Can I ask a guest to delete a review?

[Lara1513]

Hello,  I understand that reviews can't be edited after 14 days but I'm unclear as to whether to whether someone can ask for their own review to be deleted?

A recent guest told me in person that he had a lovely stay and really liked my apartment however left a 4* review. When I looked at the breakdown of the review he gave 4 for accuracy and communication (despite him commenting on pleasant communication in his written review) and a 3 for location.

I emailed him to understand it better and his response in an email to me is that accuracy and communication were all good but that they had misjudged the location hence the 3.  

This feels terribly unfair because the guest is penalising me for not having done ample research in advance, and affects my overall rating as I have only ever had 5 star reviews before. He's also said that there were no problems at all with communication and the room. This is only the 2nd time the guest has used airbnb, first time since 2016 and I feel he doesn't understand the way reviews work and implication on hosts. Am I able to gently and politely request he removes the review (and if he chooses not to I'll let it go of course)?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Lara1513 yes you can.he can only say no

[Lara1513]

Thank you so much for your quick reply. Any suggestion as to how I can best word it so that it doesn't look like I'm being petty or defensive - or that doesn't complain to Airbnb I've asked him to?  I'm not sure he will remove it but would like to explore it.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0 

In a situation like this, if @Lara1513 gets the guest to agree, will only the written review be deleted? From previous posts I got the impression that the overall star rating and category star ratings remain?

[Guy991]

Hello @Lara1513 , welcome to the 4.95 club!

You can reach out to the guest if you want, but honestly, I think it might be a waste of time. Some guests just don’t give more than 4 stars no matter what, and it’s unlikely you’ll change their mind.

Still, there are a few things worth thinking about, since even guests like this can offer a chance to learn:

1. Consider adding more detail to your description about your location, especially for people who’ve never been to the area. Include how to get to the main attractions and how far away they are.
2. Consider adding a short section on how the rating system works, explaining why 5 stars should be the default unless something is seriously wrong. You could send this in a scheduled message before checkout. If you still get a 4-star review after explaining things, then you know it’s not you, it’s them.

3. If Instant Booking is turned off in your settings, take some time to read the reviews written about the guest by other hosts. Then click on the host’s name and work backward to see what the guest wrote about that same host. One review is usually enough to get a sense of the guest. For example, if you see something like “That was the best place I ever stayed” paired with a 4-star rating, you’ll know what to expect if you accept this guest.

All the best,