They came, they stayed, they went...

Susan10
Level 9
Elkton, MD

They came, they stayed, they went...

How often do you review guests who you never see?  They self check in, then self check out, and during your stay you never see them.  There is minimal communication other than check in procedures and check out procedures all done by text.   Your place is left in good shape.  Is there really a benefit to anyone to review guests who simply come, stay and leave?  Communicating 100 percent by text?  What's the point of reviewing these type of guests who also don't give you a review?  You're not gaining a review and they are otherwise unremarkable as guests?

14 Replies 14
Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

These are my favorite guests and the guests that deserve great reviews, in my opinion.  

 

Review: "XX communicated when needed and was completely self-sufficient during their stay. I would be happy to host these easy guests again."

Yes, I've done that a few times, but most of my experiences they don't review me.  I feel like I'm not benefiting from the purpose of reviews.  Does Airbnb ever limit guests who consistently don't review hosts?

 

It also is completely opposite of Airbnb's mission to "connect" no?  To feel welcome?  Or has ABB changed it's whole outlook on hosting?

The purpose of hosts leaving reviews for guests is to let other hosts know whether they were good guests or not. Just as I'm sure you like having some guest reviews to go on when deciding whether to accept their bookings or not. You leaving reviews for your guests isn't about whether you get a review in return.

 

And there is nothing wrong with letting guests know that you would appreciate them leaving a review for you. Of course you don't want to be pushy about it, but a brief message to a guest after check-out, thanking them for their stay and asking if they could spare a few minutes of their time to leave a review for you is fine. Some may ignore it, but it might prompt some who otherwise wouldn't bother to do so.

@Susan10

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Susan10 the purpose of ABB is for guests to have a place to stay and for me to get paid for providing that place. That said I no longer review guests who don't review first unless they are so utterly terrible that the world must be warned of their existence.

I agree with @Emilia42 that these guests aren't bad and frankly I'd be happy to have them right now, but I also don't mind at all if you choose not to review them.

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@Susan10 You ask what the point of reviewing 'unremarkable' guests is? Well, they didn't trash your place, they didn't invite 100 people for a wild party, they didn't complain it was dirty or bug-infested, nor bring dirt & bugs to fabricate a false complaint, and they didn't demand their money back! - So hosts are grateful for 'unremarkable' guests, and it's good to reward 'unremarkable' guests with a good 5* review, and to re-assure their future hosts that 'unremarkable' = No trouble at all!

 

I think Airbnb HAS changed it's outlook on hosting, and has moved towards being just another booking platform. Certainly homeshares are now in the minority and I think many hosts & guests would agree that those who want the personal touch are in the minority, as a great number of guests just want to let themselves into an 'entire place' and not be bothered by the host. Sometimes people even complain that the host came over & engaged with them!

Wendy1071
Level 8
Mississauga, Canada

That describes almost every one of my bookings as my airbnb and my home are in different provinces and I have a cleaner go in after a guest leaves to make the place ready for the next. Sometimes I have some good communication but usually not.   I like @Emilia42 's suggested review for this latter type of guest.  Thank you. 

Except that I do live here so it doesn't apply.  And I admit I do not like virtual hosting in my own home.  Yes, it probably is a generational thing.  

Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Susan10  I like to think of reviews as how we hosts support each other. We don't get a lot of support from Airbnb, so we only have each other to let us know who we should or should not let into our homes. So, while my review of a guest does not directly benefit me, it does benefit the guest (as long as it is positive) and, more importantly, other hosts. My review is not dependent on them reviewing me - I review all of my guests,  just as I hope that other hosts will review their guests so that I have something on which to base my decision about whether to accept a guest into my home. In other words, what comes around, goes around. The guests you have described are perfect 5-star guests and should be acknowledged as such.

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Another reason to review these guests is to reward their amazing behavior. They fully deserve their positive feedback and should know they were appreciated.

 

As with several other posters, these are my favorite types of guests and a majority of them. Most review me back. I do ask for a review though (hiding behind my desk to dodge rotten tomatoes- not everyone likes that practice). I usually say something like "Great guests, easy to host. Communication was excellent, place left clean".

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

@Susan10 I agree with others: as far as I am concerned these are ideal guests, and the purpose of a review is to benefit other users, not yourself-- you benefit in turn from the reviews left by other hosts.

 

(If you have social requirements for your guests, you should include these requirements in your listing.)

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

When I drop off ours guests at the island I usually say - "We probably won't hear from each other, so see you in 'X' days". That is usually my signal to them that we won't call you and we hope you don't call us.

 

How is that for 'Social Distancing' @2020 style? LoL

 

Still about half leave a review, usually a one-liner, perfect; those we review. Every once in a while, we get a wordy one who feels compelled to write some 10-page 'War &  Peace' travel log for the betterment of society. (rolls eyes)

 

 

Andrea-and-Glenn0
Level 10
Mill Bay, Canada

Our Cottage is away from our main home and quite often our guests will come and go exactly like Susan has described. We are “hands off” hosts anyways and want to give our guests 100% privacy and do not wish to interact with guests or try and become friends. 

 

Yes, we will leave a review for these type of guests especially when they are respectful and leave our cottage and property in the same condition as when they arrived. 

 

Exactly the kind of guests we are looking for at the Mill Bay Cottage, please refer them to us if you know anyone travelling to Vancouver Island who wants a fully self contained cottage in a beautiful area with total privacy away from the hosts. 

 

We agree that these these type of guests totally deserve a review so that other hosts can accept them and be confident that they will be model guests appreciated by other hosts. 

 

Andrea and Glenn

#millbaycottagerental

Matthew1057
Level 2
Salt Lake City, UT

I review every guest. I have only had 2 guests (both younger 20 somethings) not review me back since I started in Feb 2020. I've also only had 1 guest that got less than 4 stars on cleanliness of the space when they left. Lucky I guess? I never meet most of my guests which during these time of Covid, I feel that is respecting their boundaries and safety. I have met a few in my driveway and if they wish to engage then I enjoy that conversation (keeping my distance) and answer questions that may enhance their visit to Utah.  I mainly focus on responding to any questions they may have through text quickly and they seem to appreciate it as reflected in my reviews. I also offer local knowledge and some take me up on that offer. It may take some extra time but for me I want the 5 star reviews and that has consistently been mentioned in my reviews which have been all 5 star since I started. If you want to be successful in this business and increase your bookings, treat your guests like gold, get 5 star reviews and give them great reviews if they make your life easy and leave your place tidy. If they are problematic then we all want to know about that so we can decide if we want them in our spaces. Very important to let us all know.     

Dimitar27
Level 10
Sofia, Bulgaria

My favorite guests, also. When nobody calls me, I'm pretty sure, that everything is OK, they feel enough comfortable and will leave a good review.