Is the Location rating of guest reviews is Too Subjective to Rate?

[Lindsey-and-Hernán0]

My husband and I have been Airbnb guests for a few years, and we just started hosting two months ago. So far, we have had ~10 guest groups, and a maddening, albeit small, issue with two of them: 4 stars for location, putting us at a current average of 4.5 stars. As a guest, I have never given anyone less than 5 stars on location for one reason: I always know the location of the Airbnb beforehand. I make sure that it will fulfill the goals that I want to achieve while I am staying in that particular place. If my main goal is to see the Cristo in Rio and I chose an Airbnb that's far away from the Cristo, that's totally on me as an Airbnb guest!

In our particular situation as hosts, we're seeing a trend. We live in Boulder (Colorado), and guests are motivated to come here for one of three reasons: to visit someone at the University of Colorado, to hike/run/bike the trails, or to go to Pearl Street (downtown). What I'm noticing is that both guests who left 4 stars were here to visit Pearl Street, which is an 8 minute drive from our house. CU and trails are very close to us, so guests who are interested in one of those two things never knock us on location.

I have read defensive responses from Airbnb that claim the "Location" rating will guide potential guests in their decision to stay at a place. But I don't think Airbnb makes it clear what "Location" really means. It is very subjective. For one person, an Airbnb might be in a good location because it's in a safe neighborhood. For another person, it may be in a good location because it's near cafés, restaurants, and the mountains. For the next person, it may be in a crummy location because it's not in the heart of downtown. 

Listen, I know that people don't read or do their research, especially when using the "Instant Book" feature. I get that. However, location is the one thing that a guest has an exact idea of before booking. It's impossible to lie about where you are ... Airbnb shows you a map of the area! If the location doesn't appeal to the guest for his or her particular needs for the trip, then they simply should not book the Airbnb. The host should not be penalized for a guest's mistake. If you arrive at my place and it's filthy, not as pictured, or my communication is awful, then that's my fault. But if you arrive and just then realize that you can't step out the door and suddenly you're downtown ... that's on you. 

Here's my appeal to Airbnb to get rid of the "Location" rating. There's no way to be objective about it, and the guest has all necessary location information beforehand. 

[Lindsey-and-Hernán0]

That's a very good suggestion ... we do have something along those lines in the listing!:

"*LOCATION* - Boulder is chock full of things to do, but is not a large city. You can bike downtown or run up to the mountains (for a challenge, try going to NCAR)! Don't miss the super-close South Boulder gems of Walnut Cafe, Sweet Cow, and Southern Sun. They are a seven minute walk away! *Note that we are not located downtown. You can drive your car (8 minute trip), take the bus (20 minute trip), or bike (15 minute trip) to Pearl Street. We recommend parking at the public library! We are near CU Boulder and the mountains/trails. We are an excellent fit for families and/or those interested in hiking/biking/running or going to campus!*"

[Steve2743]

Agreed 100%. I live in a city where all the tourist destinations are spread out in all quadrants of the city. You're looking at 20-40 minutes to drive from one site to the next (I laughed out loud at your 8 minutes driving remark. Sorry), so I find my bad location reviews come from people who come here expecting to see the city by public transit (they don't realise that anywhere in the city will be just as inconvenient by bus). You ABSOLUTELY NEED to rent a car, unless you're here strictly on business. Aside from that, what makes the location perfect for one guest makes it horrible for another. So really, it's not even useful for other guests looking to book a suite.

Now, I can see someone giving a bad review for location if, say, they booked it because it's close to the stadium, but upon arriving, they found themselves in the middle of the ghetto. Google Maps doesn't show you where the bad parts of town are. But that's not what most guests are thinking of when they rate the location. If that's the type of thing they're supposed to be rating, then Airbnb should make that clear. Perhaps calling it "neighbourhood" instead of "location". 

[Michelle249]

 Hi I'm a host and I am having difficulty understanding the complaints on this thread. I must be an over Communicator because I text my guests, and get to know them, I want to know if this is the first time in my town, what are they planing to do while they're here. We text back and forth. So by the time they stay in my home I'm familiar with them and they are familiar with me and, we will know if my home is a good fit. So my suggestion is to communicate with your guests before they make their final decision. I have never had anything but fives all the way across the board. Good luck and remember communicate!

[Fred13]

"So by the time they stay in my home I'm familiar with them and they are familiar with me and, we will know if my home is a good fit." That sounds marvy, however the more you get involve in their affairs the easier they can shift the responsibility on your shoulders, not theirs. That is the essence of the problem, they want the host to be responsible for their place to be close enough to suit their personal needs, which may change during their stay.

'Location' is a minefield, and IF Airbnb claims has no bearing on stats, then why have it in the first place?

[Goran26]

It does have bearing on stats.

[Catherine589]

I absolutely agree unless the host has mislead the guests with an inaccurate description of location. I too have had 2 people complain about my location. One said we weren't walking distance to any food. The nearest food is less than one mile away AND we list ourselves as being a country cottage surrounded by farmland. The second guest said she thought our city was closer to the 100% eclipse. She didn't do her homework and blamed us? Sigh. I agree that location needs to be removed from the rating system. 

[Pat81]

I completely agree with Lindseyabout removing or amending the 'Location" rating. I specifically indicate in my listing the desirable proximity to the nearby Nature Reserve, the beach and cliff path, and the local restaurant which is within easy walking distance of just two blocks. My rating was affected negatively by only one single person, who happened to state only after she had left, that the village centre and shops were too far to walk! She never said a word while she was here and never requested information in terms of proximity to shops or the village centre whatsoever prior to booking. Either she didnt view the map, or didnt read my listing, or she is just oblivious to planning properly. Her negative rating for my location, impacted badly, I have not, to date, received one other negative rating for anything else, achieved 5 stars for all my other reviews, and it seems this random rating will be with me forever, in spite of me working so hard to ensure my guests are well informed and that my cottage is immaculate, well maintained and the best in every other way! Please review the location rating method, perhaps it should be for comment only, rather than for actual rating, unless the guest was actually informed by the host it was something other than what it turned out to be? There is place for reporting by hosts and guests, so this could be a better place for deceptive advertising?? Everything else about Airbnb is awesome!!

[LizAndSteve0]

I completely agree with this post. As a guest I am also guilty of not really reading the location details well enough. A recent trip to Naples had me thinking Vesuvius was erupting at 5.30am, but it was just the early trains passing literally next to the house wall!! It makes a good story, but as you say star rating for location then becomes very subjective. We've had a couple of '4's' as hosts. And I have no idea why?  Come on AirBnb! I've no other complaints; surely there is another way to rate location - ditch the stars and allow for a comment? Or don't include it in the rating system.

[Lindsey-and-Hernán0]

Right, and that's the issue -- when people rate you lower than 5 stars on something, you have to speculate as to why. It's difficult to improve unless they provide specific feedback, which -- to date -- no one has, for us. Everyone only has marvelous things to say in reviews, then their ratings paint a slightly different picture. Frustrating. 

[Karen307]

I've had two guests ding me on location, although my listing still shows 5 stars for that so you can't tell. I agree with all the comments on here. How can a guest who chooses your location have a problem with it? I've never had specific reasons about the reason for the 4 stars on location. One guest who gave me 4 stars said my location was a great location outside of the city of Durham. ?? It's clear on the map where I'm located and I also describe the setting (in the forest, secluded, within driving distance of . . . .). I hope AirBNB listens to its hosts on this point. 

[Sherry73]

I agree they pick the location and the host should not be punished by a bad review because the guest chose a location not suited to them. When I travel and stay at a hotel I dont get mad at the hotel if it is not by what I wanted to tour. It is my fault as a guest for choosing a hotel not close to what I wanted.

[Victoria292]

Llevava un año hospedando con Airbnb y me acaban de rescindir la cuenta por echar de mi casa a unos huespedes que pille registrando la casa y drogandose (fumando base de cocaina).

De 83 evaluaciones el 46 son de 5 estrellas con muy buenos comentarios y por culpa de 4 reservas de sinverguenzas Airbnb ha cancelado mis anuncios.

Cuando tengais algun problema con los huespedes os recomiendo llamar a la policia o recaudar pruebas de todo, cancelar la reserva y presentar las pruebas a los caraduras de Airbnb para que no tomen represalias injustas con los anfitriones, asi mismo podeis denunciar a airbnb ante cualquier problema que causen los huespedes ya que el seguro que prometen contra desperfectos es totalmente falso.

Si teneis otros medios para gestionar las reservas sin intermediarios no dudeis en prescindir de Airbnb y os ahorrareis muchos malos momentos y de injustas calificaciones y comisiones.

Un saludo.

[Jo198]

I've had five star ratings fo rmy central flat in Brighton and Hove. However my last guest, who gave me an overall rating of five stars, gave me only one star for every band. I think she got the rating wrong because whe wrote how neat it was and clean etc it was. I'm not sure how to approach this but have contacted her to check if all was alright. Unfortunately its lowered all my ratings except my overall five stars. not sure how to follow this up - any similar experiences or ideas?

Jo from UK

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Lindsey-and-Hernán0 - to add to your point about location that hasn't been discussed here.....

We are frequently dinged for location for an entirely different reason than  those mentioned here.  Our neighborhood is diverse in economic status, race, age, and many of the homes are in transition.  It's not unsafe, there is no crime here, but because our next door neighbors are African-American, well, that causes all kinds of consernation for some guests.   You can feel the 4-star review from the moment they walk in.... "Is it safe here?"  they will ask.  So many times I've wanted to answer with "Oh, yes!  We've tagged all of our neighbors and had them declawed and defanged, so you shouldn't need to worry."  And there is no way to mark this guest has being racist.  Equally, we live in a historic neighborhood with an emphatic Environmental Studies Professor who protests every suggestion for another street light - our lights are amber and low-light - but that doesn't make it "unsafe"  ("Can I leave my car on the street?").  My neighbor on the other side - a former teacher with a Masters Degree in Chemistry, aged 68 - doesn't really believe in prettying up his home.  He makes the most minor repairs, usually because the city makes him.  Somehow because his house isn't renovated and pristine, that's somehow bad on us - lower location score. We once got a lower location score because our guests could not pull their car up into the driveway - we don't have a driveway, we also park on the street - which was not like their suburban, midwest home and subdivision and made them consider our neighborhood "rough" since it was street-parking only.  IT's never going to go away, I'm afraid, the Location score, but I have also said it needs to be defined to make more sense and provide more value because today, it does not.  

[Lindsey-and-Hernán0]

"Oh, yes!  We've tagged all of our neighbors and had them declawed and defanged, so you shouldn't need to worry." -- this made me laugh out loud. But your message does bring up a valuable point, and that's that Airbnb's whole schtick is "Live like a local." Here in Boulder, ramshackle (like, buy it and rebuild it from scratch) houses that are located anywhere in the downtown vicinity are more than a million dollars. A very nice home downtown is more like $3-6 million. While that may not sound like much to New Yorkers or San Franciscoans, it's a lot for us, a couple in our late 20s. Needless to say, the majority of locals here do not live downtown, including us. 

I think that when you go to an Airbnb you first of all need to appreciate that someone is opening their home to you. If they are making an obvious effort to make sure you're comfortable, I think it's courteous to give them five stars across the board (or, at least, that always has been my philosophy as a guest). Secondly, you need to recongize that you're essentially getting to try on someone else's life. If that life doesn't compare well to your life in the suburbs of the midwest, then you shouldn't ding a place for that. Keep an open mind and embrace it! 

I know that we won't always be able to please everyone, which is annoying because we do try our very best. My husband suggested that we message people as soon as they book to ascertain their reason for booking (if one is not provided). If it's "I'm here to party on Pearl!", we'll reinforce our distance to downtown and offer the opportunity to cancel the reservation. Hopefully that will save us from getting more lost stars on the location ... we'll see. 

BTW, I feel you on the neighbors, and maybe that's part of our problem? We're sandwiched between two (quiet) rentals of university kids. The lawns aren't maintained and both rentals have 3-4 cars out front at all times. (Still, I wouldn't trade it for anything ... we love our neighbors!) It's not the ghetto by any means, but may not be a person's cup of tea if they're used to a beautifully manicured neighborhood.