'Dynamic Reviews'

[Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0]

I have just had an hour long chat with 'support' and discovered that there is something called 'dynamic reviews' which apparently are only visible on the mobile app. The reason this came about was I happened to be looking at one of our listings and saw that, amongst other things, we had '17 recent guests said this place was sparkling clean', now I thought that sounded a little low and I checked my progress page which says 'your last 33 Cleanliness ratings were each 5 stars'. I did not realise that there was a difference between 5 stars and 'sparkling clean', but apparently there is. The 'Dynamic Ratings' are only visible on the mobile app and are special comments made by your guests once ( I believe) they have been prompted by AirBnB upon submittting a 5 star review. On the web page these are not visible, and they mix 'star' reviews with dynamic reviews on your summary page which is where I obviously had my confusion.

Surely as hosts we have jumped through enough hoops to get a 5 star review, without then further nit picking into these 'dynamic' reviews. Personally I think it sounds much better to have a description that says 100% of recent guests (however many that may be), have given a 5 star revew than saying x number of recent guests said that this property is sparkling clean. Do guests really know the difference between the two, as it is quite significant!

Thats now an hour and twenty minutes rant ... do I feel better?

[Cor3]

Hi @Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0,

These compliments are ONLY visible in the App, NOT (yet) in ANY desktop Browser!

Available compliments

[Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0]

That’s what I initially understood, but aren’t some of the replies here saying that it is available on  the desktop via Chrome, or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

[Cor3]

Hi @Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0,

Yes, I can imagine this thread has become a bit confusing.

As various contributors here were referring to the home highlights section in each listing – and others were referring to the compliments itself.

BTW: Airbnb removed the title: home highlights, some time ago from this section. Nowadays it is just a ‘dynamic’ section in each listing (not under the control of the host) and available on every platform.

So, Google Chrome is indeed the preferred Browser on a PC.

And the compliments are only visible in the App (at least for now).

The results of the compliments issued in the past, may sometimes be used by Airbnb to ‘source’ the text in the home highlights section. Depending on the outcome of an unknown algorithm.

Furthermore, the algorithm may produce different results, when you look at the same listing on a desktop and in the App simultaneously 😄

[Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0]

Thanks for clarifying that Cor, I thought it was just my ineptitude 😉

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

those highlights "xx recent guests said this and that" is unnecessary crap and it just takes the valuable top space on the page. In the other hand, the description and house rules are hidden and have to be extended and the location is buried on the bottom after endless scrolling

I don't know what those designers were thinking... but it is just stupid

[Cor3]

Hi @Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0,

Since about a year and a half, guests can leave ‘compliments’ as part of the review process by a guest.

The compliments issued by a guest can only be seen via the App (not on any desktop browser).

A guest can issue as many as 7 compliments (1 of them is: Sparkling clean).

Airbnb even records the order, in which these compliments have been issued 😄

As far as I’ve witnessed, the home highlights section is dynamically filled from a couple of sources:

• Amenities
• Superhost Status
• Star-ratings given (recent)
• Compliments issued (recent)

Also the numbers displayed, are not dynamically updated.

[Sarah977]

@Mike--Leonora-and-Samant0those aren't shown to guests as a prompt after they've left a 5* review- it is one of the standard review pages for all guests now. It has a bunch of pictures for the various things which guests can click on.

I agree that it's unnecessary and stupid. And the seemingly based-on-nothing amount of those things that Airbnb decides to put in the home highlights is ridiculous. What is a "recent" guest? In the last month? Six months? A year? 

[Alan192]

My last 40 guests have given me a 5 star for cleanliness.  However, at the top of my page it says 9% say it is sparkling clean.  If I were looking for a place and saw this, as the first thing, I would conclude 91% do not think it is sparkling clean.  This is a huge negative, and based on the fact that since AIRBNB put this on my listing, I have had ZERO bookings and inquiries; clearly I am not alone in the perception that this means 91% do not find it clean. 

I have called and written AIRBNB about this, but it is a "system thing" so cannot be removed.  The only alternative is to 'vote with my feet' and leave the platform:  Which would cost me nothing, given that I no longer get booked through AIRBNB since they placed this misleading, inaccurate, degrading note on my listing.  I placed my listing on snooze until they remove it from my page; not that this will motivate them to remove it, but at least I will not have an insult to my hard work floating around the net.  

[Sam649]

Hi @Alan192 , 

Are you sure it shows a percentage? I can understand how frustrating it would be to see these new dynamic review ratings if that were the case, but mine and other listings I view say a certain 'number' of recent guests not a percentage. And the key word here being 'recent'.

I think most reasonable people would assume your place is clean if you're a superhost and have consistently great reviews.

Personally, as a long term user of airbnb as a guest, I always read reviews anyway and I would do so if I was interested in your place rather than purely relying on these particular ratings.

[Alan192]

Hi @ Sam,

Yes it is percentage, and it is 9.  With it being so low, I believe it is viewed as a huge negative to prospective guests.  As I noted, I placed my listing on snooze, and will not allow my listing to be displayed until they remove the inaccuracy.  I know AIRBNB does not care if I am on their site or not, but I see no reason to partner with a firm that is knowingly, actively degrading my listing, and not giving two hoots about it.  Since I do zero business with them since they began displaying this insulting 9% statistic, I am not losing any income, and the other platforms bring me plenty of business.  In the end, I think AIRBNB needs super hosts more than we need them; they just have not realized it yet, but will, as others walk away from them like I have.  It's their reputation as a business partner that they are jeopardizing, and things like this will eventually catch-up with them.  But hey, maybe they will be responsisive and do the right thing?  

[Alan192]

UPDATE

After several more attempts to get through to the backoffice of AIRBNB, I receive an email that states the 9 refers to "recent guests", and that is now how it is displayed.  No mention that they inputted it to read 9%.  So if you have a listing that states the figure in percentage, ie "9% of guests...", hound them until they relaize in some cases they have written their introduction to your listing incorreclty; glad I did.  And am pleased they corrected this error.

[Steve812]

I just had a somewhat similar conversation with them asking if I got 5 star ratings in ALL catagories and an over all rating of a 4 star how does that make since.  The overall rating should not be anything less then a 5 star when you recieve it in all 6 catagories.  I completely amazes me how one guest gives you all 5 stars and the very next guest will pick everything apart and give 2 or 3 stars and then the following guest will be a 5 star rating.   SMH you just cant please everyone