How do you ensure a good review?

[Quincy]

Hello,

Reviews are powerful for the Airbnb community as a whole. It largely represents a social endeavor focused on building relationships between Hosts who offer an experience, in the form of accommodation, to guests traveling to make memories in all the corners of the world. 

One of the most important aspects of getting a good review is to provide exceptional service or a great experience. It is important that you are delivering what you have promised in your listing description, and that your guests are happy with the result.

In short, guests are more likely to book your listing if you have great reviews – as it acts like social proof that your space is suitable, giving the traveler the confidence to book with you.

As a Host, you’re always shooting for “5–stars”. What does it take to ensure you get that ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating from your guests?

Quincy

[Till-and-Jutta0]

It's all about matching - or in other words: If expectations are generated that are not met afterwards, there can be no good reviews.

A family member just traveled 2 weeks through Israel, accommodations mostly booked on Airbnb. There were nice accommodations, commercial as well as private. But she also met dazzlers, so great photos, and on the spot it turned out to be a cellar hole, where you could not even open a window for ventilation, and where most of the decoration, which was still there in the pictures, was simply missing.

I don't think it's so much about providing an exceptional experience. It's about creating the right expectations, and then exceeding them if possible. Under-selling and over-delivering.

When I get requests where I feel like "you better ask about that," I do. Most of the time the guests say "yes that's fine", but sometimes they confess that they didn't read the listing properly. So rather get a cancellation than a bad evaluation.

[Quincy]

Thanks for sharing this @Till-and-Jutta0! I especially like this strategy of "Under-selling and over-delivering."  😊

[Suzanne302]

There is absolutely no way to ensure you get a 5-star review. Not at all.

There are plenty of ways to try not to get less than 5 stars, but people are unpredictable. And judgemental. And have varying degrees of what they consider "5 stars."

I recently had a guest leave me this private feedback: I left you 5 stars, but it was very hard to sleep with the traffic noise. You should probably let people know about that.

I do let people know about that. In my listing description and in the "Safety & Property" section. But we all know nobody reads that section that's basically hidden by Airbnb.

I have almost 150 reviews and all but ONE a 5-star review. I think that's important to note not to brag, but to show I'm not saying you can't ensure a 5-star review because I'm bitter about getting low reviews. I don't. But I'm a realist, and I know that at any given moment, no matter WHAT I do to ensure a 5-star stay, it may not translate into a 5-star review.

I am comfortable with the fact, that no matter how many stars I receive, I know I did everything I could to make my guests happy. That's all that matters to me. Not some rating system I have no real control over.

[Pat310]

Totally agree Suzanne….we just had a retired couple stay in our condo (we are not on the premises when guests stay) for 6 weeks…..having visited before they stayed just to make sure they liked our place.

Called us a couple of times during their stay and we thought everything was fine!

They booked the same 6 weeks next year before they left…and then gave us 4 stars and left a review that said the bed creaked every time they got in and out of it…..and they prefer a toaster to a toaster oven?!!! 

Not one word about either for the entire 6 weeks?!  And why would you rebook a place you have 4 stars to?!? 

People a fickle but I also agree that being on the premises and that personal touch goes a long way!  I believe it’s much harder to give less than 5 stars when you actually meet people face to face! 

[Trude0]

I agree with @Suzanne302 and @Till-and-Jutta0: 

The no 1 thing to ensure, is that guests know what they are booking, and that you deliver that. Be clear in the listing description on what the list is/offers, and what it is/does not. Manage EXPECTATIONS.

My tiny guest house has a low ceiling sleeping loft, which you access via a steep stair/ladder, and you cannot stand up/walk up there. It is not right for everyone. I mention it in several places in the listing description, and have several photos where I am not trying to make the ceiling look higher or the ladder less steep, I make an effort to show it like it is.  

No 2 I would say is CLEANLINESS. My guess is that many guests will worry that Airbnbs may not be as clean as hotel rooms. Which is sad, since I’m sure most of our listings are cleaned much more thoroughly than the average hotel room!

So I expect guests to inspect my listing much more thoroughly than they would a hotel room, and that my listing therefore  needs to be absolutely spotless. Which I make sure it is; I clean it myself, even though I have a cleaner doing my own house. 😏

I’d say no 3 is AVAILABILIY - that we hosts are available/reachable. A small question that goes unanswered for hours, or a tiny issue that is not solved quickly, I think can create unneccessary frustration, and potentially a lower rating. My guests very rarely need me, but I keep my phone with me at all times when hosting, just in case they do.

To me, no 4 is make it PERSONAL. By this, I mean to make it difficult for the guest to disappoint you by giving you less than 5 stars, because you were such a nice person! 😇Now, different hosts have different styles, and different listings, so this will mean different things to different hosts.

I have self check in (key box), and make an effort not to run into my guests during their stay (and my listing is a tinyhouse on my property…), to give guests privacy.  So I hardly ever meet them in person. But I write and print out a welcome letter specifically for each guest, with my photo on it 😄 and leave a welcome gift/treat. I try to make both the letter and the gift/treat feel personal/adapted. 

This works well for me - so far - but I’m sure that at some point I will host one of those hard to please guests, or a guest that does not understand the Airbnb rating system. I’ll to be mature about it when (not if…) that happens. 😂

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy We have the following text in our apartment manuals.

We hope you enjoyed your time with us and will leave a review on Airbnb. The Airbnb system is somewhat strange in that an average of 4.7 stars is ‘the level of performance that’s expected from hosts on Airbnb’.

No idea if it works and I am sure the delivery of clean, comfortable, well priced accommodation is more important.

[Fred13]

1. Pleasantly surprised (upon arrival if a place is more than they expected, is a winning opening; and a place being attractive adds to that.)

2. Cleanliness (This allows a guest to become subconsciously relaxed quickly. Instant trust factor.)

3. Ease of use (When they say 'These people thought of everything', it means they didn't have to 'work' at anything to enjoy the place).

4. Personality (If you awake a positive emotion on the part of the guests by virtue of a welcoming personality, they will be rooting for you personally and become very tolerant about silly inconveniences.)

5. Value (As they leave is when they evaluate 'was it worth it' and that determines the stars given.  Ace the above 4 and 5's will follow; unless you have the bad luck of stumbling on an ogre.)

[Suzanne302]

@Fred13 Love #4! Yes, that is so true. Make them see you as an actual person, not some faceless landlord with no personality. Most will be more forgiving then.

[Quincy]

Great tips @Fred13! 

[Agnès93]

1- La propreté de l'appartement irréprochable 

2- la qualité de l'accueil et les conseils donnés aux voyageurs 

3- rester joignable en cas de souci.

Que des bons retours! 😉 

[Roberto1904]

We work hard to make sure that our guests always rate us with 5 stars, we are focused on the following aspects:

- Cleanliness: we pay special attention to the cleanliness of the house, it must be excellent
- Advice: we help our guests with information about the area and how to get around
- Check-In: when we can we pick up our guests directly at the train station (for free of course) to give them a warm welcome

We are host but also guest (we often use Airbnb for our trips) , so we try to give to our guests what we would like to receive during our travels.

Roberto (Rome)

www.airbnb.com/h/pigneto54

[Vasilis59]

For a good review there are several factors and parameters.

1) First of all, the listing (photos, description, price and amenities) should be as representative as possible.
2) a thank you message for the reservation and Quick response to guest
3) an easy and clear check-in
4) a nice welcome (fruits, water, e.t.c.)
5) Clean apartment and clean amenities
6) Asking the guests during their stay if they need anything or if everything is fine with their stay.
7) To give them information about our area for ways of moving as well as the sights they can see. Also to help them if they needs a rent a car. 
😎 Emergency contacts in case something happens and they don't have a signal to call us (police, fire department, hospital, such as : 112 European emergency number)
9) A thank you for choosing to stay at our accommodation and an easy check out.

[Tika108]

Caring for a good review starts at the moment of booking, first of all, by expressing gratitude that they chose my apartment, "Thank you" is a magic word that everyone likes, I try to make them feel comfortable as soon as they settle in the house. I always get either  Georgian traditional "khachapuri" or  Georgian traditional "baklava" . Even a little attention makes us happy, (I would be happy if they met me like that somewhere 🙂 ) What is the house like, what are the conditions, they can see it in the pictures, The most important thing is comfort in the relationship. And I can proudly say that I have the best guests.

I work in another place, But I think that this business, renting the house and interacting with the guests , is mine.

So that's my advice:

 We all know that the house must be clean and tidy for a good review

^Make your guests happy

^Meet them as well as you would like to be met

^Help them solve all the issues

^Be online with guests, make them feel that you care about them

^Give them lots of smiles  😊

[Anna12378]

First after the booking , I always thank the guest ! I am grateful.
While  they are staying with us my intention is to make them feel at home. I connect on a personal level, they are not a number, they are family. Everything I do and say comes from the heart. Also discernment is important. You need to be aware of when the the guest want their privacy, and when they desire ‘community’.

I am always available to answer questions and to help ,guide in anyway to optimize their stay