"LOCATION" Let's Remove It In 2019.

[#1]

Merriam Webster Definition of "LOCATION"

: a position or site occupied or available for occupancy or marked by some distinguishing feature

I know that "LOCATION" has been discussed countless times among hosts and in this community forum, however I have decided to start the conversation again because it needs to be discussed until the option is removed. There are six categories that guests can check off when reviewing a host after their visit, and they are Value= was the booking worth the price, communication= did the host communicate with you, cleanliness= was the listing clean, check in = did the check in go flawlessly, Accuracy= was the listing description accurate and then finally "LOCATION"=???.

I am a Superhost, with overall 5 star rating, over 400 views per week, and glowing reviews, I achieved all of this by working hard and implementing what the guests are going to be grading me on and that is Value, communication, cleanliness, check in, accuracy, and finally "LOCATION"??(which I can not control).

I know that some hosts listings are easy on easy off the expressway or other roads, and the hosts without effort continuously benefit with a 5 star rating on "LOCATION":. However Airbnb promotes itself as unique travel destinations around the world, so the vast majority of the listings are going to be hidden gems which are going to be off the beaten path, where travelers need to be alert to be able to arrive flawlessly to their unique booking destination. I live in Vermont U.S.A., just about all listings in my state are tucked away, where many times guests need to follow written instructions that hosts have sent and not be totally dependent on G.P.S. , And this is where the "LOCATION" problem begins, the vast majority of my guests arrive on time without any problem locating the property, however then there are the ones who do not follow my instructions and wind up lost on a dirt road. And it is these guests who give me a 1 to 3 star for "LOCATION" because they got lost, even though they were specifically told by a couple of messages to follow my directions.

You might be thinking well, "you are a Superhost with 5 star overall rating, you should not worry about your location rating" I should worry and so should you because I am sure "LOCATION" star ratings are part of Airbnb algorithm and therefore it is going to affect your standing on search results.

I am hoping that if we as hard working hosts on Airbnb can give plentiful feedback and replies on this post and issue, then hopefully in the year 2019 Airbnb will divorce itself from this long talked about "LOCATION" problem.

Finally Merriam Webster's definition of "LOCATION"  : A position or site occupied or available for occupancy or marked by some distinguishing feature.

Therefore all Airbnb listings fit this description and should be receiving an automatic 5 stars. So it is obvious that "LOCATION" star rating does not make sense from the definition of the word itself and does not belong on the star rating and should be removed in 2019.

(Thumbs up if you agree but most importantly to keep the conversation going)

Ruben

[Martin933]

agree. please remove location - how can u rate places on somethink that host cannot affect? 

[Christina611]

I agree, location is subjective to the guests needs. It doesn’t seem fair to rate a property for that. 

[Rubén16]

@Christina611@Martin933@Gene64  Do not forget to give thumbs up (Like) on the post to keep the conversation going and remove (LOCATION) on 2019.

[Susan990]

Yes!!! The definition of the word "Location" is seeminly not understood by AirBnb management. Yet another example of english language usage errors which litter the site with  'non-gramatical colloquial expressions',also known as slang,  on numerous pages of  the platform which cannot possibly translate successfully. My experience is that my most educated guests, who  alsospeak several languages, have the greatest difficulty understanding the questions.

  For an example of how simple a review questionair can be ,which is successful at its purpose ,check out the Home Away~ VRBO guest review.  It is simple and to the point and follows the internationally accepted Guest Review format.

  If AirBnb adopted this format it would show the vacation lodging industry that AirBnb is indeed growing up.

[Rubén16]

@Susan990I totally agree, hopefully with plentiful feedback ( LOCATION) will be gone in 2019.

[Thomas1228]

It would be great to keep the location rating, but have it not affect the super host status

[Rubén16]

@Thomas1228  It suppose to not affect our Superhost status, however it does appear in our homehighlights, which in turn affects our bookings and income and in the long run our search ranking. (See below)

HOME HIGHLIGHTS

Rubén is a Superhost · Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Helpful

· Great check-in experience · 100% of recent guests gave the check-in process a 5-star rating.

Helpful

· 

Great location · 90% of recent guests gave the location a 5-star rating.

Helpful

· 

[Nanik1]

Agreed.

The solution for this is to build an algorythm where LOCATION its not a key factor to your overal rating.

lets say if each of the other options is worth 100% each of them, have LOCATION be worth 25%.

Can't believe Airbnb still has not done/fixed this issue.

I myself have 5stars overall on everything, and many 3 stars because my home is not ideal to them sometimes.  But excuse me you saw on the map where my home was when you made the booking.

[Nanik1]

Also, this feedback should be given in an email to EVERY host with the top 10 important issues to change so all of them have a personal email which makes it more reachable to them.

[Douglas118]

Fellow hosts and Airbnb powers-that-be,

It seems as if guests may not understand the context of the "LOCATION" segment of their guest review of hosts. This location review would be useful if a guest is dissed if, for example, the host listing misstated things like accessibility to public transportation, time & distance to area attractions, time & distance to other communities, villages, cities, etc. In other words, host listing statements involving location that are inaccurate, misleading, or untruthful.

When a guest is considering a booking, of course they're concerned with the location of the listing, and the Airbnb platform makes this information available BEFORE THE BOOKING sufficient that any reasonable person would be able to evaluate if the listing is suitable for their particular needs. However, suppose a guest books your listing and at the time they file their host review decide that their stay would have been better if only your listing was  just a little more convenient to public transportation, area attractions, and other communities, villages, cities, etc. Obviously, you can't change the location of your listing to satisfy every guest who wishes they were closer to public transportation, area attractions, and other communities, villages, cities, etc, so you could be saddled with a 4 star (or less) for location, which to any otherwise unknowing prospective guest considering a listing, would be the equivalent of a pejorative Scarlet Letter of sorts.  

As an experienced Superhost, I suggest that Airbnb review this area and implement guidance for guests that limit a less than five star review for location to ONLY those situations where the host listing misstated things like accessibility to public transportation, time & distance to area attractions, time & distance to other communities, villages, cities, etc. In other words, host listing statements involving location that are inaccurate, misleading, or untruthful.

Douglas Volk
Gwynedd Valley, PA

[Stephanie365]

Making a Location criteria part of a review is what happens when your job consists of sitting in a cubicle and your brain turns to mush.  You lose your sense of what it's like in the real world. These people don't actually have to deal with the guests so they don't have to deal with the repercussions of their "cute" ideas.

The AirBNB people incorrectly assume that guests actually read.  They don't.

My listing states that I have a 1 bedroom apartment. I have one double bed and one air mattress suitable for a teenager as it is a basic air mattress. This is stated in the listing  and it is repeated throughout my listing AND is mentioned in my automated greeting for IB that "If you require the air mattress, please let me know". 

My last guest booked my suite for himself, his girlfriend and his father. Assuming the boyfriend and girlfriend would be sleeping in the bed together, who in their right mind would book a basic air mattress for their father? It turns out that dad was handicapped and could barely walk so there was no way he could get down on the air mattress on the floor. . I think he wound up sleeping in the recliner. For 5 nights.