The General Confusion About Star Ratings

[Huma0]

I've seen a lot of posts on this forum where hosts are upset about receiving a four star overall review when the guest has given them five stars in every category. Those reviews/ratings look something like this:

There is no explanation given in the feedback or review as to what they were unhappy with and they have marked each category with five stars, so what on earth was the problem?  The problem is that they have NOT given five stars in every category. When a guest reviews, it is totally optional to fill in the star categories. They can rate some, all or none of them. Many guests choose to rate none and just give an overall rating (as in the example above). When this happens, all the categories will show up as five stars under that review in your Progress tab, but they do not count as five star ratings, i.e. your percentages in each category will neither go up nor down.

How do I know this? Because I keep track of my overall and individual star ratings (you can see these percentages under each listing in your Progress tab), so I can see each time a guest reviews which categories, if any, they have rated. Here's an example.

This is not fail safe as how much the percentages go up or down with each rating depends on how many reviews you have for that listing. If you only have ten, each rating can be worth 10%, whereas if you have 100, it would only be worth 1%. If you have over 100 reviews, you might not always see a change in the stats with each guest that rates. Still, you can get an idea overall if guests are rating the individual categories or not.

Of course, I shouldn't need to keep a log of these percentages. The stars under each review should only show what the guest has actually given, not show five stars for a rating that doesn't even exist. It is obviously causing confusion amongst hosts and Airbnb needs to change this, but I thought I would shed some light on it, so that next time you see that four star rating with five stars in each category, it is not so confusing.

[Alison-Penelope-June0]

They threatened to remove you? why? some people write an absolute load of rubbish. I've had serious complaints about the tap water, village lighting even the amount of bird pooh on the paving ( litchin to anyone who's ever been to the county and knows what bird pooh actually looks like). one man switched the extractors off and removed the fire alarms and then called the fire service when he left and complained about it., they called me and agreed its not normally a requirement in all areas.

some people are just having a bad day or looking for a reduction. Surely Airbnb have to accept this. they cant delist you based on one review from Mr grumpy. they wouldnt exist at all without people listing properties

[Ange2]

@Huma0   The only way I can see of making the star system more equitable is for Airbnb to change their approach and the penalties associated with the star ratings, they can still do their data collection just change the forced equation they use for crazy results.  btw:  There is a post by Lizzie on SH criteria.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Feedback-on-Superhost-criteria/td-p/854762

I have seen some ways  posted on this forum in which hosts tell guests about the 5 star system and it seems to work for them.  I do not bother: I decided I do not want to be between the rock and  hard place manufactured by Airbnb;  I do not want to think badly of guests because of the lack of an idiot star, as some hosts understandably do because of Airbnb penalties—but it's the wrong target (unless it was a petty, revenge review).   Fortunately, I also have great guests who appreciate my offering so I get good ratings too,  all above criteria for Superhost (but banned for a year for not being able to document extenuating circumstances within 48 hours), c'est la vie,  it hasn't affected my listing. 

I am not convinced that Superhost is as marked a positive as it is made out to be.

[Huma0]

@Ange2 

Yes the Superhost thing is quite contentious. I don't think it's necessary for an AIrbnb to be successful. However, I have noticed since the changes in March that many more guests are aware of it than before. Prior to that, hardly any of my guests had a clue that such a thing even existed. I really don't think it's vital to have the status to maintain a very healthy business on AIrbnb. Personally I find it does help me somewhat by giving guests some added reassurance, but would my bookings suffer without it? Probably not.

Thanks also for the link. I did see @Lizzie's post and responded. Personally I think the suggested changes are a move in the right direction, but they don't of course solve the most obvious problem, i..e. the discrepency in what guests are told RE star ratings and what those ratings actually mean for hosts.

The main issue with star ratings and the review system in general is exactly as you say. It's about making hosts try to live up to some impossible standard, i.e. 4.7 minimum and 4.8 Superhost. Fine, if you're going to have an Uber type rating system where everyone needs to strive for 5 stars, but then make it CLEAR to the guests. Instead, Airbnb holds hosts to account for anything less than 5 stars, but tells guests that 4 is good and 3 okay. It's so stupid really.

[Lilly28]

Thank you, Huma!!! Thanks again for your answer! I have a new question - where can I see the review rate? You wrote you have 69% review rate - do you see that anywhere? I do not know how much is mine, and I would like to know it - is this possible? Thanks in advance for your attention!

As for the Superhost categories - I think it will not be difficult for guests to recognize them with the names suggested - Silver, Gold, Diamond, so easy is it not?

[Huma0]

Hi @Lilly28 

Yes, I think Silver, Gold, Diamond is easy enough to understand, but would it not encourage guests to downrate hosts? For example, if they know there is a Diamond standard, they might just save the 5 star ratings for listings they feel deserve this, i.e. perfect, the best of the best, could not be topped in any way, and give 4 stars or lower for anything else. That is the problem mentioned by @Ange2 and I above. Guests perceptions of what the star ratings mean and what they mean in reality to hosts is very different. It's not their fault, it's Airbnb's.

Re the review rates, I can only see it under the Superhost requirement data, i.e. for the current assesment period (not overall for all reviews to date), but you could select a different time period in the drop down menu to see earlier periods. Under your Progress tab, you click Opportunities and then Superhost.The 'Trips Reviewed' is your review rate, i.e. what percentage of the guests you have hosted during that period have left reviews. It should look something like this:

The minimum requirement for Suerphost is 50% trips reviewed (the right hand column) and your current stats is in the left hand column.

[Lilly28]

@Huma0

I think only in that way things might get more clear. What are guests looking when booking? Pictures, and we should not use the best ones as in this way we can never get - the - much better than expected. I think this is wrong, better have the right pictures but be valued by our work for at least a year as to gain Superhost badge.

Then they look at location and price. Any location where there is at least one star 5 hotel in less than 1 km or 2 four stars hotel, should be considered good for giving Diamond and Gold and guests should not be given the right to value location - it must be included into the category of the Superhost. (exceptions are huts, islands and similar exotic places), and price should be connected to the category obtained, I mean you will have the right to put it in such and such dimentions, and dropping one category behind the price automatically should be lowered to the highest allowed for that (the next down) category. Now the review of the guests should not include location, price and this - better or not than expected. Accuracy, cleannliness, reception and chech-in and out, and more - value the amenities, the design, communication, but also attention given, well - I think you can suppose much more.  And to remain Superhost of any category - the old 50% trip reviewd, 0 or 1 cancellation per year, trip hosted - at lest 20 and 35 to 50% occupancy yearly. Now the overall rating of all things should be different for the different categories, not as now 4.8.

[Lilly28]

@Huma0

And the range in which the price can move in any city can be drown from the average price of a 3-stars hotel there. And drop by a given percentage down the categories. 

[Robin4]

@Huma0  The stat I find interesting there is you have an absolutely gorgeous listing and your guests love you but your review rate is 69%......Do you have a guest book?

Now the reason I bring this up, I do not have a guest book in the listing, Airbnb sent me one about 6 weeks ago, one of those promotional give aways, 'Belong Anywhere'! Nice leather bound thing.

I have not put it out in the listing because I think it might reduce my percentage of reviews.

Here is where I currently sit....

My feeling is by having a guest book, guests who enjoyed their stay will want to tell future guests who roam through looking at comments,  and they will put their efforts in there rather than in the actual review. Their reaction will be when the review prompt comes...."I have already been through that once, isn't that enough",  and they will dismiss the review. And even more so if the review system looks complicated. They will feel they have already done enough....Just my feeling!

I would be really interested to hear from hosts who have a guest book and compare that with their review % stats

Chers.....Rob

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

You are right. I do have a guest book (it was actually a gift from a guest), but a lot of my guests don't write in it. I don't ask them to. It's in the front hallway in plain sight so if they want to, they can.

I don't know if it has lowered my review rate as I don't know what that rate was before I was given the book. I do know that guests don't buy me thank you cards anymore though!

I had wondered the same as you though if it might affect the rate. What I think might be more the case is that I used to ask almost every guest (either when they checked out or in a thank you message afterwards) to leave a review. Now I only do that some of the time. I made the mistake a couple of times of chasing guests for reviews that they probably wouldn't have left otherwise and they left me four stars, so now I'd rather not tempt fate!

[Huma0]

@Robin0

I mentioned this on another thread, but since responding to you above, I have flicked through my guest book and realised that every single guest who wrote in it left me a review with only one or two exceptions. 

Based on this and what other hosts have said about having guest books, I have concluded that having one does not lower my review rate at all. The guests who take the time to write in the book tend to be the ones who take the time to leave a review.

That's not to say that guests that DON'T write in it won't leave a review, but the kind of guest who can't be bothered to write a review certainly isn't the kind of guest to leave a note in the guest book.

If my review rate is low, and actually I don't think it's so bad from the rate other hosts have tol me they're are getting, it must be for another reason. For quite a while after I started hosting, I used to kindly remind guests to leave a review for me (either when they checked out or in a thank you message afterwards), but now I rarely do. I prefer guests to review when they want to. It's only this silly review rate that makes it difficult to be relaxed about it.

[Huma0]

@Lilly28 

I do see where you are coming from RE splitting hosts into a range of categories rather than just Superhost or not Superhost. However, I think the system would need to be kept very simple to work, i.e. be based on overall ratings and first, the disparity between what guests are told the star ratings mean (which is pretty much the same as what they mean in the hotel and hospitality industry in general) and what they actually mean to hosts, which is similar to Uber, needs to be addressed. I don't think any rating system is going to work until that problem is solved.

I'm not sure about limiting hosts' ability to achieve the different levels according to locaton, particularly if it is based on the hotels in the area. It doesn't seem very fair. Exotic locations aside, I am sure there are many Airbnbs in amazing locations that don't have 4 and 5 star hotels nearby and others located in towns and cities that have lots of hotels, but that doesn't mean necessarily that the Airbnb 1km away is in a great neighbourhood.

In London, for example, you only have to turn a corner to pass from a 'smart', expensive street into a rough housing estate. There are areas very far from the city centre and sights and not such nice places to stay, but have plenty of 4 and 5 star hotels because of their proximity to an airport or conference centre. I am sure this could be said of other cities.

[Huma0]

@Lilly28

Basing an Airbnb's price on the level it achieves from ratings is also problematic. A very cheap, very basic and small Airbnb in a not so central area can consistently receive 5 star reviews because it is clean, well run and good value and meeting guests' expectations in that price range. Then there are luxurious Airbnbs that are priced according to what is offered and the expensive location (many hosts do have mortgages to pay) that may not achieve as many 5 stars because the guests come with higher expectations.

What happens when the cheap Airbnb gets put in a higher category because of its ratings and therefore charges a higher price? Guests are disgruntled because that small, basic, not-so-central place is now not great value anymore. Its ratings suffer and it drops down a category. This could create a whole yo-yo effect that could be super stressful for hosts and seriously affect their income.

Let me give you an example. I have three rooms listed in my house, all around a similar price range. The nicest of these rooms, and most popular in terms of bookings, is better than the other two in numerous ways. Yet, it consistantly achieves lower ratings than them for no obvious reason. At the moment, it only has 78% for location, whereas the other two have 87% and 92%. They are in the SAME location, except that the better room, with the lower location rating, faces pretty, quiet gardens rather than a busy, noisy road.There is no logic to it at all. I have concluded that the guests who book the better room come with much higher expectations and are more likely to score lower.

Your system would mean that my best and busiest room would achieve a lower category and lower price even though guests there get exactly the same level of accuracy, communication, check in, cleanliness and location as the other rooms and probably better value too.

Do you see what I'm saying? If we base our prices on categories that are determined even in part by guest ratings, we are opening up a can of worms. Personally I think the host and no one else should determine the price. We already know that Airbnb's existing pricing systems (Smart Pricing) massively undervalues properties. This is my livelihood and I would not want to be at the mercy of a system that has so much potential for error, being subject to the whims of guests and their ratings. 

[Robin4]

@Huma0

My god Huma, you are onto something with the changed order of the category star ratings.

But unfortunately that is not the biggie....this one is

Much better than I expected

A bit better than I expected

About the same as I expected

A bit worse than I expected

Much worse than I expected

I have watched a current guest do this tonight....don't ask why, it's complicated, but tonight we both went through his review procedure on his phone and I had to show him just what these meant

Much better than I expected  = 5 stars

A bit better than I expected  =4 stars

About the same as I expected  =3 stars

A bit worse than I expected  =2 stars

Much worse than I expected  =1 stars.

He was seriously shocked. He is an experineced Airbnb guest, and had absolutely no idea the overall star ratings had been replaced by this bullsh*t....he just could not understand where the overall star ratings had disappeared to!

Huma I have been through this not 4 hours ago....seriously!

Cheers.......Rob

[Huma0]

@Robin4

This is a truly terrible development and I am now expecting my ratings to drop. How could they not?

So now, if you consistently deliver what the guest expected or slightly exceed their expectations (and that could mean you deliver a great deal), you are in danger of being delisted.

Have the folks at Airbnb gone completely off their rockers? Have they not listened to any of the host feedback that the explanation of the star ratings given to guests needs to be consistent with the way that hosts are assessed on those star ratings?

It was bad enough before but this is a massive step in the wrong direction. I was really hoping not to have to start explaining to every guest what the star ratings REALLY mean, but it looks like I'll have no choice.

Fellow hosts, we need to strongly oppose this new change and get Airbnb to reverse it.

[Robin4]

@Huma0

I am sorry to have to tell you that Huma...there has been talk of it here on the forum but I actually witnessed  it first hand tonight! The current guest last night wanted to extend his stay by a day. The system would not let him! It said the next night (tonight) was unavaliable for booking....so in the end I blocked the calendar and did a private deal...I don't like doing that but Airbnb left us no option! The net result of that is today we each got the opportunity to review each other. I sat next to the guest while he went through the entire review process, and Huma, as hosts we need to be worried! Airbnb are encouraging poor guest reviews and overall star ratings! They are saying that an overall 3 is ok....as expected....I have seen it personally.

Cheers........Rob