How do I improve my location review?

[Jen228]

Hi,

I am a long time host but first time community centre contributor.  I can usually work most hosting issues out myself but am at my wits end about what I can do to improve the rating guests give my property for location.  I am very very clear in my property description and go to great efforts to make sure all potential and booked guests are aware of the cottage location, which is rural and secluded.  Nevertheless, I constantly receive a 4 star rating for location which recently has meant my overall rating dropped to 4.7*, meaning I lost my long time superhost status. 

There is nothing I can do about where the cottage is located.  The lisiting description describes it in detail, I message guests who request to book to make sure they are aware of the location (as I find many don't read everything in the description) before accepting a reservation, and I also send a second message once confirmed decscribing the location yet again and the limitations of the rural area.

My first question is should I be doing anything more to help guests with the location?  And secondly, is there a mechanism where we can make suggestions/requests to Airbnb to change the star rating system to do away with 'location' as a rating?  

I pride myself on my communication with guests and really don't know which way I can go to improve my rating again.

Thanks

[Robin4]

@Jen228

Jen we have been asking this for years...."Please rate us on things we have some control over not things we don't".

You just have to deal with it and accept that guests are going to make fools of themselves.

You have a wonderful listing Jen, but, very few people know where Upper Lansdowne is! I know that Pt Mac down to Laurieton area really well having friends we regularly visit in Lake Cathie, but I had to look it up to see where you are! Guests just see that lovely cottage of yours with a bit of space and do not realise there is a bit of winding road to get to it...there is not a supermarket in the next city block....their just isn't a town, let alone a city block!

My feeling is Jen you need to reword your listing description....."Wilderness retreat at Flame Tree Cottage"....... something like that which will immediately alert guests to the fact that you are in a beautiful, but, out of the way location!

See, everyone wants to stay in something you are presenting, it's beautifully done, and as much as your photos show a rural setting to pinpoint where you are you need to describe quite prominently that the nearest take-away, that extra litre of milk is not just around the corner!

I think this is why you are being 'pinged' for location.....guests just don't read listing desciptions fully, they are seduced by your lovely photos and then grizzle because they got what they were seduced by!!

Others may have a differing view, but that is mine Jen.

I am sorry that it resulted in you loosing your Superhost but, to Airbnb, location is considered an important guest rating item and it doesn't matter how much fuss we make about it, that is not going to change.

All the best Jen.

Cheers......Rob

[Jen228]

Thanks so much Rob, I really appreciate your response.  I will add some extra clarification to the listing summary at the very top so guests don't miss it - a good suggestion.

Is the 'neighbourhood' section still visible to guests?  I can't see it when I preview my listing but I have included a lot of info about Upper Lansdowne in that section, noting that there is nothing in the village except a phone box, a hall, a small school, a church and 5 houses.  Is that section visible once guests book?

I do make sure they know the closest shops, facilities, amenities and services are all 30 min drive away before confirming any booking - and of course guests get back to me and say they are happy with that - but still the 4 stars.  Arrgghhhh!  Oh well, like you say, I'll just have to accept it.

[Sandra856]

Hi @Jen228 🙂

It is not possible to loose your superhost status because people downrate you in the location category. It is only the overall category that counts and the overall category is a category on it's own. 

[Robin4]

@Sandra856 @Jen228

What is happening to Jen, Sandra is, she is getting overall 4 stars! Guests have given her 5 stars in other categories but given her a 4 or a 3 for location and then given her a 4 star overall!

People have said in the past that individual star rankings for location don't count, but they do.....it is unfair but 'they booked it and we can't move it!'

I hope all is well in beautiful Copenhagen!

Cheers.....Rob

[Kelly149]

yes, both categories may have gone down but they aren't actually related (except that if guests are not happy with where they are then likely your Overall Rate will go down).

This is a common misconception that the Overall Category is an average of the lesser categories, but it is not! You could get 1* in all mini-categories and a 5* in Overall and vice versa.

ignore the location rating & use photos and text to educate guests.

and then refuse to give this any further attention

[Jen228]

Oh really?  Thanks Sandra.  I guess it does affect it indirectly if a guest gives all categories 5 stars except location and then they give overall 4 stars - one would assume the 4 star overall was a result of the location rating (although I do understand the gests give each of these category ratings themselves).  Thanks for your response.

[Sandra856]

@Jen228 I'm also one of those that sometimes get 4 star location ratings because I'm not in the old city center of Copenhagen but it doesn't seem to hurt my overall rating somehow. They usually still give me 5 stars. I just wanted to make sure you knew that it is only the overall that counts (And of course I understand that guests that give you 4 in location may decide to give you 4 in overall because of location). 

[Sandra856]

Hi @Robin4 🙂

I don't understand your comment with @Jen228 losing her superhost status because of 4 star ratings in the location category? 🙂

[Robin4]

@Sandra856

This instance just happens to be location Sandra, I have had guests who have given me a 5 in every category but given me a 4 overall, as you say the categories are unimportant but the overall is!

Jens problem is everyone thinks her listing is wonderful but, it is not worth an overall 5 star..... because of its location!

Her overall 5 star review ratio has dropped her to a 4.7....bye, bye Superhost!

Can you see what I am getting at Sandra?

Cheers......Rob

[Jen228]

@Robin4

Yes, that is what I think is happening.

[Jen228]

@Sandra856. @Kelly149

Another question you might be able to help me with - does snoozing your listing affect the overall rating and/or superhost status or is it just an average of the ratings for the period, regardless of how many days it was an active lisiting (if that makes sense!).

[Kelly149]

SH is a rolling calculation, so long as you meet the parameters within the 12mo time it doesn't care how many days you were open. You could take 10 1 night stays and do no other business and still be SH

[Robin4 · Accepted solution]

@Jen228

Jen Superhost status is not affected by you snoozing your listing. The criteria to either get, or maintain, Super host ranking is as follows.....in any assessment period

• Completed at least 10 trips 
• Maintained a 50% review rate or higher
• Maintained a 90% response rate or higher
• 0 cancellations, with exceptions made for those that fall under our Extenuating Circumstances policy
• Maintain a 4.8 overall rating

Assessment periods are quarterly so for each quarterly period you need to have had 10 credited trips for that 12 month period.

The only time 'snoozing' your listing will have an effect on your status is if you have fallen below the required minimum because guests have ceased to come.

I don't know if that makes sense, I will try and work out another way of explaining it!

Cheers.....Rob

[Jen228]

Thanks @Robin4

I think I understand except for the bit "... for each quarterly period you need to have had 10 credited trips for that 12 month period."   

Does that mean 10 trips for the quarter or 10 trips for the 12 months?  I snoozed for 5 months while we travelled around Aust this year so had no bookings from April until mid Sept.

Sorry to be a bit dense about all this.  Up until now I've never lost SH so never really looked at it!