Do you reply to your reviews?

[Stephanie]

 Hey there Hosts,

When a guest writes a review about their stay, the host can always reply to it. Do you often reply to your guest’s review? If you do, do you have your own personal guidelines on how you reply?

What are your top tips?

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Christine387]

I don’t respond to reviews : I have already thanked my guests in my review of them. APROPOS of encouraging people to re-book : we rarely get local visitors : 90% of our guests are tourists from the other side of the planet so the chances of my getting them back again are very remote. 

[Linda108]

In my opinion, the review response audience is NOT the specific guest but is the potential guest which is why I enjoy a short response.

[Keith26]

Ditto: My thoughts too!

[Lucie71]

Yes, I will reply to all my reviews in the same way I would reply to someone who complements me. "Thank you'" for complementing me.

For a negative review, I respond to correct any anomaly.

[Keith26]

I'm with you all the way!

My take on things too.

[Nigel-And-Penny0]

Not often enough. But I do try to.

[Anne1036]

I reply to all reviews. Usually it is  just a short thank you to guests for taking the time to review their stay and perhaps to emphasise something positive they have mentioned.

I also feel that if you then need to respond to a negative or something inaccurate it does not stand out so much or make you look overly defensive.

[Vera169]

By all means thank guests for staying, and for being good guests.  Then pick up on something that they've said and use it as a marketing opportunity  by saying more about it to show yet another good point of your listing or its surrounding area.  Some reviews don't give you anything to expand on, but when they do - use it! 

[Jane672]

I do reply and think it's a matter of good old fashioned manners to do so and think it shows potential guests that you appreciate your guests after they leave as well as before. And also you correct any inaccuracies in the review at the same time 

[Keith26]

Ditto!

[Stavroula3]

I reply to all reviews. THIS IS MARKETING 101. 

I don't use the private feedback (unless it's an improvement suggestion like "It was dissapointing you didn't take your shoes off since that's written in my House Rules and I told you when you arrived" kind of thing. I don't think this is that terrible to add it to someone's public profile for life. Maybe it was a misunderstanding.).

My reviews are what get me guests (well, partly). My guest, who is under no obligation to write me a review, nor they have the guarantee of getting any benefit from it, take the time to write me a positive review that helps me tremendously. Why would I not spend one minute to reply and say thank you? Crazy, right? 😉

My formula:

1. Acknowledge I'm pleased they liked my space/had a nice stay/whatever they wrote.

2. Say something personal to them, i.e. "Hope you're having fun in Amsterdam"/"Hope you sorted out your VISA"/"Shame we didn't have more time to exchange travel stories."

3. Say I hope to host them again. If I do. If I don't, I say "Have fun" or similar.

It's a line or two max.

I shall be replying to the negative ones, too, when I get them *gritted teeth emoji*

PS: A Harvard Business Review study found that when businesses responded to customer reviews -- good or bad -- ratings subsequently increased. https://hbr.org/2018/02/study-replying-to-customer-reviews-results-in-better-ratings

Just sayin' 😉

[Keith26]

I'm 100% with you on this approach.

[Alon1]

@Stavroula3 @Stephanie 

Stavroula,

It would be interesting to put the Harvard Business Review study to the test on Airbnb.

We can start the test right now.

I've hosted 6 years, 324 Reviews. 

I've only responded to about 20 Reviews. [See my comment, first in response to Stephanie's query:]

Currently showing 78% Reviews.

If others contribute we can see how it compares...

[Alon1]

ps.

The current 78% comes from past year Ratings in Performance.

The overall average over 6 years is 83.5% Reviews.

[388 Bookings. 324 Reviews (2 Cancellations)]

[Sarah977]

@Stavroula3 @Alon1   I've never responded publicly to a review- I send private feedback thanking the guests for staying.

100% review rate, 5* overall average (for past 365 days, but almost the same since I started hosting)