Can't help feeling despondent at times as a host

[Isabelle3]

Feeling slightly low after a very ordinary guest review when I went well above expectations, offering my best 25 years australian wine, lending best books, cooking, laundering, showering kids with gifts.... Yey amongst all my 5 stars ratings these the guests gave me 4 stars.  

You think you've made friends but it's fleeting and this experience pulls me down.  There is no pleasing some people and I feel this rating particularly harsh in the circumstances.  Sorry, I know I probably invest too much emotionally and pride wise.  🙂 for me it's much more than business, I give it my all.  

Does anyone else feel the sting of unfairness at times?  Ratings are all very well but so subjectives

[Helga0]

@Ann3, there are some people who do not have the mental capacity to abstract from their own life and values. They have high speed Internet, if they visit the countryside, the dessert, an igly or one day the moon base, they wish to have high speed Internet, otherwise it's not normal, it's not what they are entitled to, therefore they rate the place low. 

Maybe it would already help, if the prompter did not ask for absolute criteria like Price-Value relation but would indicate: "In function of all the offers you have seen, do you think you did choose a place with a good price-value-relation?"

"In function of local standards, was it clean?" or "Considering the budget, you dedicated to lodging, was the location good?"

Probably wishful thinking, most people do not understand such long questions 😉

[Louise0]

In my experience, the guests who leave 4 stars or no review at all have either been caught out breaking major rules (eg smoking), have broken something and not told you, have had an accident that trashed the sheets or have 'souvenired' something. 

[Diane4]

I certainly understand the feeling of being let down -- I, also, attempt to provide a quality, luxeroius experience.   I put an expensive Cuddledown, down comforter on the bed along with sheets from Resteration Hardware that must go to the cleaners since they need ironing.  One set has dissappeared -- now that has given me heartburn!   Also, some of my younger guests left their dog for 10 hours without a walk, needless to say that was a disaster and they left the least enthusiatic review/   You can't let a few bad apples distroy your enthusiasm -- most of my guests have been terrific and i would love to have them back.

[M-Lou-And-Robert0]

I just had the same thing happen. I wrote a response back to the guest, and am hoping it doesnt effect my bookings, however, I cannot take it personally. I hope travelers take the majority of my reviews and go from that, as I do when I am looking on Tripadvisor for vacatio info. ....There is always one or two negatives, as some people are just unhappy people!

Keep your chin up!!!

[Soni-and-Jon0]

The host rating system is flawed.
Firstly the only rating the guest sees is the overall experience.
I have booked many airbnbs as a guest and I have never been able to see how their cleanliness rating is.
The only rating that contributes to the superhost staus is, again, the overall experience.

All the other sections are betwen you and airbnb but if the dip lower than three stars on many occasions you can get a warning where the threaten to remove your listing.

I think that the superhost status should take into account ALL your ratings, one a points system.
How can a 4 star rating mean nothing?
What are they saying here...that the moment anything goes wrong, we should just give up?
If it is not going to be a 5 star review then abandon the hospitality?
I have muliptle listings, over 200 reviews and if you combine my 4 and my 5 star reviews I have 97%!
But only 71% 5 star....so no super badge for me.

[Kara1]

I just wish people would leave reviews, period.  44 stays and only 29 reviews.  

The ones that leave glowing reviews in the journal at the house seldom leave one on line.  I can understand it partly, usually they are on vacation and made their reservation weeks or months ago and say they are NOT going to use any internet while on vacation.  When they get home 2-3 weeks later they email or text me that they can't leave any reviews since the 2 weeks is up.  I wish there was a longer time period.  Maybe they cannot see what I wrote until they leave a review, even if it's a month or more later.  If you look on places like tripadvisor, often the reviews are done weeks or months after the people were at the restaraunt or hotel.

[Robin4]

@Kara1 @Isabelle3   Hi Kara, Yeah, people who don't leave reviews are frustrating! In most instances though, newer guests to the system do not understand the significance of reviews to hosts! But I do have a strategy that seems to work!

Kara I have received 100% straight up 5 star reviews....... because I don't let them get away!!!

If, on your listing, under your 'messages' tab, you go into individual messages , even once a guest has left, you will notice in the top right corner an envelope indicating that you still have message contact with the guest. When the review window of two weeks is getting near its expiry, I send the guest a friendly little hello message hoping they still think about us and ask if they could find a moment to leave a couple of lines in the review window.

Kara some of them are just simply too busy, what with travelling and all, and they (in a lot of instances) just forget, and this jogs their memory or, at least makes them feel guilty if they haven't done so. The only one I lost was my very first guest when I was not awake up to this trick. Invariably when I do this they not only shoot back a quick 'sorry' response, but they also attend to that review.

Give it a try Kara and see how you go.....Good luck with your hosting....Cheers....Rob

[Nikki4]

I hear you!  I am feeling the same way.  Sometimes the least happy guests are the ones you do the most for. 

I'm having a similar situation now with First Time airbnb guests (never again will I host first timers!)!  I put out lovely Tcho chocolates and artisan snacks for the adults, along with a giant bin of brand new kid toys and art supplies for the child in the group, and had fresh flowers all over the house.  Yet these guests refuse to be pleased!!  They complained vociferously about the bed being too soft, yet refused any offers to replace it with a different bed.  I offered to drive a new mattress to the house!  No, no they said they would just stick it out, though they seem bitter and resentful about it.  I feel like I am doing back flips to make them happy, all for naught.

Ugh.  I'm afraid of a bad review from cranky first timers who don't appreciate anything!!

[Robin4]

@Nikki4  Hi there Nikki, Now I do know California (like South Australia) is big in wine! And I have had the priveledge of drinking some wonderful Napa Valley Reds. In this country we have an expression! An unlabelled bottle of wine is called a 'Cleanskin' ....possibly you have the same thing over there. It does not necessarily mean it is going to be a bad wine....it just doesn't have a past!!

You have some beautiful reviews, so I can only agree you must have an impecable style but, I think you let yourself in for this one Nikki! The only advice I can give you...and other hosts...... As you said, this guest had no previous dealings with Airbnb, and Nikki, that would seriously worry me. When a booking request comes through I always check on their 'history'...as it were, to see what possible issues there might have been in the past. I know everyone needs to start from somewhere but, I would be extremely hesitant about taking on a 'cleanskin'!!!

Nikki, I have been so fortunate, I have had nothing but wonderful guests but I know my time will come for that little upset......but, it won't come because I haven't done my homework!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Leigh2]

Dear Isabelle,

I can totally understand how you would be feeling after making such an amazing effort and still only getting 4 stars. You are right that some people are just impossible to please - and it only reflects badly on them - not on you. You are an incredible host.

One of my friends, recently had two complaints about her shower - which is a shower over a traditional claw foot bath - and she has a completely clear photo in her listing of the bath and shower so these guests could see exactly what they were getting.

I think you have been doing too much and investing yourself too much in the hosting. It could be helpful to take a step back and be less involved with your guests. I have done this over Christmas and New Year with all of my guests - and I don't think that my guests have thought any less of me at all!! 

Hope you can find the right balance, and hoping that you also get more appreciative guests!

[Isabelle3]

Hi Leigh - Nice to hear from you! You could be right there - Hosting is a huge part of my life and in 99% of the cases - gives me great satisfaction and validation.

Hope you are well

[Maryam-Al-Fakheer0]

@Isabelle3  Jordan is more flexible. As long as everything is done in a good way. 

[Elli0]

Yes absolutely, I came to learn the hard way as you have that with some people there's just no pleasing. If there was only a way to filter out the doosies and only attract ideal guests. Like Maria already said down below, I just don't go the extra mile anymore. After doing this for about a year, I'm feeling pretty burnt and recently have come up against some legal issues. I think you have to roll with the punches and do your best to attract the best people by vetting them as best you can but don't beat yourself up over the takers. 

HTH,

Elli 

[Pamela10]

Yes, I have been a professional property manager for 30 years and am really surprised when guests comment on cleanliness (not being clean enough), location, check-in etc.  2 of our units are in the house I live in and we often get less than 5 stars for check-in (which I believe is bizarre) when we are there to greet them and they haven't waited 1 iota, we get comments on cleanliness when the place is spotless (and I am very particular about cleaning), and we are in the closest subdivision to a major resort so they couldn't possibly be in a better location.  I have reviewed other listings in less desirous areas of our surrounding community (that I know are not permitted rentals while our rental is a zoned tourist rental)  where I would never live, never mind rent out and they are given excellent ratings and great location stars.  So, obviously the guest is ignorant of location/property values/what cleanliness is.   Air BnB needs to delete it's star rating system and just leave a comment as numbered systems can be misconstrued and guests could also have just not pushed the correct button in an effort to finish the review.  And, some guests don't believe anyone should get a 5 star review (even 5 star hotels!)  Also, we have had some fabulous guests who didn't make any review who I know loved their accommodation.   So, don't let it bother you, it's not you it's the Air BnB rating system that's flawed.  I have been badly reviewed by guests that I gave the greatest deals too.  Seems the people that complained the most are the ones to whom I gave the best value.  So, raise your rates perhaps and get a better type of guest. Regards from another keen host who gets discouraged at times.

[Kelly3]

@Pamela10

Well said!

"the guest is ignorant of location/property values/what cleanliness is"

They really don't care for the property values - they probably won't know one area of the city can cost 10 times more in land value, or they don't care. They like that the area has fancy buildings and fancy cars all over with fancy people, yet since the building is older, they think somehow the 'value' should be 4stars as the listing didn't feel fancy. They really don't think about the fact that something like that in those area cost way more than other location's fancier places.

Also about the cleanliness, I know some hosts with a newly built studio getting 5stars on cleanliness yet they don't really throughly clean their place (they told me personally), yet some hosts who is very very clean hosting in an older house, usually get 4 stars on the cleanliness. Many guests don't know what really is - value, location, clean, etc- and just review with the 'feel'. 

Well, I no longer feel like Airbnb welcome all kind of listings - they clearly have strong preferences.....