The coded language of a review

[Laura2592]

I struggle with reviews. I try to be as honest as possible without being unkind. I have noticed that there are a lot of 5 stars out there for guests I would not have given 5 stars to. Digging deeper, there seems to be some common themes and coded language to warn other hosts that there might be issues belying the 5 stars. No one wants to come right out and say that this person was painful to deal with.

For example a recent guest emailed me 20 times or more per day of his stay with questions about very pedantic things. The sink made a gurgling noise. A light bulb in a decorative lamp went out. One remote only has one battery. He counted the light switches and can't figure out what one does. We addressed all of these concerns but it didn't stop until my husband took over communication. He responded immediately to that and the masses of emails halted. On his reviews this guest is described as "extremely communicative." When I write mine, I  would like to add that he "responded well to my husband" and that he may do better with an onsite host (we aren't.) 

Another guest had expectations for kitchenware we could not meet. He let us know our brand new Amazon delivered set was no match for what he expected. His reviews when I looked (too late, he was an early guest and I was still learning) said things like "this guest has a very high standard" and "this guest described himself as a chef and enjoys a restaurant style kitchen." Likewise one guest was very upset we didn't provide a lemon zester in our normal kitchenware (we had to go get one, she was having a literal melt down.)  Nothing in her reviews addressed that specifically but did say "XX has some quirks about what she needs during her stay. Best to communicate with her beforehand."

Another couple booked our place and brought in other overnight guests without paying. She sent us pics of the families standing on our porch. Her ratings from other hosts (all in our area) said things like "this guest likes to visit with family in the area." Or "so and so visited our place to be closer to her family in the area." I would have appreciated a "so and so had her family stay with her." It was obvious when we sent her the charges afterwards for the number of guests that she had done this before.

What have you said about guests in reviews that you meant as a warning to other hosts? Have you come right out with it or somewhat coded your responses?

[Flavia195]

@Sarah977 it is partially true until you have to deal with drug dealers... 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Yes, I'd like to see less coding as well. Some coding I think hosts just assume other hosts will understand, but that's not necessarily true. "High maintenance" I can understand, "extremely communicative" could mean any number of things.

And like @Emily487 I also dislike "Better suited to hotel". Hotels wouldn't put up with all manner of BS that Airbnb hosts do. Someone here suggested "Better suited to a barn", which I quite liked, for piggy guests 🙂 I think we'd all "get" that.

I think that most guests one can find something positive about- did they leave the place clean? Did they have a great sense of humor? Did they communicate their arrival time and let you know if they were going to be late? Were they polite and appreciative? Nothing wrong with a balance of positive and negative, if that was the case, and if it was pretty much all negative, I'd definitely like to know that in a non-couched fashion. There are some guests who would be fine in an entire space listing, but not suited for home-shares, so that also needs to be made clear in reviews.

[Stephanie365]

LOL, not always. The guest who set my kitchen on fire then lied about it? The same guest whose father should not have been driving at all and wrecked into one of my Crepe Myrtle trees and got stuck in the mud? Then used my AirBNB sign to put under his tires for traction? Ha! No. 

My review of him started out, "As hosts, we understand accidents happen. It is how they are handled that separates the great guests from the nightmares. Scott and his party definitely falls in the 'nightmare' category..."

My current guest is getting the analogy in her less than stellar review of "Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?"

"Aside from leaving trash and half-eaten food throughout the suite, leaving every light in the house on all night long and not turning them off before leaving and concluding with not locking my house, Sharon left the place OK".  Meaning she didn't destroy anything, but I still don't want her back.

[Sudsrung0]

I get that code "better suited to a hotel" I dont post that I tell it as it is if I need help I ask my husband who is English and does not mince his words, 

Only yesterday 2 guest got what they deserved in the review, "Which idiots put Dark blue towels in the washer with White towels"? and more besides 

[Paul154]

I like "Better suited to a hotel".

It is the worst thing an airbnb host can say and guarantee it will not be taken down by Airbnb.

"Better suited to a hotel" means: guest was demanding, guest was sloppy, or guest was undesirable.

This recommendation is not coded.

We are Airbnb hosts, we are not a hotel. Therefore "best suited for a hotel" means that they are not appropriate for Airbnb.

[Linda108]

I agree with you, Paul.  I often think that good people do not have a clue about appropriate behavior in the shared living economy.  The hotel reference for me, is actually used when I do not want to "punish" a really bad guest, but to alert hosts to aspects of behavior that might be problematic for the host.

[Mark116]

I view 'better suited to a hotel' as meaning 'this person doesn't belong on the platform' so while it is coded, that is all I or anyone else needs to know..the host thinks this person is a poor fit for a short term rental situation and needs to be in a hotel for whatever reasons.

Hosts would probably be more direct if there wasn't the ever present threat of having the review somehow construed as against TOS, either as abusive, too personal or discriminatory, and then this will boomerang on the host rather than the guest.

[Kevin1322]

Mrs kev replied to one concluding "welcome to Airbnb" hopefully other hosts will grasp this as "new to the platform, doesn't know the ropes, thinks 3 stars is average/as expected, guest needs re-educating or exterminating"

[Helen350]

@Kevin1322 Made me chuckle, I understand the sentiments, but she's being Waaaaaay too subtle! I would not have read between THESE lines! (Good game, tho' isn't it?!) - Your profile doesn't give your location... but I just KNEW you had to be British! - Gorgeous little room, & dining area, & perfect painted white & blue - ness for the Cornish coast! I like!

[Kevin1322]

@Helen350 thanks!  we bought the hose virtually derelict a year ago today, downsizing from a big place in town,  and we've done everything in our spare time on a very tight budget indeed, it's really kind that other hosts and guests like what we have done.  Including the furniture, TV,  beds, furniture, flooring and decorating that whole room and everything in it came in at under £500.  So far guests really seem to love it. 

We originally intended to let to bikers (as we have a garage) but almost all our guests have been walkers on the South West Coast Path.

The floors downstairs aren't wood, they are R12 rated anti slip porcelain  tiles, as we re-home greyhounds and have three of our own, one of which only has three legs so can't c ope with slippery floors, but I never want to see another tile ever in my life after laying 35m of tiles over two weekends on my hands and knees in a house full of furniture and dogs. 

It's been a gruelling twelve months but we have had a marvellous September bookings-wise.

It really helps us make ends meet, but we are meeting some lovely people.

we used to host foreign exchange students when we first married in the early 90s, and really enjoyed it. Now our kids have left home we are really enjoying having some younger guests too.

I'm kicking myself that we never did Airbnb when we had a big house and three spare bedrooms in Penzance 😕

[Susan1028]

😆

[Sarah977]

@Kevin1322  No, "Welcome to Airbnb" would not make me even slightly conclude that the guest was undesireable. Pass that on to Mrs. Kev 🙂

[Kevin1322]

will do.  

I have to say that so far, as fairly new host on Airbnb, all of our guests have been a 100 percent delight, effortless and undemanding.  I've been disappointed, but not surprised, that only one failed to notice that we have family pets in the listing, and also expressed surprise at finding dogs in the house, and marked us down severely on cleanliness because there were dogs here, whilst everyone else gave us a 5 star spotless.

Some people (and cultures/faiths) really don't like dogs, or find there presence "unclean" which we try to respect by making it as clear as we can in the listing that we have three greyhounds.  

Personally if I was a person who didn't like dogs, or of a faith/persuasion that saws them as "unclean" I'd have taken a moment to read the listing, and booked somewhere else.

However the gentleman in question was still a lovely guest and highly recommendable to other hosts. He was polite, friendly, very nice, we liked him and he was a good guest. 😕

[Helen350]

@Kevin1322 Annoying, isn't it? When folk don't read & dis our dogs! My dog mentions in my listing have expanded over the 2 & 1/2 years..... as another one frowns at his welcome in the doorway. (Most love him & are dog people.) Perhaps you need a photo in the 5 that appear at the top of your listing - of the FIVE of you?!

[Kevin1322]

yes, good point. I'll re-arrange the photos a bit and get the dogs in the main five when I get a pic of them all awake at the same time, that might be a really good idea. Thanks for the pointer …. that wan't an attempt at a pun 😉