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

[Jeff69]

Hi Gina, I am with you on the ratings being all over the board.  I have been a super host for over 5 years, and until recently people LOVED the shared aspect of Airbnb.  Now that it gained popularity, the guests are expecting more for less.  I recently had a guest give me 3 stars because there were not enough face cloths for her to have 1 a day for each day she stayed.  SERIOUSLY.....  Fortunately, Airbnb allows you to respond to guest reviews, so I added the comment that perhaps she should return to hotels instead of Airbnb because she obviously does not understand the concept.   Cheers, Jeff

[Kelly149]

the concern I have about specifically telling guests how bad anything less than 5* is that for any guest who has been unhappy (broke a rule, brought too many guests, didn't read the listing, got billed for damage, whatever) then perhaps I've given them notice that they do indeed have the ability to harm me with their review. Perhaps cynical, but it's a thought

[Sarah977]

@Kelly149  But aren't those the kind of guests who tend to leave bad reviews anyway?  If you fear that might happen, by explaining the system to them, you could be choosey in who you impart the info to.

[Fred13]

I missed this thread altogether. @Rebecca0 I really like your 'guide' on how the Airbnb star system should be viewed by guests, since so many do not have a clue, and yes why not take the initiative and try to educate them. Nothing to loose. 

[Ava30]

I found this great article while searching for information to educate guests. Maybe send new Airbnb guests this link or even print it out and put in in your on site guidebook, if you have one

  https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethporges/2017/08/28/5-things-airbnb-guests-should-never-do/#6153c52cb...

I am trying to be very proactive educating guests that are new to the system. I can, at this point, preface it with "I am fairly new to all this so we can learn together" or something similar. I think because I am a new host AND my rate is somewhat low for a home of its size for my area, I tend to draw "newbies" It has been quite the learning experience so far. And challanging as well. 

[Te0]

Just curious: If you and the guest have "addressed" some of their concerns and the guest agrees to leave you all 5 stars, will you return the guest with all 5 stars even you had concerns too? If that's the case people really should consider more about the fairness of rating system. It sounds a good idea to me to send a message before guests leave asking for how their stay was but I don't like the idea of asking for 5 stars like selling an item on ebay.

[Karen466]

I really appreciate the articles posted here - I may print them out and leave them in my room!

I just received my first 3-star review - but the guest said (tersely), "it's a nice place. great location." The only sub-category that got 3 stars was "Value." The rest were 4 or 5. But 3 stars for Overall Experience!

The thing that bothers me is that I can't change my review of this guest.  I said he communicated well. Obviously, he did not communicate well, or I would have known something was amiss.  I wrote to him after receiving the review, asking what was wrong, and of course he has not replied.  I wish there was some recourse through AirBNB.

I believe it was not that anything was wrong, but that the guest didn't understand that 3 stars is bad. 

Personally, I'd rather see the standards for hosts lowered, so that guests (and hosts) can feel free to use the full spectrum of stars. Anything above a 3 is "above average." That should be considered a positive rating!

I actually wrote a blog post about this topic last spring:

https://cynicalidealistidealcynic.wordpress.com/2018/02/14/five-star-review/

Enjoy!

[Wayne92]

Nice article @Karen466 thank you for sharing! Other than reviews, are there other communication issues that you've faced?

[Cor3]

Hi All,

Reviewers:

- Some will never leave a review

- Some will never give the maximum score

- Some will just say: Everything Okay, and everything 5-stars

- Some will be happy to find a small thing, and then proudly inform their companions: Hey, just found something, now we have something negative to mention in the review!

- Some that take the role of a high-court Judge, deciding between life and death.

- Etc.

This what I've recently put in my guestbook.

[John1080]

@Cor3, this is fantastic! Thanks for posting! 

[Gina136]

This is terrific!   So visual and eye-catching!  Which guest would  not be curious about it and read it?

THANKS for sharing 

[Jantina0]

Hi Cor, fellow Dutchie, thanks for this rating system I am going to put it in my listings see if it helps. 

[Cor3]

Hi @Jantina0,

It is part of my guidebook. And I keep this section strictly informative. But most of our guests will get the grasp of it, anyway 😄

In this section, I also explain: Hosts are expected to remain at an overall rating of at least 4.7 too. For them not to start receiving automated warnings to improve or even suspension/delisting.

And yes, I’m a Hollandrian/Netherlandish/Dutchling too 😄

[Jantina0]

I have something similar in my guest book but your picture explains it all. I have placed it with the rest of the pictures on my listings. It might create some more understanding with our guests.

I am Dutch too. But I have been living in the US for over 2 decades. I started “Holland House” in Naples, FL, about 3 years ago.

[Cor3]

Hi @Jantina0,

And when you want to give a party, just rename it to: "Holland Heineken House".

Success guaranteed - and you will make it to the Dutch TV 😄