Nervousness when I get a review!

[Nick1866]

Hi all,

Does anyone else feel absolutely petrified when getting the email saying a guest has written a review? The nerves that they may have written a negative review, or not scored you as highly as you'd liked? Or you're picked up on something you don't feel is fair.

I always make a quick sign of the cross before opening anything!

How do people get around this?

Nick

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra199  I've never travelled as a guest before, but no, the ratings, unless they were really bad, wouldn't be much of a factor for me, as I am well aware of how hard it is for hosts to get retaliation reviews removed, which can unfairly tank their rating.

So the same goes for Superhost. Many long time Superhosts have lost it because some awful guest left a revenge review which brought their rating average down to below 4.8.

I would choose a place based on the written reviews and communication with the host, exactly the same way I decide whether to accept a guest booking.

[J-Renato0]

@Ute42 @Elaine701 @Robin4 

Ute, I appreciate your analysis.

However there is one point to be consider. Maybe not the majority, but some guests use the filter "superhost".

Those guests are usually seasoned guests that only books with superhosts because they know that, they can offer a better experience in terms of stay and can fix issues in a satisfactory way.

I think we should not be concerned with apperearing in the fist page. What we see in the search results is not the same that other potential guests see.

It depends on their historic and filters (number of guests, range o price and other preferences).

I believe that Airbnb also give a chance to lots of listings alternating from time to time what they display,  to make experiences.

Another things, in general the most important metric for internet business is the conversion rate. The more a listing is booked, the more it will be displayed in the search results.

Example: If there are 2 listing with the same features, same price, certainly Airbnb will display firstly the one that has more chance to be booked. 

If a listing appears 10 times and is reserved 5 times, it will certainly be prioritized over a list that is reserved only 2 times for every 10 appearances.

It just my personal opinion.

[J-Renato0]

I do my best to provide a good accommodation and to accomplish with what it is promissed in the listing description and photos.

Most of my guests are good and easygoing. They tend to leave a good review.

However, of course, for every rule, there is an exception.

[Rich-and-Yan0]

@Nick1866 I have to agree with all of the advice that the people above have given you. Try not to worry about it too much. Just do your job well--communicate clearly with the guests about anything they may need to know, be enthusiastic, polite and appreciative, and make sure that they have everything they need before and after arrival--and you should be fine.

We've had a few demanding guests in our nearly two years of renting, and while we did everything we could to accommodate their (often many) requests, we did wonder after they had checked out what kind of review they might write. One guest who was probably our most difficult one ever in terms of her frequent demands waited the full two weeks to write her review, and then she wrote it at the very last minute. In the end, she gave us five stars for everything. That was a "bit" nerve-wracking, but as Sarah said above, there was no sense of us stressing out about something that was out of our hands. So, we basically just put it out of our minds until Airbnb let us know that the review had been posted.

I hope this helps. Stay well. 

[Mary996]

Yay Nick. I absolutely loved this post. 

Thank you so much for asking. I always get a nervous excitement about the Review we may receive.

Every time!!!!!

I think its the theatrical in us. After all we've made a presentation and put on a performance....!!!

Thank you again for asking. I loved this question xxxxx I hope I will never become tired of the exquisite feeling, the uncertainty, the hope of praise. All those innocent childlike desires and concerns x

[Diane1110]

We have had people give us a one star rating just because they wanted a free place to stay it is happened quite a few times and Airbnb will not do anything about it they will find stupid things to say the wrong which are not wrong with the property but Airbnb will stand by them and not the host which is not fair

[Deborah8]

There doesnt seem to be rhyme nor reason with people reviewing you ......... Some , who i was sure would mark me low ..marked me high whereas   some of the nicest people marked me lower than I`d hoped . I gave up trying to figure them all out .

When I first started  ,..I aimed to be The Ritz ......now   .after a few years of experience.., I struggle to maintain my " Faulty Towers  approach ........ Que ?

[Kristina46]

I do. What's even worse is when you get a smackdown after you have praised them or recommended them to other hosts! Oh the times I wish i could take it back! 

I have been with Airbnb since almost the beginning (2010) and have a low listing number to prove it. Back in the early days ofAir, reviews were an afterthought. They published the review as soon as someone wrote it so there wasn't this tension. Guests were adventurous and appreciative and the platform was funky. Lots of spam got through. When you called in, Brian himself would sometimes answer! In many ways, it was really great. Reviews weren't freaking life and death like they are now!

[Mary996]

Wow...! Great historical info. Thanks.