a shame we have to find some way to politely tell our guests that AirBNB is misleading them but we have to in order to protect our businesses.

[Delphine-And-Michael0]

Airbnb has a few horrible policies that seemingly are unwilling to change, a new to AirBnb guest usually does think 3 stars are good for a host, 5 stars is ingrained in people as something very very special unless you explain it to your guest.  For us we explain the rating system to the guest we also tell them if you feel something is missing contact us at anytime if we can accommodate you we will, just don’t put in a review host did not provide me with something and ding us on the rating.

1). The review system is misleading at best, also why do they insist on having location for rating?

2) The upcoming changes for superhost status are horrible.  By changing the weighting one

  bad review can take you down as superhost.

3) Reviews where the guest lies even if you can prove it will not be removed.  The only recourse is to file a libel suit against the guest (which is a lot of unnecessary work and an expense).

I think you have to look at AirBnb like a cable/utility company, there are very few choices so you are stuck with one although with hosting you can sign up with all of them.

Try to list on more sites also when a guest stays with you that you like give them your details to contact you directly for booking.  Set up to process credit cards, use PayPal, etc.  also have the guest purchase travel insurance. 

[Ramzi2]

Totally right, 

And just today, i had a returning guest, she previously booked with me back in August, and rated the listing 4 stars. (Although all her sub categories were 5 stars, go figure)

Today she booked, and in her message she said, here i am again, and won't be my last time. I got so pissed, i mean if u like my place so much, why would you rate it 4 stars, and i actually did tell her, saying that i am surprised you are back, since last time you only rated me 4 stars, she replied saying: Oh really? i did not notice, i finished the review quiet quickly as i was at the airport. 

And this happens a lot, many people do not give a lot of attention to the reviews, and it is hurting hosts. 

@Niel3 it is not true that guests get the explanation, i use airbnb as a guest as well, and actually just 2 days ago, i wrote a review to a listing, and no explanation was there. 

[Rebecca181]

Airbnb does not educate guests on the star rating system and how it impacts us hosts and can affect our business (and for some, their livlihoods). They could change this, but they have chosen not to, for reasons that will forever mystify me. Therefore, I include a short paragraph on how the star system works in the one page House Guide guests must read at check-in (and I make it clear they must read it, as there are important instructions on hot tub and septic system use). I have never had an issue with reviews since. You might consider doing the same.

[Pete28]

Can you share the magic paragraph 🙂 

[Rebecca181]

@Pete28 Just saw this. I tried several times to post my magical paragraph here, but I get the red warning about HTML tags being found in the message - Even though there are definitely no HTML tags there. Par for the course these days (technical glitch). 

[Letti0]

@Rebecca181  When that happens hit the reply button again and it will post the second time. Happens to me all the time. 

[Ramzi2]

I hope you can try in some other way to share it.