A plea to all hosts

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Hello all!

Over and over again I keep finding posts of hosts asking for advice after a negative experience and if they should or not give a bad review. 

Here is my plea: PLEASE, do not hesitate to leave a bad review. Airbnb is a growing community and more often than not guests do not even know they will be graded upon their stay. We need to protect each other, especially hosts that do not share the space with guests are in even more danger from abusive people.

I know it's hard to speak ill about someone you just shared your space with and probably had nice times. Guests can and will request reviews to be deleted if they get too heated and personal. Just make sure you remain neutral, straight and to the point. Especially the key phrase "I would not welcome them back nor recommend to any hosts".

I have had bad experiences with guests that are new to Airbnb or, if they are not, they still think you're a hotel and expect the same service. This is why I put something like "the guest did not follow our house's rules, he/she would be a better fit to a hotel or at a place that has little to no rules. I would not welcome him/her back". If they are new you can just say "guest was new to the Airbnb experience, was a really nice person but did not really get the hang of this. Probably with more Airbnb experiences this could improve" and give personal feedback of the does and don'ts of staying as an Airbnb guest.

Please, PLEASE, always leave an HONEST review. PLEASE.

Thank you.

[Jeanette37]

Hi Emma, a review I think can ruin a host if it's bad enough but if it's only one, unlikely.  Hosts/guests have got to read reviews and make an informed decision on whether they'll go ahead.  But yes, the rating certainly can!  But hosts are to stop acting professionally???  Mmmm, not sure about that.  It depends on what you call professional I suppose and why they're in the hosting caper in the first place.  I agree in principal with writing as much detail as possible but this can put the reader off as they may get bored and lose interest.  Food for thought, lol.

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

Just had the same experience a few weeks ago! A guest with glowing reviews became, hands down, one of my worst Airbnb experience. We even had to involve Airbnb in the matter. So I wondered the same, were those reviews real or are hosts just leaving the same review, over and over, for all of their guests?

[Jeanette37]

Hello Joanna85.  Ok, I confess, I've left guests positive reviews even though they were a problem for me as I've thought similarly to you in that I didn't want to risk a bad review from them, thought that they might have had a problem with me and it won't happen to anyone else.  I'm a bit naive I think!  Some of the bad experiences I've had I've deemed to be unique to their stay at mine but could well happen to another host.  I have a regular guest who is a great person and guest but on one occasion left my unit with one of the electric blankets still on - why do I think this is unique?  Haha I suppose it's because not many hosts have electric blankets on beds!  I growled at him telling him how irresponsible it is as he could have caused a fire AND he shouldn't have it on after getting into the bed anyway (I'm very passionate about this) as it should only be used to preheat it and not to keep them warm all night.  He did to his credit apologise.  He also continues, even though I have a sign in the room saying otherwise, to take a drink in an open cup into the room.  So look out if he has a spill!  He'll be cleaning it up and he'd better do a good job or it will leave me with a permanent stain (on the carpet) but if it's the bed linen he stains it may be a trip to the dry cleaner if machine washing won't get it out.  This is something that I'm prepared to put up with as he's such a good guest.

I am prepared to take an Airbnb first-timer on but I suppose I'm a bit nervous about the fact that they could be the worst guest in the world and I'm not going to know until it's too late!  But I definitely appreciate them saying that they've never done the "Airbnb thing" before as it means I can "educate" them.  One of the things I point out is that it's NOT like staying in a motel, they can't expect the same level of experience and as they're staying in a private home and they must abide by whatever house rules there are for a start.  I object to for example being criticised about my decor!  I have had one review that mentioned the clown I have on the bed as being "creepy".  What did the person think was going to happen?  It come alive and attack her????  Some people have vivid imaginations.

[Jeanette37]

I don't think it's fair that a host can't read a guest's review about their stay BEFORE they've written one about them!  I recently had a couple of people stay with me and, as stated above, knew that (Timothy) had left a review but couldn't read it before I'd left mine.  That sux big time.  It's so unfair as one person may think the world of their guest, or vice versa until they see what they've written.  I've had recent comments from quite a few people about the condition of my floors and carpet.  Before this particular couple stayed I went to the enth degree to clean (Yes, the floors too) and yet they still thought that they could be cleaner!  Really????  What do u suggest I do, get down with a piece of steel wool and get every mark off???  I don't think so.  The reference to the carpet would probably be that it has stains.  I've decided that I'm having to let people know that my place is not perfect, is has signs of wear, tear, age etc and yet this is still not good enough.  I can tell everyone now that even if I have a professional clean done on it (it's booked for the 22nd of June, lol), it's not going to remove every stain (I used to do the job so I know) as some of them maybe decades old (my unit was built in the early 80s).  The other thing is that they left a couple of things behind, no big deal to me only I have to go to the trouble of either throwing the items out or posting them.  But worse still, I'd left a couple of lights on at the front door as a safety thing as I knew they'd be arriving at night and got home, FIVE days later and they were still on.  For someone who was brought up (rightly so) to only use a light when it's needed and not leave it on wasting energy (costing me money) and negatively impacting the environment.  I won't be doing that again.  They'd also left the shower dripping (more wasted water) and this meant that the floor in front of it was wet and a towel left there (clean and dry normally) was damp.  What do other's think?

[Heather86]

This comment of yours shows just how wrong-headed your approach to hosting is:

         "It's so unfair as one person may think the world of their guest, or vice versa until they see what they've written."

I mean, come on, reviews are meant to be objective descriptions of how the communication was, how they left the condition of the space, did they follow any rules you have set, etc. It seems rather childish to me that you would change a review based on waht the guest's experience is.

Your description of your place made me think maybe it's time to change the carpet. Seriously. Your description about lights and so forth also  generated little sympathy from me....I mean, ever heard of LEDs? And so forth.

Maybe it would give you a sense of standards if you visited some other listings, at least at the same price point. I think there are always people up for basic listings if the price is right. It is all about managing expectations.

You are hosting a business and you cannot approach it like people should just be happy with whatever is on offer, and you need not make an effort to align with generally accepted standards. I'm sorry if this doesn't sound kind, but your post just came across like you feel like a victim, a bit hard to take.

[Jeanette37]

I beg your pardon Heather, I appreciate constructive criticism from experienced hosts but not an overly harsh judgement based on ignorance of the facts, my and my guests' expectations and my personal situation.

I object to you referring to my comment as childish, my approach to hosting is just the same as if I was meeting someone for the first time for a friendship, ie find that initially at least, we get on and then that in fact they don't like me and stab me in the back.  Ie, just as I expect respect from the guest/s they will get it from me.

My description of my place is at least accurate, it is older and has signs of wear and tear and I'm having to let people know this just in case they arrive and expect a new place in pristine condition.  If they want a Hilton Hotel room for $25/night they're not going to get it.  Simple as that.

As far as the carpet goes, not that it's any of your business, I'm having it professionally cleaned soon as I am disgusted with it's condition at the very least.  The fact that the previous occupants obviously never looked after it (it appeared that whenever they had a spill they didn't bother cleaning it up) is the result and I'm stuck with it.  Some of the stains are possibly decades old and won't come out.  I know as I used to do the job.  How dare you make a judgement on me replacing it, you don't know my financial situation.  I will replace it when I can afford to.  It is at least vacuumed regularly and apart from one edge where it is frayed where the beading is due to high traffic volumes, has no holes, etc which may prove a safety risk.

My lights ARE LED but the fact still remains that I was brought up to respect the utilities' paying person of the household and the environment in regard to not wasting energy.  It doesn't matter whether the lights, etc are old or not and how much energy they use it is pure common sense and courtesy to switch something off if it is not needed except where it needs to be on for safety/security reasons or for the likes of a fridge/freezer that obviously must be left on.

I expect that a guest will treat my place with respect just as I give it to them however I can.  Even motel operators or similar will expect that their guests will do the same with their rooms, ie minimise the risk of damage and loss.

I'm not going to actively compare my place with others of a similar price, don't see that it's necessary.  Each property is individual (same with the guest) and should be accepted as such except where these are unreasonable.  To please every guest every time is impossible.  I just get sick of doing my best to provide a clean and comfortable place for them to stay only for it to be judged because it's not perfect.

I am in this caper to provide a little bit of income on the side, I will make improvements etc for ME as and when I can afford to.  Guests will obviously benefit from same eventually and once I start doing this my rate will go up I can guarantee that.

[Heather86]

I hear your sense of injustice, but I believe that I was just reflecting back what I read you saying, and what I read once again in your reply.

In my experience, as airbnb grows, I see lots of people joining in and then coming here posting complaints about the process, why they aren't getting good reviews, or making more money. I don't necessarily know if that is you, but it reminded me of that. Maybe that isn't you. Fair enough. But this is an airbnb issue I see -- people want the income without the investment.

You state in your reply that you yourself find your own carpet "disgusting" so it should not be a surprise that it is getting similar reviews. So that sparkks me to comment more here -- the part that I want to post which perhaps can add to the conversation on this forum (and then I'll end this thread for now) -- is not about you, but more general.

I think that while each listing is unique, airbnb is a global community and when people experience poor quality listings, it does affect the brand overall. I realize that each host is gong to approach their listing differently. I, for one, have been a guest in many airbnbs and base the quality of my listing accordingly. I've been in places with threadbare sheets, so I don't let mine get to that point. I've been in places with mildew in the shower, so mine is sparkly. And so on.

One thing I have also learned to stay sane with hosting it to just be flexible with the variety of people visiting. Some will leave lights on but, if I thought about it, it probably cost me 10 cents more, but is that worth my brain cells? No. Some will leave and an aftersmell of terrible cologne will persist. Ok, I'll have a laugh and open windows. And so forth. Maybe I have been lucky so far, but for the most part I find that guests are in "the bell curve" of pretty normal people, with normal variation in how they leave things. Not always how I would, but reasonable -- especially if they are paying me 500 bucks.

[Dodie0]

If we don't leave a reveiw on a guest we will not welcome back, will we be penilized by Airbnb? Like the fiasco with Instant book?  I really don't want to risk my super host status, and my complaints seem minor compared to other hosts, but I definitly will not have certain guests back for various reasons. 

[Elaine-and-Duane0]

@Dodie0 As a host, leaving a brief factual review is an important part of hosting. It is a sevice to other hosts. Many of us rely on the honesty of our community and don't write "highly recommend " if the guest was subpar.  I know of no Airbnb penalty if you don't review the guest.  I had to leave a poor review and wrote" Nice couple, very clean. Unfortunately chose to ignore house rules and had unregistered guests visit". 

[Tania-and-Andrew0]

It is not penalized if you don't, but other hosts really appreciate if you do. As I mentioned at the start and have now again since I've had other experiences. Having guests with reviews that are just "thank you for your stay" is random and have sometimes turned out to be really bad guests (no respect for the house's rules, rude or worst). Leaving an honest review is important, but it's also relevant to note that reviews have to be factual and not involve "feelings" as guests can report them to Airbnb and have it removed.

"The guest and I bumped heads the moment he/she arrived, she was rude and I felt all the time that she was being ..." that's a review that can be removed.

"Guest did not follow the house's rules, took too long to answer which made communicating with guest complicated, left a mess in the common areas when he/she left. Wouldn't recommend or host him/her again". That, no matter how much they cry and wine, can't be removed and would be of great help for other hosts, especially if you click "NO" on the "Would you recommend this guest?".