my first guest doesnt have any reviews

[Karol13]

should i be worried about this? it appears as though he just joined airbnb last month. 

[Clare0]

@Karol13 No, not necessarily.  I accept many, many new guests without reviews and I'm happy to report that all have been great.  My experience is that these "newbies" don't take anything for granted and are on their best behaviour.  

What I do though, is take a bit more time to explain my listing and my house rules and I stay in touch with them more than I would a veteran Airbnb guest.  I make sure they are well aware that they are staying in my home and not a motel and that I appreciate their cleaning up after themselves as I am the cleaning lady.  Personal interaction really helps alot. 

We all start somewhere, even as hosts we start without reviews and people have to trust that we're ok!

[Karol13]

Hi Clare,

Thanks so much for your helpful comment. Do you have any tips on how to approach them about reminding them that it is my home they are staying in and not a motel/ to be mindful and try to keep the place tidy?

Warm regards,

Karol

[Clare0]

 @Karol13 Are you able to personally meet your guests at check in?  I meet mine personally and walk them through the house (I have an Entire Home listing) explaining all the do's and don'ts.  I also have a copy of my house rules which I go over with them on the walk through. I leave a copy with them.  I don't actually tell them my place is not a motel, but I think they get the message that the place is my home /property.  I remind them that I'm the cleaning lady so I appreciate their keeping the place picked up and the dishes washed prior to leaving.  Right off the bat we have a personal relationship. 

I also meet with them at check out to collect the keys and say goodbye.  Under the pretense of making sure they haven't left anything, I do a quick walk through to see if there is anything I need to bring to their attention before leaving.  They know ahead of time that I will be doing this so it's not like they can just leave and leave me with a mess. 

I may be lucky, but after 60+ reservations, I don't really care whether a guest has reviews or not.  Much depends on the quality of the interaction before booking (I make sure my place is suitable for their plans).  

I hope this helps a bit. Clare

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Karol13

As a new host I had no reviews and my 1st guest also had no reviews and was new to Airbnb. I had no problems whatsoever! Everyone has to start somewhere~

I agree with @Clare0 that communication with the guest and your personal "gut" feeling about that person will probably be more important than a review. Make sure you have clear house rules in the listing description as well as a copy in your home/listing. If guests need to do specific clean up activities (like taking out the trash or loading the dishwasher etc.) before they check-out, be sure to have a checklist for them so they understand your expectations. Based on my limited and short experience as a host, I've found it's better to overcommunicate 🙂 

[Karol13]

Thanks for your comment, I am most grateful for all this reassurance and also guidance!

[Laura446]

I have accepted many new airbnb guests without reviews, and they have all been great. I do, however, make sure they have a verified ID on file and a clear profile picture. Then, BEFORE ACCEPTING THEM (I do not use Instant Book), I ask more questions than I would ask a more seasoned guest, such as "What brings you to X?" and "Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and who you will be traveling with?" You can tell a lot about them based on their willingness to answer your questions and how they answer them. Only if I feel satisfied with the above, I will accept them. If they fail on any of these criteria, I can deny their request, and claim that I am uncomfortable with the booking (which is the truth) and will not be penalized. Hope this helps!

[Karol13]

Thanks!