Airbnb declined to remove review left by guest when they didnt even stay in my room!!!!!!

[Rich4805]

IM ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS WITH AIRBNB. I had a guest called Camille stay in my property. I had had a cancellation with another room (in the same house) but i offered it to her when she came as it has a private adjoining bathroom, unlike the one she booked. It was accepted by the guest and then she left a review about the room she booked saying it didnt look like the photos. SHE DIDNT EVEN SEE THE ROOM TO EVEN MADE A JUDGEMENT!!! she also said the bathroom wasnt the same, THAT'S BECAUSE SHE CHOSE A DIFFERENT ROOM WITH A DIFFERENT BATHROOM; again which she never even saw, let alone stayed in. 

Furthermore she said she was expecting to be staying on the second floor in my house.  IT NOWHERE SAYS ON THE LISTING ITS A 2 STORY HOUSE and again shes' writing fraudulent inflammatory lies AND THEN AIRBNB WONT EVEN REMOVE THE REVIEW. I'mgoing to be persuing legal action against this if its not removedl.

[Matthew2416]

Hi Rich I truly feel your frustration there’s nothing more upsetting than a misleading review, especially when you’ve gone out of your way to offer a guest an upgrade. Unfortunately, Airbnb often keeps reviews up even if they include inaccurate details, as long as they meet their broad content policy. It’s painful, but I’ve seen similar cases.

To prevent this kind of situation in the future, I usually document all guest communication (especially when room changes or upgrades happen), ideally through the Airbnb message thread. That way, there’s a clear record in case disputes come up. Also, updating your listing to mention options like ‘room upgrades’ and clarifying room details in a welcome guide can help set better expectations.

If you’d like, I’d be happy to support you with strategies and tools I use as a co-host to manage reviews, guest communication, and listing clarity. Don’t let this one experience shake your confidence you’re clearly a caring host doing your best!

[Rich4805]

From a legal perspective you can't leave a review based on someones experience if they didnt stay there! What you just said is a frivelous comment supporting airbnb which is still in breach of airbnb's own policy...please review as you can see its in breach of policy. You can't leave a review for a room you've not stayed in

[Matthew2416]

You’ve raised a very valid point, and I completely understand the frustration when Airbnb’s review system appears to be misused or goes against the platform’s stated policies.

Airbnb’s official review policy does state that reviews should be based on actual stays or direct experiences. So, in theory, a guest who cancels before check-in shouldn’t be allowed to leave a review unless they had a significant interaction that qualifies under Airbnb’s broader interpretation of “experience.”

That said, Airbnb sometimes allows reviews in cases where communication or cancellations caused notable guest inconvenience, even if they didn’t step into the property. This has definitely sparked confusion among hosts.

If you haven’t already, I’d recommend flagging the review through Airbnb’s support and citing their Review Policy

[Helen3]

The guest did stay in the property just in a different room then they had booked as the host offered them a different room. @Rich4805