How can we "educate" guests about how the AirBnB Star Rating system works?

[Gina136]

Dear Community:

I am a homestay Super-Host with 3+ years in AirBnB, always on my toes out of concern I will lose my Super-Host status through no fault of my own.

As AirBnB becomes more and more of a common name, I'm having an increasing % of Guests who use the system without knowing much about its distinctive characteristics. Whereas my initial Guests were knowledgeable about the phylosophy of AirBnB, and VERY appreciative that I opened my home to them (I live in an area with extremely high hotel/motel nightly rates); now I'm getting mostly Guests who expect the level of quality and service of a professional B&B, but at a fraction of the cost, of course!

When it comes to ratings, I am almost afraid now to ask for Reviews, because even those who seem satisfied and say "all is fine" and that they "have everything they need", may well leave a 3 or 4 star review that will ruin my average. 

Case in point: I request a review from this Guest who was obviously pleased with his stay, even though I noticed in his profile that he had not left any review for anybody before. After 1 week, I receive his rating, as follows:

a) All categories 5 stars, except for one with 4 (noise -- I have no traffic, and my Rules include quiet times, BUT my cat vocalized at some point, so it was not absolute silence -- it is a listing where I say I live with kids and cats), and one with 3 (location: while convenient to him and central to Watertown + public transportation, it is not not the center of Boston.)

b) Overall rating  given? 3 stars (three)!!! That's less than the average of his subcategories!

I asked the Guest for feedback, and he kindly entered into a conversation with me.

It turns out he found my listing as expected in all categories, the descriptions accurate, and the photographs clear and not at all missleading. He further said the house was very clean. Why the 3 star rating? Because I have a modest home and the room is kind ofsmall (even though I described the dimensions, etc., and I have 2 other rooms in the house bigger than that, that he did not reserve). For him a 5-star rating is what a luxury room would receive!

He apologized he was not aware of how the ratingsi n AirBnB work.

Alas, too late.

I have given up on AirBnB doing anything to clarify the Star Rating system (specially among Guests) or to increase fairness to the Hosts in this regard.  AirBnB is placing most of its investment in pushing Hosts to increase the level of service offered...

What do other Hosts do to "educate" their Guests about how the Rating system works -- before it's too late and the Guest has left a Review!

Thanks!

Gina

[Huma0]

@Gina136

I have a similar problem. I have three guest rooms in the same house. 

One room has only 78% 5 stars for Location, while the others have 87% and 92%. That's a big difference considering it's exactly the SAME location. The only difference location wise is that the room with the lower location rating faces quiet, pretty gardens and the other two face a busy, noisy road with a not so great view. So, logically, the room facing the garden should have the higher location rating, not the other way around. Clearly guests are not so logical in their reviews!

However, while your guess are maybe marking down because their room is not as big or nice as your other ones, I have the opposite problem. The room with the lowest ratings is the nicest in the house! The price is about the same as the other rooms, yet  the overall rating at 84% is significantly lower than the other rooms which are currently at 90% and 92%.

The room with the lower overall rating has good scores for all categories other than Location, so I can only surmise that it's the location which is causing the guests to give a lower overall score. But why is the location a prolem for the guests in this room and not for the guests in the others? It makes no sense.

I have figured out that the guests who book the nicest room come with much higher expectations. They love the room, but because it is so nice, they come expecting the area to be something very smart like Kensington, Chelsea or Knightsbridge. Of course, I don't represent it that way in my listing at all, but most times they have not bothered to read my Location description nor research on the area. They build up some fairytale fantasy in their minds and are then disappointed when they get here.

I really don't know what I can do about that one. I try to be honest in my listing, but if they don't read it...

[Rebecca160]

@Rebecca0 This is great! I think that I will borrow your write up, if I may. 

[Ange2]

Rebecca  ( for some reason I cannot tag you another Rebecca comes up in the list)

@Rebecca  I managed to copy and paste from another post

Have you noticed any change?

Love this part - "remember that we cannot control our location or the weather!"  

I have been marked down for rain and blustery weather and not being where I am not and never said I was!

[Robin4]

@Rebecca

That is a very well worded statement Rebecca! We should not have to 'grovel' for good reviews, or even reviews. It has always amazed me that with Airbnb, the host gets penalized when the guest does not get around (despite prompts) to leave a review! Is there some sort of logic there that only Airbnb understands?

I am thinking of taking a leaf out of your book Rebecca and puting something like that into the House Rules folder. 

Another thing I find strange, every guest who has another language as their main language has left me a review. It is difficult for them to adequately put into writing what they feel in another language, but they always attempt to do it. It's the English speaking guests who, despite being comfortable with the language, can't be bothered!

My only alteration would be that last sentence! "When rating us on your ‘Overall Experience’, we only ask that you remember that we cannot control our location or the weather!"

I would probably emphasise that the location was their decision a bit more, maybe something like...

When you rate us on ‘Overall Experience’, please remember this property’s location is true to description and is where you chose to book it, and that (along with the weather) is something that I can't in any way alter or control.

Or do you thinks that's a bit 'bull in the china shop'? Thanks Rebecca....a good post.

Cheers.....Rob

[Kath9]

@Rebecca0, this is brilliant - thank you so much for sharing. I have been thinking about putting something in my own 'cheat sheet' about this and you have worded it brilliantly. Thanks so much.

[James165]

I was just looking on the forums to see if anyone had suggestions. I see I am not alone. We pride ourselves in having a beach house that enables people of lower means have affordable and great vacations. We have a great house, but it isn't right on the beach, we don't have it furnished with the plushest of things, nor is it modern decor. But it is great for families and people always love staying here. However, like noted in comments above, sometimes even with the most gracious appreciation for a lovely vacation, they'll give a 4-star review simply because they think 5-star means "luxury". This last guest had a slight snafu with our plumbing in her first few hours and I gave her an entire extra day at no cost. She was very grateful, said the house was perfect, all was well. But left 4-star. Grrrr. Other times when I've brought it to a 4-star reviewer's attention, they are surprised and apologetic.

Fortunately, hanging in there with SuperHost, but looking for advise on how to get people in the know. It feels weird to tell people in advance, but they have it set up where I almost need to.

Jim

[Sarah977]

@Gina136   I'll preface this with a little explanation of my hosting situation, so it's in context. I host a private bedroom with private bath in my home. Guests have full access to my kitchen, and the outdoor dining table (where I eat as well). I only rent to solo travelers (they may very well be married but traveling on their own) . 3 night minimum. I work from home, so I'm around most of the day. I'm single. Most of my guests come for a week-2 weeks, as it's a vacation destination, I'm not usually hosting people traveling on business or in transit that would book for only a night or 2. All of the above factors create a situation where I have quite a lot of interaction with most of my guests, unless they've made themselves a full itinerary, or in the case of one gentleman, who was a fine guest, but obviously quite shy and not social.

So, because I generally have coffee with the guests in the morning, maybe share a bottle of wine or a cup of tea or even dinner with them in the evening, we end up talking a lot about all kinds of things. It's easy then to have the "airbnb conversation" at some point. It might go something like this:

" So I've realized that most guests, unless they are also hosts themselves, have no idea how the review system works for hosts. You'd probably think that giving a host 4 stars was good, right?"  (Guest replies in the affirmative) 

"Well, believe it or not, airbnb considers 4 stars for a host to be bad, we lose Superhost status if we fall below 4.8% and they will threaten to delist you if your rating falls below 4.7%" (Guest looks baffled and says, No Way!)

"Yeah, hosts are so frustrated and upset by this, because airbnb doesn't explain this to guests, in fact they tell you that 4 stars means good. Now, as a host, I'd never want my guests to give me a 5 star rating if they didn't think it was deserved- if a guest felt that the place wasn't clean, or that I didn't describe it accurately, or that I didn't communicate well, I'd want to know and improve, but if guests think 5 stars should only be reserved for the equivalent of a 5 star hotel or a 5 star restaurant, which naturally most people would, it ends up negatively affecting hosts, when in fact, the guest might have been super happy with their host and the accomodation." (Guest says, Why doesn't airbnb tell us this? I'm now thinking back to the reviews I've given to other hosts who were great and maybe I didn't give them 5 stars across the board, I feel terrible)

"Well, how were you to know, that's why I now explain it to all my guests. And really, there's no reason anyone should have to feel bad about giving someone a 4 out of 5 star rating, as in any other context but airbnb, it would be considered good. Oh, and guess what- they also rate us on how MANY reviews guests leave, as if we have control over that, it's so totally illogical.  More wine?"

So, this is the way I educate guests. If I only had guests who stayed for a night or two, this conversation probably wouldn't happen, I'd steal @Rebecca181's very well written explanation 🙂

[Sarah1141]

What a lovely way to meet people!!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Gina136

I host a lot of long-term guests (anywhere from 1 month to 4 months) and my listing is also a private room in my home for solo guests - usually exchange students 🙂 so like @Sarah977 I am able to have "the talk" with guests during their stay. But for short term guests I think @Rebecca181 's approach is terrific! 

In my house rules folder which has the wifi pw, details about house keeping, instructions for all the applicances etc., I also put in a printout of the article below.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2016/06/29/the-one-issue-with-airbnb-reviews-that-causes-hos...

[Chris232]

@Gina136@Jessica-and-Henry0@Sarah977@Rebecca181

If it's any help I have the following laminated in my "Welcome Guide Book"

                                             Air BnB Review system

I was recently chatting with my previous guests, a lovely young couple from London. They were astonished to learn that a 4 star rating is considered by Airbnb to be a fail.

As Hosts we are all working towards satisfied guests and lots of bookings, and using Airbnb means we also have to be concerned with the Review System - and the dreaded pressure to achieve 5 Stars. But there is also the pressure to keep above a 4.8 average, because when we dip below that number Airbnb start to send warnings of suspension and all sorts of negative things.

With such a high average anything less than 5 stars is considered bad, ....... After your stay here you will be asked by AirBnB to leave a review.

With reference to the star system when the guests come to leaving a review after your stay the star system will read as shown below

'How was your stay at Chris's place?

       *         **       ***       ****        *****

Terrible  Bad     OK      Good      Great

Unfortunately AirBnB and the host see –

      *         **        ***      ****       *****

Terrible  Bad     Bad      Bad      Good

When a Host receives 4 stars, Air BnB consider there is a problem and will start to send warnings of suspension when it drops below the 4.8 average.

 We work very hard for 5-Star reviews. We are not a hotel but a home which has been opened up to welcome strangers to the area and a good review goes a long way for us!

We try hard to give a positive experience; if you had anything go wrong or suggestions on how we could improve your experience please let me know as soon as possible..

A lot of guests have commented on how cheap we are and should raise our prices. We like to give value and a warm welcome. We have also taken into consideration that this is a Victorian House (built 1892) with the bathroom  located down stairs, and our prices have been reduced to reflect this so that we are able to give good value for your stay here.

Guests who rate their hosts with 5 stars for the ‘Overall Experience’ category are saying they were happy with their stay and want future guests to know it.

When rating us on your ‘Overall Experience’, please remember that we cannot control our location

So we hope your stay has been relaxing and enjoyable and hope to see you again.

Chris

[Charles224]

@Chris232 ,  thanks for the headsup, I've just modified your info-sheet and will get it laminated.

Thanks from the many

Cheers, Charles

[Sarah977]

Good one @Chris232.  Does it not totally defy any kind of logic that airbnb tells guests the star ratings mean one thing, when in fact they mean another?  I truly can't understand why they would do such a thing. 

BTW my house in Canada, while not a Victorian, more a quasi-simpler version Victorian, also had only one bathroom, downstairs. 3 bedrooms up and one down. 3 daughters, 4 women trying to use the one tiny bathroom in the morning. It actually worked out okay. When I built my home in Mexico, which is half the size of the Canadian house, I made sure there was a bathroom upstairs as well as down. 11 years later, I still feel like I'm living in luxury every time I walk 10 steps from my bed to the bathroom.

[Del12]

I totally agree with you..  I have the same trouble with guests.       They don't leave a review and even they do they say nothing but minimal.  However in the private feedback they say dusty, smelly, bathroom not clean.  Yet I scrubbed and cleaned well, however it's sn older home and cannot come up to the modern home stanand although painted and updated as much as posdible.  It's so upsetting and hurtful that I even state in my posting with 35 photos to look carefully and that money will be totally refunded if on arrival they are not happy.  Yet even they arrive they say all is good.   Yet they have the hide to write nasty comments and not say to my face the problem.  I hate this review sHaydn so much.  Other businesses ae not subject to these kind of public insults.  I feel like giving up, I don't need the money it just gave me an interest.  I don't need this **bleep**.

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

We mainly host business travelers for 1-5 days. Most of them come late night and leave early morning. They are busy, they don't read the listing and they don't read a very short printed document with the house rules and manual. We considered writing a note similar to what Rebecca posted. However, most of our guests won't read it. Sending it through AirBnB will probably have the same effect. We also feel ackward telling them when we greet them. 

So far, what it worked the most is to send a very short message after they stay with us. We thank them for staying with us and we ask them for a review. Since our guests are business travelers always busy, it's important that the message is short, otherwise they ignore it (this is based on our experience hosting 100+ people). Since we started sending a very short message, we got almost 90% reviews, most of them 5*. 

[Cathryn-And-Simon0]

Hi Bruna and Siana

Any chance you can let us know what you actually send to the guests when asking for a review?