Keeping up your ratings

[Kath9]

Hi fellow hosts!

Well, after seeing my overall star ratings start to slip recently due to the ridiculous changes to the review system, my ratings have just gone back up from near to the point of losing Superhost status (4.8* overall) to 4.9*! I think my strategy may be working and just want to share it with you (I have done so before on other posts but that was the 'trial' stage - I am now seeing results!). Thanks to those other hosts who have shared similar ideas to this.

Firstly, I have put the following blurb on the first page of my guest manual - it is just underneath the house guidelines and Wifi password and I ask all my guests to spend a moment reading this page when they arrive (I'm hoping that the Wifi password prompts them to actually do so!)

Secondly, I now send the following message to all my guests once I have reviewed them:

Dear xxx, thank you so much for booking with me - you were wonderful guests and I hope you enjoyed your stay as much as I enjoyed hosting you. I have left you a 5-star review and hope you can find the time to write a review for me so I can continue to offer my home as a budget-friendly, safe and comfortable place for other guests. Thanks again - it was really lovely meeting you both! Best wishes, Kath 🙂

This message hopefully prompts them to leave a review (in order to keep up the minimum 50% review rate) as well as letting them know I have given them 5 stars in the hope they reciprocate. (Of course, this is only for guests who I have actually left a 5-star review for - I won't be sending this message to guests who have received less than 5 stars). While it does feel a bit like emotional blackmail, I think we do need to educate our guests as most of them don't realise that the overall star rating is based on the 'expectations' question and many guests will just say 'as expected', which only gives you 3 stars overall (even if they have given you 5 stars for everything else). 

Please feel free to do something similar with your guests in order to keep up your ratings. Happy hosting 2019!

[Kath9]

Thanks @Leo0! Best of luck with your ratings!

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

And BTW 

At the same time as countless Host's thinking how to maintain a 5* rating,

THIS is what we are getting in return...

(I just had CS cancel this INSTANT BOOKING)

@Barry-and-Lera0 @Kath9 @Leo192 @Claire475 @TracieandJason0 @Sarah @Emilia 

[Emilia42]

@Giedre-and-Andre0, I'm still confused how those guests still have the privilege to book instantly. 

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

@Emilia42 yahhh... same here!

And I made sure that my confusion was proper addressed to CS 😉

Greetings from Brooklyn, Andre

[Tif1]

@Giedre-and-Andre0 

Wow, is that for real?? Two things. They can book at 4pm and expect to turn up an hour later and then leave a review like that?? Good Grief!

[Fiona335]

I have had far fewer problems like this after tightening my booking settings. Firstly, in Booking Settings -> Guest Requirements I have checked "recommendation from other hosts", which means that first-time users and people with negative host recommendations are unable to book instantly. The other is in Listing -> Availability -> Reservation Preferences -> Advance Notice, I've given myself some breathing space.

Unfortunately people who don't meet the guest requirements can still send an enquiry, but at least it allows you check their profile and reviews to find out why, before making a decision. Despite you "always being in control", ABB do try to make these hard to turn down: "98% of first time guests get 5 star reviews", etc, etc. Regrettably I am in the midst of a booking where I allowed the ABB comments to sway me into accepting a first-time user whose stay is already a nightmare.  Just as I've achieved the ability to ignore the race-to-the-bottom pricing suggestions, I really need to stand my ground on my booking settings!! 

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

@Tif I think this was a misunderstanding:

This is the Guest Review, he got from other hosts.

He was able to "IB" my place for few days in April...

I had CS cancel this ridiculous IB.

And yes, @Fiona  I had always  "recommendation from other hosts" active,

and this guest was able to IB anyway.

Which means that  people with negative host ratings are able to book instantly. 

[Cor3]

Hi @Giedre-and-Andre0,

What also plays a role here, whether the guests (despite their score). Still had all Thumbs Up from the previous host(s).

Can you check this?

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

Yes,  @Cor3 good point.

NO.... there is no indikation who or how often a guest got thumbs up or down.

I think this is the issue here...

The explanation from ABB sends definitely mixed messages

(I have my settings ALWAYS on max requirements).

On One hand it says that "recommendation" is needed by guest to IB

- THIS MEANS NOT NECESSARY THAT ALL PRIOR HOSTS HAVE TO RECOMMEND ?

- IS 1 THUMB UP OUT OF 4 REVIEWS ALREADY GOOD ENOUGH TO IB ??

- WHAT IF OTHER GUESTS NOT RECOMMENDED/THUMB DOWN ???

On other hand it says "...guests who’ve traveled on Airbnb and received only positive reviews from other hosts..."

- IS 3 or 4* POSITIVE?
- WHAT IS A POSITIVE GUEST RATING (4* for sure NOT positive for hosts)

__________________________

Additional guest requirements: Guests will always meet all of Airbnb’s requirements before they book. With Instant Book, you can add more guest requirements:

• Government-issued ID: For added security, you can limit bookings to guests who’ve submitted their government-issued ID to Airbnb.
• Recommendation from other hosts: You can limit bookings to guests who’ve traveled on Airbnb and received only positive reviews from other hosts.

[Cor3]

Hi @Giedre-and-Andre0,

I think, the number of Thumbs Up by previous hosts. Should still be visible in your cancelled reservation? (As they IB’ed your listing).

Just compare the number of Thumbs Up by previous hosts and the number of reviews by-a-host, this guest had (Visible via the Inbox Message Thread).

I just checked my archive, and I had a cancellation by a guest – over a year ago. And I can still see, this information for this guest.

But maybe this information is removed, once Airbnb cancelled the reservation on your request (because I don't see it anymore, in your screenshot).

Sometimes, I mark guests down too a little – over things such as cleanliness (I.e.: They could have left the place a bit better). But it does not mean, I will not give them a Thumbs Up (Because in general, they were good guests).

And indeed, I do not know either: How Airbnb is exactly determining what a ‘recommended’ guest is.

Maybe you want to start a separate post on this subject. And see what others do come up with.

The description by Airbnb of a ‘recommended’ guest is vague!

Obviously, Airbnb will regard almost everybody as recommendable. As they bring in $$$ 😄

What I found, on the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down question. 3 Answers are possible:

• Thumbs Up
• Neither a Thumbs Up nor a Thumbs Down
• Thumbs Down

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

"...The description by Airbnb of a ‘recommended’ guest is vague!

Obviously, Airbnb will regard almost everybody as recommendable. As they bring in $$$ 😄

Sometimes, I mark guests down too a little – over things such as cleanliness (I.e.: They could have left the place a bit better). But it does not mean, I will not give them a Thumbs Up (Because in general, they were good guests)..."

 Totally agree @Cor3

Hmmmm....

That's interesting, I do not have the ability to see 

"Thumbs Up/Down" on any requests and/or IB's given from priour hosts,

Not on PC, iPhone and iPad...

I know, what's in your mind now: I should go and get an Android HaaHaaa :-))))

Only the star rating is showing up from guests.

[Cor3]

Hi @Giedre-and-Andre0,

No, that’s not what I think 😄

What happens inside the software of Airbnb is a big black box to all of us. And we can only make an educated guess on what is happening in there (basically by experimenting).

It would not surprise me, when your maximum requirements setting. Is the cause of suppressing this piece of information to you on IB bookings (Oh, and sorry for the Dutch in the image below 😉 )

This is how it shows for me (See the red circle).

[Sarah977]

@Giedre-and-Andre0   You don't see, by the requesting guest's profile photo to the left of the message stream, where it says "This guest is recommended by 5 hosts"? I do. That would indicate that they received a thumbs up from those 5 hosts.

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

No... not on any of my past booking requests and/or

IB's I am/was able to see this information. Only the numbers of

Verifications and total number of reviews are showing up.

Than of course I can see the breakdown of star ratings,

and I can read the reviews...

Until now, I didn't even know that number of recommendations

should be available and that they in fact provided to see for SOME HOSTS only... :-0

I just assumed that guest with a "Thumb Down" would not be able to IB??? GREAT!

Thanks @Cor3 @Sarah977 for this important piece of information!!!

[Andrea9]

@Cor3 

There are only 2 outcomes possible - yay or nay.

I'd tried out the "Neither a Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down"  version recently with guests who weren't bad, just a bit on the annoying side.

I didn't choose  any thumb and simply clicked on 'continue'.

Despite this I am now visible on the guest profil as one of the hosts recommending them  😕