Should there be a Star Ratings for Guests?

[Dustin58]

Hello Fellow AirBnb hosts,

I'd like to see a star ratings system for guests. If guests can review us as hosts, why can't we review them as guests? It would be great if we could work together as a community to give feedback on who we actually want staying in our homes and properties. The existing "you can't see what a guest said until you leave your own review" system is very broken for many reasons. The star ratings for hosts are painfully important to hosts; why can't they be just as important to guests? Hosts can be suspended if your rating drops below 4 stars.

So guests have a weapon they can wield to bilk hosts out free extras, unwarranted refunds, etc. all in the fear of a bad review. But if hosts had that same weapon, it would level the playing field. We'd no longer get threats of 1 star reviews because a guest wants hundreds of dollars for minor inconveniences, because hosts could point that out in their review that guest and give them a 1 star rating in return. And no host would accept a reservation from a poorly rated guest. So guests would have to return to being reasonable again as would want to be highly rated as well. And we'd want the ability to rate guests at any time; not just in a small window after the guest checks out. We've all had guests with whom we thought everything went well, and then the guest leaves a negative review with a low start rating for things out of our control or things that are unwarranted. I'd sure want to know if that happened to a fellow host, and then I could avoid renting to that guest.  But we'd have to be able to rate that guest for any amount of time after their departure. This would make guests more reasonable and would give invaluable information to us as to who we want to allow into our homes. There are, of course, times when a guest isn't treated right, and they certainly have all the tools at their disposal to make that known. But I think we are tired of working our butts off for guests and doing everything right, and then being threatened or slammed by a low star rating review. Like the time you engaged with a guest, made their stay great, and then get a low star review because they didn't like the cleaning fee; which they knew about when they booked and agreed to. And they only made a stink about it after there was nothing that could be done; after check out. I'm sure we all have a hundred stories about guests that we did everything for, and then they stuck us with a low star review. And there is nothing we can do about as it's after the fact.

Please let us all review our guests on a 1-5 star basis at any time. And let us adjust our booking requirements to only accept guests with a certain rating. Just like guests do to us. If I was able to let everyone know about the bad guest who complains about fees after checkout, wouldn't everyone want to avoid renting to that guest? But our hands are tied thanks to Airbnb's poor executed tit for tat system where you only get a small window of time to review a guest, and can only see what someone wrote after the fact. And there is no star system for guests, so there is no way to easily sort bad guests out. I don't want your bad guest that asked for a $1000 refund because the AC wasn't set at 72 degrees on arrival, and you don't want my bad guest that left a bad review because they didn't pull up the detailed map that was sent to them and got lost using MapQuest (who uses MapQuest anymore?) Thoughts?

[Helen350]

@Juan63 Your point is irrelevant... It's NOT normal to have locks in PRIVATE houses in Europe, as two English , one Irish, & one Danish host have testified.

So YOU are the one being ridiculous in expecting HOTEL amenities in PRIVATE homes. (All you need to do is ask, or perhaps you ENJOY complaining after booking something that does not match your requirements?) Sarah has explained why they are not necessary in our worlds......

Mind you, in Europe we don't carry guns.... so maybe I don't expect you to understand our lovely mindset! - When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

@Sandra856  @Sarah977 @Susan17 @Alon1 

[Juan63]

Helen, 4 European hosts don't mean much when the platform you use says otherwise. Maybe if you treated your guests a little differently you would have a higher rating.

[Helen350]

@Juan63 My ratings are very high (Better than properties much better than mine!) - I'm a superhost! It's the WAY I treat guests that gets my high reviews, not the battered old house, with its tiny bedrooms & one shared bathroom. - Just read  the lovely things guests say about me! 

HAS HE CHANGED TACK TO AN AD HOMINEM ATTACK??

[Juan63]

Your listings have a 4.7X rating and from posts here you seem to dislike your guests. It is relevant because it seems to affect the way you run your Airbnb. Maybe not being hostile at times and adding a lock would help. But then again, basic needs of your guests are entitlements in your eyes.

[Helen350]

@Juan63 My listing with the most guests (148) has a rating of 4.83. In the last year, my score over all 3 listings has been 4.9. - We all know some guests never give 5* on principle, & some think 4* is good, cos on most rating systems it is!

You are being abusive by suggesting I don't like my guests.... I have said nothing of the sort.... I wonder whether you are PROJECTING your own attitudes onto me??? - I LOVE my guests, I've met some wonderful people in my 350+ hostings over the past 3 years, some have even returned as long term lodgers! I've been blessed with fellow lovers of the great outdoors & mountain climbers, & some lovely professionals, here for work.

I would appreciate it, now that you've lost the 'locks' argument,  if you would stop getting your kicks out of abusing an 58 year old woman by attributing to me attitudes I don't hold, and behaviours I don't do.... (What do you think @Lizzie ?) 

[Juan63]

Nobody has "lost" the lock argument. And no one is being abusive nor being abused, your "entitlement" comments were written by you and no one else. Neither can you claim to be the victim now. 

[Helen350]

@Juan63 Why do you want to bully  & belittle a later-middle aged woman you know nothing about? Is this how you act as a host or a guest? I do hope not! 

[Juan63]

I’m sorry that you take it as bullying when you equally respond to my comments. At no time was it meant to seem that way. Seemed like a good fiery back and forth from two passionate people who don’t agree.

[Juan63]

New York is not a representation of the U.S. as they regulate everything from the second you wake up to the second you go to bed. Laws have no impact on this situation anyways,

[Sandra856]

@Juan63 There could easily be a big difference when it comes to being from a country ruled by the old soviet union and from the western Europe countries when it comes to trust. So it wouldn't really be a big surprise. I guess that you somehow believe that because you expect a lock on the door everybody else in the world must do so too. I'm gonna stop here - from your earlier attacks pointed at me - I can just say that we are so, so very different and it makes no sense to continue. 

[Juan63]

Attacks? You mean replies?

[Sarah977]

@Juan63 "Maybe if you treated your guests a little differently you would have a higher rating."

That's a personal attack, not simply a reply to a discussion.

[Juan63]

No it wasn't. It was a fact based relevant observation based on comments she made about entitled guests and one of her reviews. Not sure what this has to do with you Sarah. She is an adult and we can disagree and have fiery discussions and not be considered abusive because I'm a 30 something yr old man and she's a 50 something yr old woman. But let's not bring up here personal attacks and generalizations of Americans.

[Helen350]

@Juan63  I had a guest who made nasty remarks about other guests in the personal comments part of the review, - I guess you are scoring points cos I said someone was not suitable for homeshare once I'd seen the nasty attitude to other guests! Not a bad attitude from me, just a wish to warn others! - No need to discount a person's many good reviews, cos they once wanted to warn future hosts that someone might not be a good fit in a shared house. 

[Stephanie]

@Helen350 @Juan63 @Sarah977 @Sandra856 

I can see things are getting heated in this discussion of differing opinions and that's no good for anyone - both those involved or those reading. You are all incredibly good hosts, which you can all agree is clear from your reviews and ratings. 

When we debate you can attack the argument, not the person giving it.

I think we all have a great varied experience and wealth of knowledge to share, and it's fantastic that you want to do it here. Let's keep it civil. 

Just as an aside, if you don't like something you see posted or don't think it belongs on the CC, please go ahead and hit the flag to moderator button. That will be popped into the queue for myself and the other community managers to take a look at with priority. 

Thanks,

Stephanie