Guest bad reviews

[Fanny535]

Please let me know what you think. 

I rent out a room on airbnb and described the room so guests know what to expect. 

Same about location. 

To me, when a guest book your place , he agrees about the conditions of the room and the location.  So why they need to low rate my place ?

Your review is based on what you already know. 

Please help me

[Alex1485]

Hi, most people look at the photos, quickly read the description,  and check out multiple spots before they book.   

Be very specific and concise in your description, do not leave anything vague…

City space, make you sure you say “ could be noisy”….Room is small, make sure you say “ cozy”, bathroom is small, make sure you say “bathroom is small” 

Keep in mind, you can not please every guest…and some guest just want to rant…

Across all guests,  the #1 thing they want is clean….clean bed, clean sheets, clean towels, uber bathroom, kitchen, etc…shared spaces. 

.     

[Fanny535]

Thanks for your reply @Alex1485 .  

 I am transparent about the conditions of my place and I dont want to highlight what is bad over what is good.  

The 2 issues that guests have mentioned are:

- FIRST;the location : I live in an area called vigie ( country st lucia check it out) it's an upscale residential area 10 min walk to beach, airport, restaurants, historical sites, breathtaking views.  Guests reviews are : bland surrounding, nothing to do and so on.  

To me, the 2 issues are supermarket and public bus are far.  

But everything above is mentioned in my description and I even offer free lifts to bus stand.

Still yet they low rate the location.  

SECOND :  the bathroom : the description says that the bathroom is outdated and the house was built in the 70s but it's absolutely clean and everything works perfectly well. Guests reviews are bathroom dirty and so on. But there's no dirt, no filth,  no hair,... the tiles, sink, faucet are just old and the owner of this house doesn't want me to do any renovations.  

I have already decreased the nightly price and call it a low budget accommodation  so you get what you pay for and for that reason your review should be about what you didn't expect.

Out of 6 reviews, I got 2 times 3stars and airbnb has just suspended my listing  but my overall rating is 4.25.

[Olivier1351]

Hi @Fanny535  - your approach about low price v. lowering expectations will not work. 

There are basic requirements, which people won't compromise on.

You need to find out what the guests don't like. 

If they don't say this in their reviews write to them and ask them.

In my experience you can't fix a problem if you don't know what it is !! 

[Fanny535]

Thank you olivier.  That is a very good point and help me to think the right way

[Alex1485]

Hi @Fanny535 , wow, you are right the area is spectacularly beautiful!.  

I would caution you on lowering your nightly rates, as lower the rates often  creates more problems as you then open yourself up attracting first time travelers, who do not understand that each region has certain charms,  a 1970’s bathroom is considered vintage vs. dirty and rural means not beachside. 

A couple things you could do to the bathroom if the owners do not want to change tiles, etc… that would instantly make the bathroom look more updated and actually cleaner.  Our bathroom is very small, and thus are very aware guests can be critical in this space. 

Whenever we install a brand new toilet seat ($25),, we marvel at how the bathroom sparkles.  We change every 3-4 months.  Nothing says clean like a new toilet seat. :)!

We also replace the shower head to something fancier ($40) twice a year. …

We allways checking the bathroom paint for marks,  and touching up any spots so it shines… ($20).  

.A little harder projects, but easily doable…re grout the tub/shower stall ($4)…requires a stready hand … change the bath faucet ($65) …these are all things you could do yourself…not sure how much these cost island prices….these are prices from our local hardware store, as have done them all

I have not looked at your listing, but would imagine any guest would think…wow, i am going staying on holiday to st. Lucia on the water, despite what it says… ….when they get to your charming spot, they realize, hmm…i am not on the water, but far enough away that a bus is needed….could you offer bikes?

Just some ideas, guests can be very demanding…

Did you try asking the guests directly say you want to improve the experience and what do they recommend?  Maybe one of them will give you a good idea, happened to us recently….although be prepared for a rant. 

Good luck!

[Fanny535]

Thank you Alex for these helpful tips and see the positive side of an old bathroom  and how to improve. You make me feel better and confident as I was feeling so hopeless thinking that my place is not good enough to rent out. 

I am going to follow your tips to improve the bathroom and also buy nice mats and frames to make it welcoming. 

The bedroom also needs more furniture but I dont have the budget yet but I have ideas. 

Thanks so much

[Andrew3255]

Hi @Fanny535 - as Alex states guests are not very good at reading listing descriptions. I often find they arrive at my place and know they have not read the listing details.

Try to clarify the key attributes of your listing/space in 'The Space' section, 500 characters. 

The key point here is that guests often arrive without without engaging.

That is your challenge.