Accepting and declining guests based on zero previous ratings

[Xochitl26]

Hello

im pretty new to Airbnb. My rental has been doing pretty good. I’m happy about that. But recently I had someone I accepted to stay at the airbnb leave a really bad review. All ones and maybe a two here and there.  

it’s a very big contrast from all the other fours and fives I’ve received. I almost feel like it might have been a maliciously done review. In any event I went through Airbnb and they will not take it down. 

so now I’m scared to allow folks to stay who don’t have a prior history with prior reviews. I was wondering if anyone else is selective and solely chooses/accepts folks based on history on Airbnb. Or if I need to not be scared and keep accepting knowing that this will happen now and again?

[Dawn241]

I don’t allow people who just joined and have no reviews. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Dawn241 This is really sad. Why do some hosts forget that they were new when they started out and would not have succeeded if guests took this attitude.

[Dawn241]

This is based on experience, Bisbee is a party town with annual events that draw thousands of people. Bisbee is a border town and our county is experiencing an unprecedented amount of human trafficking and fentanyl coming through, and also the strict licensing requirements of the city. 

[Guy991]

Hello @Xochitl26 ,

I'm sad to hear that others have had similar experiences. As a perfectionist, I treasured my 5-star rating until a guest with no previous trips gave it a low rating.

Your strategy is correct: do not accept first time guests unless they are highly communicative and demonstrate understanding of the differences between an Airbnb property and a hotel room, as this is where problems often occur.

Additionally, I suggest refraining from leaving a review for those guests altogether. If you leave a positive review, Airbnb may question why you're complaining when, based on your review, they were a good guest.

@paula,

I believe Airbnb should exclude reviews from the first three trips for new guests. It's unfair for hosts who have consistently performed well over time to be heavily penalized by a single guest, especially if it might be their only trip ever on Airbnb. Distinguishing between long-term customers (hosts and guests) and new ones would make the platform more stable and reliable, a strategy that many international companies have adopted over the years. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Guy991 I disagree with so much of what you have said.

1) Just because a guest has issues with a property it does not make them a bad guest. Hosts should rate all guests in an honest manner if the system is to work properly.

2) Excluding guest reviews just because they travel infrequently is just wrong - All guests have a right to express their opinion on every stay.

If you want an improvement then try and get Airbnb to match the guests score with their actions. A guest is told that a score of 3 is an acceptable standard and yet if a host gets a few of these they face suspension.

[Zheng49]

Are guests really told by Airbnb a score of 3 is an acceptable standard? 

Wow...

3 is definitely a bad review on Airbnb, and like you said could lead to suspension. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Xochitl26 You could try something like we have in our apartment manual:

We hope you enjoyed your time with us and will leave a review on Airbnb. The Airbnb system is somewhat strange in that an average of 4.7 stars is ‘the level of performance that’s expected from hosts on Airbnb’.

Who knows if it works but if it educates one guest it is worthwhile.