Review Removal Request — Guest Rated 2★ for “Value” Despite Premium Amenities & Lowest Price

[ManiKu0]

How can someone leave a 2-star rating under the “Value” section, and Airbnb still refuses to remove it — even when the apartment for 4 guests was the cheapest in the entire region (just INR 2,000 ≈ USD 23)?

One of my guests (Confirmation code *) booked for 4 people at the lowest rate available in my town. They checked in at 1:00 AM midnight, stayed for a night, raised no complaints, and left the next day after a comfortable stay. Airbnb can verify all our message history — there were no issues mentioned at all.

Yet, this guest submitted a review giving 2 stars for “Value”, and Airbnb staff refused to review or remove it. Many new guests tend to give random negative ratings without considering the services offered. There’s a human behind every review removal request, but that person should also understand the full context — otherwise, how can a host continue offering true value to budget travelers?

We provided an independent, private 2-room apartment with:

• 2 Air Conditioners (1 in each room)

• Premium mattresses

• Induction cooktop & full cooking setup

• Large fridge, microwave, coffee mugs, beer mugs, and wine glasses

• Temperature-sensor water heater

• Unlimited tissue papers and extra rolls

• Electric powered Oil room freshner

• Work desk, electric iron, wall fans, and a large window overlooking the city

• Electric kettle, private toilet, shower gel, shampoo, tea, coffee

• Self check-in, free car parking, free Wi-Fi

• Located just 100 meters from the expressway in India's famous city (Chandigarh), with shops & restaurants within the society, no need to go far.

• Proper working lift and safe residential complex

If this doesn’t define “Value”, then what does? Despite clearly explaining all of this, Airbnb still refused to remove the unfair rating.

To make things worse, the same group broke the toilet flush system, costing me over INR 1,600 (~$19) in repairs. I didn’t even file a damage claim because such incidents happen frequently by Indian People, and claiming damages (even rarely) often seems to affect booking visibility and ranking. I’m not sure if Airbnb’s algorithm penalizes occasional damage claims, but it certainly feels that way. I try to avoid making a damage claim becuase I experienced that my rankings would go down for few days and will loose more researvations.

So, I genuinely ask — what does “Value” really mean to Airbnb?

What else should I install or provide in my apartment, without raising the price, to qualify as “best value”? Don't you think giving a 2 stars on Value doesn't really justify for these amenities and such a low price for 4 peoples?

*[Sensitive information removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Joan2709]

@ManiKu0 

Unfortunately, value is in the opinion of the guest and from what you mentioned, it is not grounds for removal of the review.

Value and Location are two areas that Hosts have repeatedly asked Airbnb to either remove as part of the review process, or not allow the rating in these 2 areas to be included in the calculation of the review rating. This has fallen on deaf ears.

Guests can clearly see where the listing is located (map display and city) PRIOR to booking and after booking receive the actual address. Hosts can't move their listing. Some might say it is a safe area and others feel it's unsafe because they heard sirens at night (in the city). Value is completely subjective. One guest might consider your property an excellent value and the next guest rates it poorly.

To be fair, I believe guests should be able to provide their opinions on Location and Value, but don't think it should be included in the overall score. 

[Mary1523]

Agree with Joan.

And there is nothing you can do with Airbnb to refute this. Did you ask the guest why the value rating? Feedback is critical no matter what you think.

Move on, get lots more reviews and it will balance out your one poor rating. Was the overall rating for the booking reflective of this? If it was, you can always respond publicly with something like this:

'Dear Future guests, whilst we respect guest reviews and their perspectives, it doesn't mean we agree. Despite everything in our offering, this guest chose to give us a xyz rating. We offer amazing value with <list here> so we look forward to hosting you and providing you an excellent guest experience"

Frankly I don't have the time to understand or argue with Airbnb with these things. You take it as a cost of doing business and after 10 years of hosting, I know where to pick my battles.

All the best, I'm sure you are doing great, so don't let one little pesky review upset it all.

Kind regs MK 

[ManiKu0]

Guest said he gave me good ratings. didn't explain what went wrong which let him give 2 stars for value, he left after breaking the toilet flushing system, I didn't press claim. I am totally lost on this. $23 for 4 peoples proper sleeping should be cheapest in entire country (India). I am serious on this because you should also compare the amenities listed above and location. I send few shorts on Parking, Check-in, provided replies on Airbnb & Whats app within 1 minute because always online due to IT business.

One can easily judge the quality of communication based on how quickly replies are sent, the politeness of responses, how caring and detailed the messages are, the clarity of rules, voice call assistance, prompt replies on WhatsApp and Airbnb, and even extra effort like suggesting nearby places to eat and drink.

So how can we not judge the “Value” parameter in a similar way? A rude message is clearly rude to anyone, and it’s fair to rate it low. Likewise, if someone communicates excellently but still receives a low score, we can question that. The same logic applies to “Value” — what exactly is the measurable parameter for “Value” in the review system?

If bad communication deserves a rating of 1–2, then how come a “best value” rating isn’t contestable when it receives only 2 stars, even after all the efforts mentioned above?

I have posted this to argue on this.

[ManiKu0]

Our apartment is in the best location — all buses stop nearby, and the main road connecting to different cities passes right next to it. All restaurants and shops are located within the society itself.

Isn’t that great value for money and convenience, especially when there’s nothing better or cheaper for 4 people at just $23? I’ve listed all these features, yet it still doesn’t seem to sound like the best value to you? The guest gave more ratings on other parameters though.

[Joan2709]

@ManiKu0 

Airbnb says It doesn't matter what you feel the property value is....the guest's Value rating is what counts and is totally subjective.

This is the reason Hosts feel this review category should either be removed, or the rating should NOT be included in any Airbnb calculations for the Host. What one person thinks is a great value, the next feels if they didn't get a free stay it wasn't a good value. 😥 🙄

[Tina9064]

While we can sympathize with your frustration, you have to know that every guest comes with a unique view and set of opinions.  All you can do is provide them a clean and comfortable place to stay and be a responsive host. If a 2 star rating on a category is going to ruin your day, then heaven help you if a guest gives you a 1 or 2 star overall rating. Politely ask the previous guest why the low rating and mention you were not told of the damage found after they left. They probably won't answer but it's worth a try. Otherwise, let it go! If you stay a host long enough you will learn something like this is nothing compared to the damage and nastiness some guests are capable of.

[ManiKu0]

They give me overall 2 stars as well, this is reason why I have explained here in such a details.

[Joan2709]

@ManiKu0 

Yes....that was totally out of line. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do except post a rely to their review.