Marked down on location

[Julia5553]

We have been marked down 3 or 4 times for our location  - in one instance as not being "challenging", in another with no explanation.  In our introductory description we have homed in on the fact that we are in a peaceful location in vineyards, ideal for peace and quiet and wine lovers. This is only our second season so these ratings are pulling down our overall rating. I am really not sure what else to do or to say to avoid this? We are being dinged as a result of guests not reading the description or doing their homework properly. 

Any advice?

[Greystone0]

Hi @Julia5553 ,

What a great listing!

It's very disheartening and frustrating to have an accurate listing and still have guests with issues that are outlined in the listing.  I feel for you.

It is fairly commong that Guests don't read a listing and have assumptions or expectations or whatever that are then not met.  And some people are just never satisfied and feel like they can't give a perfect score so decide to 'mark down' an area, if that makes sense. I've seen 'value' and 'location' are areas that a guest is making a judgement call versus thinking about what is presented to them versus what was marketed to them, which is the point of the review in this case. Is what you encountered what was in the listing? Not, is what you encountered the best thing ever.

And in your case the location is such an asset - but still someone may find the peace and quiet an issue and prefer a city view versus a vineyard view. This seems absurd but happens. 

- you can consider reaching out to the two guests that submitted a lower score on 'location' and ask them what was missing for them? We do this a lot for our listing - survey past guests to make sure we are on target in all areas and the feedback is great and actionable. 

- and if you aren't already, you should use your messaging to make sure folks understand the location and why it's an asset. One review mentioned the distance to Bordeaux, I would add this info into your reference to locations, if it isn't already. It isn't a negative, just a fact.  

- on our end we often get mistaken for being lake front, which is a major error. We are not. We are across the street. If you are expecting lake front your are very disappointed. We work hard to filter out these people and ensure this mistake doesn't happen in the first place. We say "lake view" and 'across the street' in our listing, in the photo captions, in our house rules. And so on.

good luck!

[Julia5553]

Thank you so much! (Apologies if I'm writing this twice - I cant see my previous reply). This is very helpful. I will ask our most recent guest if there is something we can improve in the description of location to avoid future disappointment. I also agree that "value" is something that seems to get dinged with no explanation. I do have the feeling that some guests have a subjective view of how a property should be scored rather than objectively scoring against the description (meaning that if your property is not highly luxurious, they will not feel able to give an overall 5 stars under any circumstances).

[Julia5553]

And here is the reply I got from the last guest:

"The only reason I gave 4 stars was because of the setting and location: we are used to being a little more in nature, with a garden and preferably some natural shade from trees. You certainly did not formulate this misleadingly in your description, but I suspect that we have just been very spoiled in previous holidays in that area, hence my expectations about it may have been a little too high. We also found the immediate surroundings a little less beautiful than what we normally look for on vacation but again: no mistake of your description, it is just vineyards and therefore agricultural area. So: 5 stars for you personally, but because of the lack of a green seating area and because of the location that was a bit disappointing for us, I just couldn't give 5 stars for the whole."

Note that we have a covered terrace with beautiful views and enclosed swimming pool with grass and trees... this guest admits that her mental picture was different and we did nothing wrong... what can you do??

[Greystone0 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Julia5553 ,

Fascinating! That is great feedback and information!

And as suspected, the guest is not comparing it to your listing as depicted, but to all vineyards or all places they ever visited! How can one manage that!

Here's some thoughts:

- no surprise that you are getting guests that want  a 'vineyard' experience and no surprise that they probably have visited other areas with vineyards. And some areas with vineyards are amazing, with amazing views or amazing whatever. You are not suggesting that you are the most amazing vineyard view on the planet or whatever. 

- so you can try to narrow their focus. Re-direct the point of reference to your region/area. Reframe your location. I don't have an immediate idea but use your photo and description to narrow things down somehow.

- in our case we are a mountain and lake town. But really the 'mountains' are just hills if you compare to Banff or the Alps, and our closest lake is small (but beautiful). Europeans who visit our area must be surprised at what they find. If you are expecting the 'alps' or Lake Cuomo style vistas, then you would be very disappointed.  We have a lot of local photos that give an overview of what is here. I think this helps.

- in our case, we just have this listing (we are owner/hosts) and so we spend time/have the time to look at all the available info on a guest, including prior trips and prior reviews. If you note someone has lots of other trips to vineyard areas you could say something like you are more like "xxx' location (to simplify the comparison). 

Thanks for sharing the guest feedback, really interesting!

[Julia5553]

That's really helpful again, thank you. Curious that she didn't realise the negative impact that her bias and subjectivity have had!

I have already slightly amended the listing description to say we are surrounded by "working" vineyards and our village is small. I have said that Bordeaux etc are "further afield... for day trips".

The thing is, many of our guests say the area is lovely and I have been to vineyards all over the place. We may not be the most jaw dropping but I would say that it is rather lovely - that's why we moved here! I have to accept that there is no pleasing everyone...