Unexplainable 4 star review?

[Jess4223]

I'm baffled.  I recently had a guest stay in my house, who has just left me a review.  I'm a bit upset, if I'm honest.  I try not to take things to heart, but I've been an Airbnb host and guest multiple times and always go the extra mile to either make guests feel welcome, or to leave their house spotless.  As a result, I've only ever received 5 star reviews. 

Anyway, this guest just wrote a review with no sign of there being any problems - he said the house was lovely, in a great location.  Yet he marked me 4 star for ALL aspects of the stay, with no explanation on any of them. 

During his stay, there were no issues, check in was simple as possible via my key box, he said everything was great and he had a great stay.  During his stay, my communication was exemplary - I responded to his messages very quickly, I messaged him a few times to check everything was ok / wishing him a lovely stay etc., I specifically told him not to hesitate to contact if he needed anything.  So I'm baffled why my communication was 4 star?  What more could I have done?! 

What I'm most upset about is the 4 star for check-in.   

The guest asked for a very early check-in - from 9am instead of 3pm.  Me being nice, I rearranged my cleaner's day to accommodate the guest.  My cleaner kindly agreed to come in the day before instead of the day of, so that the guest could check in 6 hours early.  In the end he didn't even check in till the evening, but still - I went the extra mile to ensure he had the option.  Check in itself is beyond simple - there's a key box for which he had the code, and therefore the freedom to arrive whenever.

I also got 4 stars for cleanliness, location and value... Equally baffling.  I have a brilliant and lovely cleaner, who had just been through the whole house (maybe she missed something, but the guest did not mention).   And re. vale - for 4/5 guests I think it's about right; it's a very unusual, big and quirky house that's probably near-on half the price of opting for 2 hotel rooms.

I put out numerous treats for my guests - wine, fancy teas in a cute tin for them to keep, free Espresso coffee capsules, nice bathroom products, write little notes, I even give them use of my local family attractions discount membership.  Most people appreciate all the extra touches.  I guess this time not so much - although I just wish I knew why. 

[Huma0]

@Anonymous 

I am still honing this skill. For sure, things have gotten easier since I started becoming much fussier about the guests I accept but also because I make a big point RE the check in being a fixed time that I need to know in advance. Most of the examples I can give of things not going well in regards to this were in my earlier days of hosting, so the interaction with the guest today threw me a bit. I'm not used to it anymore, even though it used to happen all the time. I should maybe stop using the term 'check in' at all. 

However, these days I find that the guests who ask for these things usually do so AFTER I've accepted the booking, i.e. they either tell me one time and then later it turns out to be a totally different time (like this new guest) or when they book the room, they haven't booked their flight yet because it's still a long way off. 

For sure, I am trying to get better at refusing the pushy people. Problem is, some guests appear delightful before you accept the reservation and then only get pushy later.

[Marie8425]

One thing to remember is someone asking for something.

If I ask anyone for a favor like changarro a check in or out time.  If the host just says yes then it is the same to  me as someone is going the supermarket and says yes they will pick up  milk for me.  I appreciate the yes  but  I am not a mindreader that for you the simple yes was really a serious decision.  

If what I am requesting can be  accommodated but requires extra  energy or is a royal pain , I don't know that based on a simple yes.

If a Guest has a request different then what I offer and I feel I  can accommodate Then I will say yes if I  have to  do something special I will just share that with the Guest, so they know and also it gives the Guest the opportunity to maybe not need me to perform extra work  for  something that isn't a  big deal to them.

Sometimes yes the guest doesn't know until later they need special accommodations.  Sometimes though I find guests book my  room  that clearly says check in prior to  7 pm and a week later say they are planning a 10pm arrival.    Guests are not idiots.  My requirements are correctly disclosed, the few times I  have said  yes (not often Haha)  I  have  just had the sense even from a repeat  guest so  aware whyy I  have the rule I gave him the impression that it was a flexible rule not my intent  a firm rule..  Nobody to blame but  me.

If there was items that were  bothersome to you then you should  have the same requirement of yourself you have for a guest.  My  review is my honest review.  Not  I am looking for  complaints because you ranked me lower.   If  unmade beds are discouraged in your listing that  should not  be a negative  I only mention  because you didn't get a 5  star.   The beds were unmade regardless of his review  not  that is only an issue  because of your judgement of what I offered.

[Lenore22]

@Anonymous referring to the beginning of the stay as an "arrival appointment.

^^^brilliant

[Jess4223]

Those are some crazy examples @Huma0 - that’s mad that someone would mark you down for cleanliness when you had done the a favour re the bag drops.  And the hospital appointment one… that’s baffling.  I feel lucky that most of my guests so far have been lovely… sounds like a ticking time bomb though !! 

[Huma0]

@Jess4223 

This couple was quite rude. They didn't see it as a favour at all to drop the bags when they liked. They saw it as their right. I had exactly the same thing happen with another couple that same day, only this time I stood firm and refused to check them in until later. 

You can read the full story here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-can-I-stop-guests-ignoring-the-check-in-time/td-p/30...

That day was so stressful and it is what made me finally decide NO MORE BAG DROPS. It's a shame because guests like these ruin it for the good ones but, unless it's a repeat guest, you just don't know how they are going to behave. Both these couples had explicitly agreed that they were just dropping off their luggage and would need to come back later for check in, but actually they had no intention of doing this. 

I was quite new to hosting at this time and, believe me, I have toughened up a lot since then. If I say something is not possible, that means it is not possible. Full stop.

The girls who complained when I had a hospital appointment were just spoilt brats to be honest. They were quite immature. However, the couple who marked me down for cleanliness were middle aged, so didn't have that excuse.

[Fred13]

@Jess4223Hosting is a business, and in business is best not to take everything too personally. This guest's air and lofty 'high standard' is the trip he is on, he must be a peach at a party. You came into contact with him because he just happened to book your place. He would have probably given 99% of the hosts on this board 4's also, including my place. 

   You have a lovely place and appear to be a pleasure to deal with given your kindness, with those qualities you will do very well, its a mathematical certainty. You will encountered however guests that are hard to figure out, and that's ok because you do not have to, for you should be hosting in parallel to your guests not through them,  after all you are your own entity.

   The last time a guest told me they were 'tough reviewers', I told him - 'So are we'. We did a good job by him, but with nothing extra; he left a good review. That is how 7 years years of doing hosting toughens one up.

[Jess4223]

Thank you @Fred13 for your kind words.  You're spot on about encountering guests that are hard to figure out - I guess everyone is different and some people will be amazing guests; others not as much.  

I like your response to the "tough reviewers"!   I guess at least they let you know beforehand so you knew what to expect! 😄 

[Sudsrung0]

@Jess4223 

I like others on here could give you loads of examples just let it go in one hear and out of the other, if you know you are doing a good job,

I remember one woman saying she never gives 5 star reviews, My husband said to her neither do we. I reckon she got the message.

We had a guy not long ago give us 4 star but then went on to say he would definitely recommend our place,

One guy said if I give him a discount he will give us a good review. 

[Jess4223]

Ahh that's mad - asking for a discount in return for a good review.  I bet you get some right characters after you've been doing this for a while.  Other than my random 4 star review, I've been lucky with my guests so far - I guess it's only a matter of time though..

[Helen3]

Hi @Jess4223 

I agree with others you can't win them all.

One thing that puzzled me is why you don't leave reviews for your guests. Reviews are a two way street and hosts and guests rely on them when making decision on where to stay/who to host.

You could have left an honest review for this guests to warn your fellow hosts about his behaviour ie asking for a check in 6 hours earlier than your earliest check at 9 a.m. and then not  rocking up till the evening with no explanation.

I can't see why you would ask the guests to make up the beds. It's much easier to check them if the guests leave any items that need washing on the bed. 

[Huma0]

@Helen3 

Yes, guests making up beds is just pointless. It's not like we're not going to have to strip and wash and remake the beds anyway. I certainly would not mark a guest down for not doing this.

[Jess4223]

Hi @Helen3  - I always leave reviews for my guests.  I just choose not to be overly nit-picky in my reviews, by mentioning tiny gripes publicly.   The guest wasn't rude when he asked for an early check-in; he asked politely, and I don't believe he thought he was doing anything wrong by turning up later as I offer self check-in via a keybox.  I wouldn't mention in a review that someone requested an early check in- unless they did it in a rude or demanding manner. 

Also, I didn't say that I ask guests to make the beds.  I just find that they choose to.  Again, not a major issue.  I only mentioned it as an example of me choosing not to be pedantic in my reviews (in contrast to the guest I was speaking about). 

[Helen3]

How strange on your profile it shows you haven't left reviews for your guests @Jess4223 

I would mention in a review the guest asked for an early check in and then didn't arrive till the evening because it's behaviour that other hosts would want to know about. As it could seriously inconvenience them .  

I make a point of asking guests NOT to make up beds when they leave as it's inconvenient for my cleaner if they do so, as it takes her extra time to strip the beds and check for stains.  (sorry your reply to me made it sound like you expected the beds to be made up)

[Jess4223]

That is weird - all the reviews I have given show up in a list for me.  I review guests pretty much as soon as they check out, and am usually the first to review. 

Yes I guess I could have mentioned the part about asking for an early check-in and then not turning up until later.  If I'd have been waiting around for them, I would have done; in reality I was out of the country and they self-checked in, so I wasn't aware of their arrival time until I messaged them later that day.

Re. beds - no, definitely not something I would ask them to do.  I don't specify either way.  It just has happened so far that the guests who leave beds tidy are the guests that have been the overall nicest people to deal with.

[Lawrene0]

@Helen3 , AirReview works correctly only on guest profiles. It always says hosts did not leave a review, but when you click through, they have.