Do you usually write reviews for your guests?

[Muslim4]

I’ve noticed that some guests don’t feel like writing reviews for hosts. Especially if they did something wrong, like not being clean or not following the rules, it seems as if they expect to receive a negative review from the host. Some guests are more active and tend to write a positive 5-star review, but include too many unnecessary details and personal observations.

At first, I tried to leave a review for every guest, but after noticing that not everyone is willing to do so, I began leaving reviews less frequently.

How about you? Do you usually write a review for each guest, or only for some? Do you leave reviews only if the guest does? What are your preferences? Do you find that some guest reviews are too nagging or overly critical? Do you think the Airbnb feedback system is effective, or does it need improvement? How would you rate it overall?

[John2406]

Hi @Muslim4

Looking at your question from two aspects; me as a Host and me as a Guest helps me to comment upon yours "that some guests don’t feel like writing reviews for hosts", and also to put two different perspectives as to why your Guests might not write a review.

Having looked at those who did leave a review for you in 2025 (and I've already forgotten whether reviews were left by 11, or 13, Guests!)  I believe I'd be correct if I said the majority didn't live that close to  Almaty, Kazakhstan?

Although we as Hosts (as well as Airbnb) would want all Guests to leave an online review moreorless just before they vacate the property, or as quickly as possible afterwards, the reality for anyone having to travel a long distance (driving /flying) is that besides packing, getting to airports, then travelling from the airport to their home, they'll probably be quite tired by the time they eventually flop into a chair - or they probably will be, provided friends and/or family don't descend on them that day.

Sometimes Guests' return from their vacations the day before they have to return to work, and once there, and after lots of chatter about where they went, where they stayed, was the weather and the food great, the first half of the week has gone, and Guests' are back in work mode, almost all thoughts directed towards something else. Yes, thoughts about leaving a review for where they stayed may well come into their mind from time to time, but as I know now only too well from my own  experience, unless that review is written then and there, there will always be something that unintentionally puts off writing until "another day", and then another day - and after a while tbr Guest may well feel embarrassed they haven't written something/anything.

- or to put that another way, whilst it is feasible that some Guests' might not have done something - or did something - they shouldn't or should have done, it's more likely that they - as with the majority of the 11 or 13 Guests who did leave a review - also had a wonderful stay, but hadn't got around to committing their words on Airbnb.

There are two things I would add to the above; the first being that I noted that of the 11/13 reviews you had received to date in 2025, you had only left 2 replies, whereas there had been several great reviews that could have helped you if you had replied to them (ie Search Engines like to  "see" when websites have been "changed" however small those changes might be).

The other thing I would suggest you might wish to do, is to use the facility already available to you for  messaging your Guests, to either advise your Guests before their stay, or at the end of their stay, that you look forward to reading their review, but also gently remind them that there's only a 14day period in which a review can be left - and that you won't be able to leave a review for them until they've  left theirs!

I hope that at least some of the above will be useful for you, and that you'll begin to see more reviews made by your Guests. 

[Ivy303]

@Muslim4 

Given that Airbnb has changed its review system
to Al, and guests can now leave reviews that go
against policy and contain false information, I no
longer leave reviews unless the guest leaves one first. Guests have weaponized the review system against hosts, leaving hosts with little recourse. If a guest violates house rules, I wait 13 days, or until there is only an hour left before the review period closes, to write a review or request funds for damages. Before guests check out, I always include a message stating that if they have any
ideas or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it if they could leave me a message in the private notes when the review link appears. This is to
avoid all the unnecessary personal observations
that are not needed for a review.

[Vitalii11]

1. I always leave a review after cleaning and if there is no major issues I give a 5 start review and send a message that I did it. 
2. If they messed up, I don't leave a review until the last day of 14 days period or after they left it first. 
3. I inform them about issues only after the left a review or don't have ability to leave a review anymore.
As when you contact them about anything you don't like the will leave you a nasty review afterwords. 

Hope it helps 

[Sarah2620]

Hi, I leave a review 99% of the time, and always positive or at least "neutral". If I have a bad experience ( maybe 5-7 out of 250 bookings so far), then I do not leave a review and so far, none of the "bad" guests have either.  If a bad guest leaves a review, then I match it with a "neutral" review (3-4 stars) and I let Airbnb know why I don't recommend that individual. I avoid posting negative reviews. If a review includes a criticism, then I always reply with an acknowledgement and an apology and then address or rectify the comment in some way. Recently a guest urinated in the bed and I had a real dilemma about what I should do.  Reading other hosts' advice on the topic was helpful. In the end, for many reasons, I left a "neutral" review and I made a note in my own accounts. I will not accept that couple again -- but chances are they will never come back anyway. 

I have a "standard" review paragraph that speaks to the characteristics that I value, hoping that these qualities will slowly attract more of the kinds of guests that "fit" my situation, and fewer of those who are not a good fit.  My listing is a private basement apartment of my house in a single-family surburban neighborhood, and I live upstairs. So I want guests who are mature, quiet, careful, and mindful that they are in someone's home, in a peaceful family environment. So far it's working pretty well. 

In my experience, reviews are a helpful tool in attracting guests. I have had many people tell me they booked my place "because the reviews were so good."  In my city (where there are many Airbnbs to choose from) this has been a differentiator. 

[Vincenzo695]

Hi @Muslim4 

In my experience, more than 90% of my guests have left a comment. I also make a point of writing reviews for all my guests, even in the few instances where I was not fully satisfied with how they left the apartment. Overall, I believe that maintaining good communication with guests and engaging with them at every stage is key to receiving reviews — from the apartment description to the information shared before arrival, throughout their stay, and at check-out.

I hope this can be helpful.

Kind regards,
Vincenzo

[Yasmin545]

@Muslim4 I ALWAYS  leave a review whether I am a guest or the host because this is the polite thing to do. Most of our guests are wonderful and treat our place with respect and are very courteous towards us  it is only fair to applaud them. 

[Yann1792]

Good evening,

Interesting questions and answers! Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts.

Encouraging guests to leave a message and responding to them seems to be the most common practice.

However, since I rarely use this guest-host platform, I might have a slightly different perspective to offer.

I never ask my guests (whether on Airbnb or elsewhere) to leave a review. I’d rather have no reviews at all than forced or artificial ones.

Their direct feedback at checkout is enough for me. If the feedback is positive, I respond from time to time.

The risk, as you can imagine, is highlighting issues: there’s always that one guest who’s extra picky, or unexpected hiccups that make the stay less than perfect. And those are the ones who tend to leave comments. 🥳

In my view, it’s not a big deal, the key is how you respond. Always stay positive, thank them (even if the guests were… let’s just say *challenging*!), and never compare one response to another. What you write is for the next guests.

I got a little carried away, thanks for reading this far!
And Happy hosting to all! 🙂

[Tanya812]

hi @Muslim4 

i do leave a review for every guest, irrespective even if they have stayed multiple times at our properties. on the day of check out send them a message saying we hope u had a lovely stay and would appreciate your review as it helps us and our listing.