Winter Release: New process for reviewing guests

[Huma0]

I know that other hosts have posted a few screenshots or information about the updated procedure for reviewing guests, but I thought I would upload screenshots of the whole process for hosts who have yet to experience it or those who did not view all the options when they left recent reviews.

So, first up is cleanliness. If you select 5 or 4*, the following additional feedback comments appear. As you can see from the 'next' button, selecting these is optional. You can choose to simply leave the star rating and move on.

However, if you select anything from 1-3*, these are the comments that come up and you can see that the comments are no longer optional. You have to select at least one reason.

With house rules, it's basically the same thing, except that the comments are positive/optional for 5*, but anything 1-4* prompts the negative comments, and you have to select one.

With communication, we go back to 4 and 5* being. positive/optional and 1-3* being negative/comment required.

What you will also note, and this I think is VERY important, is that it states on every rating page "Well share this with (name of guest) and other hosts". I took this to mean that Airbnb is now sharing star ratings with guests. However, I then wondered if this means they will share the comments only, or is it the comments AND the star ratings? Does anyone know? Has anyone been reviewed recently as a guest? Can you see the stars?

@Jenny @Quincy @Bhumika @Emilie @Stephanie Is this something you could clarify for us?

[Huma0]

And if you are interested in the new procedure for guests reviewing hosts, @Mariann4 posted this very helpful thread here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Host-Circle/Guest-review-of-host-new-from-Winter-Release-2022/m-...

[Mariann4]

Thank you @Huma0 . Very helpful. It might change, again, before I get to review guests again. But very good to know what to expect 😊

[Bhumika]

Hello @Huma0 ,

Thanks for another useful thread around this particular topic. Guests will receive an email following the review process on the elements they could do better for next time. But, I will need to clarify more about the specific question that you ask. I will get back to you once I receive some information. (P.S. It might take some time to get a reply due to the Christmas break).

We're happy to announce the Month of Celebration!

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[Huma0]

@Bhumika 

Thanks for the swift response. Yes do please let us know when you get clarification as that is very important to know!

[Huma0]

@Bhumika 

Did you get any clarification on this?

[Huma0]

One thing I didn't do (because I planned to leave this guest 5* across the board and didn't want something to go wrong) is click on the 'something else' option under the negative comments. I wonder if that then gives you the option to specify what the something else is. I assume it does... If anyone knows, do update us!

[Kia272]

@Huma0  it does. I was able to type something around 30 characters for my last less-than-wonderful guest, so I specified that he had parked on my front lawn. Just FYI...

[Huma0]

@Kia272 

Thanks for the update. That's good to know!

I can see that these comments do not appear on the guest's profile, so I assume other hosts only see them when the guest sends them a booking request/enquiry or IBs.

[Huma0]

Oh, and also, I should have said with House Rules, if you leave 5* there are no additional comments because 'followed all rules' is then the default.

[Rick4645]

I am not a fan of the new review process. The extra boxes subliminally lead the guests into giving lower review scores than they might otherwise leave.

For example, a guest goes to leave a 5* review for location because they had no issues with the location. It was where it was supposed to be (not a bait and switch) so everything was fine. They check 5*. 

Then the pop ups appear. Walkability, scenery, restaurants close by, or whatever. For some reason AirBNB doesn't make it easy for hosts to see what they're being evaluated on so I don't even know all the stupid little sub-categories. Just another way AirBNB is setting hosts up for failure and lower scores. You know how you want our listings/House Rules to be clear and transparent? Kind of like that. I have G00Gled and searched to find a comprehensive list of categories and sub-categories that hosts are reviewed for and they are no where to be found. Why is that?

The guest sees these pop ups and realizes that none of these apply. They start to second guess the rating they've left.

For example, a rural location is not going to have great restaurants. It's not going to be walkable. It may not have much of a view, if any. When the guest realizes none of these pop-ups apply, it psychologically manipulates the guest's opinion of the location and pushes them to mark it lower than they otherwise would have because it doesn't meet any of the criteria that AirBNB deems important.

If we were talking about how one person was addressing another person instead of a property review, this would be textbook emotional manipulation and gas-lighting.

"Oh you think you're something special?" (Oh, you think your home is in a great location?")
"You work at a fast food restaurant." (Your home isn't convenient to anything.)
"You don't have a real job." (You can't walk to anything)
"You dress like you shop at Goodwill." (Your view is an empty lot across the street)

"You're not as great as you think you are." (This location isn't that great after all.)

And can someone tell me the qualitative difference between "sparkling clean", "immaculate" and "pristine" to justify the difference between a 4* cleanliness rating and a 5*?

@Bhumika ?
@Quincy 

[Huma0]

@Rick4645 

I think you make very valid points and sadly might be right. 

I had read that there would be additional feedback options for both guest and host reviews, but finding out what those actually were was impossible until I either did one or got that information from other hosts. Why is Airbnb not being transparent and just telling us upfront what exactly the changes are? Why do we have to do detective work to find out?

Another host was telling me that she normally gets 5* for location and every other category. Since these changes came into place EVERY guest has marked her down for location. And, it is exactly as you describe. The airbnb (as the listing clearly states) is off the beaten path, so there are no restaurants nearby, it's not 'walkable' to anywhere really, and there are no scenic views from the property, which which is on a farm. 

So, none of the 'reasons' that Airbnb gives the guest for rating a location 5* could apply to her and there is nothing she can do to change that. It does seem deeply unfair.

On the other hand, one could argue that it works both ways, as the pop ups could encourage hosts to leave lower stars for the guests. I tried not to go that route. According to the Airbnb suggestions, I should have left the guest 3* for cleanliness because he did actually case some damage. But, those were minor damages, which he admitted to (accidents happen) and he was clean and tidy overall, so he got 5* from me. 

I fear though that some people may take these prompts more literally...

[Rick4645]

My personal feeling is that hosts, because they are receiving money, may be more forgiving of the minor transgressions of guests. 

On social media, rarely do I see a host complain that a guest left a spoon in the sink as a reason to mark them down for cleanliness. But I am often seeing guests demanding refunds of cleaning fees because they found a hair someplace no sane person would even be looking whilst on vacation.

Then there are the multi-property hosts with managers vs owners. They send out generic 5* reviews of guests without ever hearing about how trashed the place was. They have on-staff cleaners, not unlike a hotel, who get paid a flat rate no matter how disrespectful the guest.

That scenario is never reversed. You're not going to have a corporate entity leave a generic review for a host because we don't host corporations. We host people.

And I personally feel if a guest owns up to something being broken and takes responsibility, they should not be penalized because, as you say, accidents happen. I am of the opinion it is how someone conducts themselves after having said accident that determines my review of them.
It's the ones who try to hide or deny damages that I mark down.

[Huma0]

@Rick4645 

I totally agree. I really appreciate the guests who confess to having an accident and causing some damage and, even more, the ones who then offer to repair/replace/reimburse for that damage, because they, in my experience, are actually the minority.

Accidents happen. Of course they do. It's the dishonestly that drives me nuts.

And yes, these smaller damages are probably par for the course with multi hosts who have a hotel-like league of staff. They are more painful to those of us just hosting in a home that we try to make nice and that is full of our own (sometimes treasured) personal belongings.

Some might say that you shouldn't have those types of belongings in a space you rent out on Airbnb, but actually, for me, it's kind of my USP. People often rent my place because of how it is decorated...

[Gillian166]

@Rick4645  I started a thread a few weeks ago and i need to go back and update it, but here's the location portion from my recent stay as a guest. 

 

 I 100% agree it encourages guests to be nitpicky for no reason.  "bland surroundings" is truly subjective, and so is "not much to do". And to play my favourite tune again: Were any actual working hosts consulted as part of this "upgrade" ?