Rating system needs a total revamp

[Janet1681]

This system is completely ridiculous and practically useless from a guest perspective. If everybody gives a 5 star rating no matter what the stay was like, how does that help me judge between, say, an adequate place for a quick overnight stay and a really outstanding place for a special occasion?  What’s the point of 5 rating options if one is “decent to outstanding” and the other four are “bad”?  I feel like 5 stars is for, not necessarily luxury, but an extra nice effort at any price point or type of accommodation. For me, 4 is a good or very good rating.  I don’t want to give a 5 star rating just because it’s expected, and there are some basic things that in my mind take that 5th star off (really skimping on towels for example, or appliances that don’t work properly or long response time for issues). I used to love AirBnB but am rethinking it for the future.  When every guest feels compelled to gush about “Sarah’s cute place” or the “great hospitality” from Andre (who they probably never laid eyes on), it feels fake. And with less “hosting” by individuals and more by companies, it’s not as much fun as it used to be, either.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Janet1681 , thank you for sharing your feedback and insights from a guest perspective. I appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns about the rating system and how it affects your experience as a guest. 

While I'll be sure to pass over your feedback to Airbnb, please feel free to share it directly here via 👉Airbnb's feedback form👈

Regards,

[Guy991]

Hello @Janet1681 ,

I want to start by thanking you very much for explaining the guest’s point of view, even though it makes me sad.

Do you know why? Because Airbnb does not explain to guests how the rating system actually works.

Five stars is the standard, and anything below that is considered bad. Even four stars is bad.

Hosts are expected to maintain an average of 4.8 stars at all times.

When you say that for you four stars means very good, it saddens me even more because unfortunately it is not true. By giving four stars you are actually hurting the host, even though you did not intend to. And it is not your fault. You sound intelligent. It is Airbnb’s fault.

I once had a guest, and I even posted about it, who told me in advance that he never gives more than four stars.

I would like to suggest that if you decide to continue giving four stars, please let hosts know in advance before making a reservation.

@Bhumika , this is a very sad post because I have seen too many reviews like, “This was the best stay ever, the house is amazing, the host is amazing, and I want to return with my family” followed by four stars.

Very sad.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Guy991 , thanks for weighing in with the host perspective as well. It's interesting and insightful to read how ratings can be perceived both by potential guests as well as how they reflect on hosts. 

I have made sure to note both these insights and have shared with the appropriate team as well. 

Kind regards, 

[Guy991]

Dear @Bhumika,

The star rating system has been both Airbnb’s strength and its weakness. It enabled the platform to grow to its current scale, but today it has become a structural barrier. In the early days it worked because it was simple and easy to understand. Now the lack of nuance makes it confusing for guests and increasingly irrelevant for hosts. For guests it blurs the difference between very good and bad, and for hosts it makes an exceptional stay look the same as one that was simply expected.

It no longer provides a meaningful method of evaluation, nor does it build greater trust between the parties.

I understand that in a large company like Airbnb, making a major change is dramatic and risky. Few executives are willing to propose something significant because of the fear of failure. We hate failure more than we love success, and there are plenty of corporate psychology articles that explain this. For that reason, I do not expect a real change from Airbnb’s side.

Still, I would like to put forward a non-disruptive suggestion: even if only as a seasonal test, a moon instead of a star.

If five stars is the standard, there are still guests who feel that their experience went “over the moon.” They could not have had this experience in any other type of accommodation. The host was present, friendly, and welcoming, and the stay not only met expectations but intensified their entire holiday. For those rare stays, guests could choose to add the “over the moon” mark.

This “over the moon” would not be collected, analyzed, or included in the algorithm. It would not affect the 4.8 rating requirement. It would simply appear as a special sign in the review, alongside the five-star rating.

This way there would be two clear levels: the standard five-star stay, meaning everything was great as expected, and the exceptional “over the moon” stay, meaning the experience went far beyond expectations. This is just a suggestion to start brainstorming. There are other non-disruptive ideas as well.

I have had guests who wrote to me, “We wish we could give more than just five stars to reflect your place.”

And until that happens, I will continue striving to give my guests an over the moon experience, even if all I receive in return is the standard five stars.