Fellow hosts,
I want to raise a concern that I believe many of us are experiencing: retaliatory reviews and the lack of meaningful Airbnb involvement in addressing them.
Recently, I received a 1-star review that was clearly retaliatory — the guest was required to pay a disclosed pet fee, and immediately after compliance, they left a review filled with false statements that contradict both my listing and documented communication.
When I requested removal, I was told the process is now handled largely by AI review systems. Unfortunately, this means that even when a review is obviously retaliatory, factually inaccurate, or irrelevant, it remains published. The AI does not consider full context, such as guest messages, house rules, or a history of similar guest behavior.
The impact is frustrating and demoralizing:
Hosts are held hostage by an unfair review system, while guests know they can retaliate without consequence.
False statements remain public, damaging our reputations despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Airbnb’s AI-based review handling makes it nearly impossible to escalate or appeal for human oversight.
The imbalance grows worse: it feels like policies are increasingly protecting guests at the expense of hosts.
Many of us invest heavily in our properties, provide clear house rules, and communicate openly — yet we are left vulnerable to retaliatory reviews that misrepresent our work and hospitality.
I know I am not alone in this. As hosts, we are tired of being treated this way. If this trend continues, it will push more of us to seriously consider direct booking platforms or other alternatives where we have more control and protection.
Have you experienced similar issues? How do you handle retaliatory reviews when Airbnb refuses to remove them? Do you believe Airbnb should bring back more human involvement in the review removal process?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
