Advice for a New Host

[Anika191]

Hello all.  I'm a new host, and I'd like your advice or experiences regarding reviews and guests.

We've hosted 6 reservations so far.  Most were for a weekend or just a few days, but one was for a month.  Of these reservations, only two have left reviews so far; the long-stay guest, and a person I gave a discounted rate to in order for their review and honest private feedback.  

Our PM sends friendly check-out messages to each guest telling them reviews are important and to please leave us a review if they enjoyed their stay.  

One of the guests who did not review left a message in the app saying everything was good and they enjoyed themselves.

One of the guests who did not review left a nice note in the guest book with a hand drawing.  Technically, they have a few hours left to review.

What gives?  Without seeming desperate, how do you encourage guests to leave reviews?  We lost our 'New' designation during our long-stay guest, and we have an ok amount of future bookings, but what more can we do?

My second question surrounds a host who just checked out yesterday.  We allowed an early check-in, and everything went seemingly well at first, but they had an unregistered guest on the final night of their stay, which exceeded the maximum capacity of the unit, and left the property unlocked at check out.  They also left the door unlocked during most of their stay, even overnight.  How would you handle that guest?  I told the property manager and the unit was fine when he inspected it, but would you say anything either in your review or the private note section?  We did change the settings on the lock so that it auto-locks after being unlocked for 5 minutes.

Thank you in advance.

[Anika191]

We do review every guest too.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Anika191 

Many of us struggle with the issue of not getting reviewed by each guest, you're not the only one! Here is a recent similar thread about reviews:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-Circle/review/m-p/2030116#M58582

[Emilie]

Hi @Anika191, 

I understand it can be a source of frustration, thank you for asking our community for some advice! 

Shelley shared a really useful discussion where a few hosts weigh in on this question, and in addition I wanted to mention a few more experienced eyes: - @Jason2680 @Joey28 @Amy3326 @Patricia3721 @Andrea6232 @Guy991 how do you approach this yourselves?

Thank you everyone 🙂

Emilie

[Andrea6232]

Ciao @Anika191 ,

@Shelley159 is right, you don't get a review for every guest, keep offering a good service and reviews will come by themselves 😉

Andrea

[Anika191]

Thank you @Shelley159 and @Andrea6232 for your feedback.

I will continue providing top-notch, 5-star service and thoughtful touches. I will also try to relax about the reviews or lack thereof and not stress out about them. Easier said than done. 😉  Thankfully, I have an experienced co-host to help me out, but it helps to hear all of you echo basically the same thing.

[Jason2680]

Really what you’re asking is…in spite of not getting many reviews yet, what can I be doing to make sure I’m earning all the bookings I can get? Lack of reviews is not hurtful to you or future guests. There’s not much you can do without seeming pushy to some guests. Maybe post a modest sign in your unit telling guests how much you’d appreciate reviews and how much reviews may mean to future guests. 

Be careful with an auto-lock setting on your door lock. If you have a smart lock or other lock that requires a code for entry, what if a child or someone other than the person receiving your emails needs to step out briefly. How would they get back inside? Maybe the person with the code is asleep or went to grab groceries. Think that through and be prepared for accidental lockouts.

Lastly, always know your competition. Study their listings. Review their calendar to see if they have more bookings. You should easily be able to find your strongest competitors. You’ll want to know how they describe their place in the listing. What are they emphasizing? Are they targeting family vacationers? Or business travelers? Or couples on a weekend retreat? Take cues from the best in your market. No need to reinvent the wheel when all you have to do is use your best competitors as a base template from which you can build a great listing. 

Good luck!!!