Thanks for the tips.

It should work BOTH WAYS.

No instant book unless the host and guest are BOTH satisfied.

As AIRBNB says.. hosting is based on REATIONSHIPS"

This isn't about never being able to stay again, its just forcing communication by eliminatig the IB option.

Karen & Jeff in sunny Arizona

I think a this host is not right for me/this guest is not right for me would be more valuable.

Some guests regularly rate sort of low.  I had a guest who absolutely LOVED my place AND refered her friends to my place, who also booked but I recieved 4 stars because that was sort of her top mark.  It would be good for hosts to see how a guest reviews hosts or to not allow instant book on guests who review below a certain point or don't give reviews at all. I would leave this to the hosts to decide through software.

I use ride sharing around town and they give you a warning after giving a 3 star that you will never be paired with that driver again.  Knowing ahead of time helps me solidify if I genuinely don't want to have access to that driver again.  I had a driver who I didn't rate because I didn't want to give a low review.  I got that driver again and the second time I gave the 3 star and was torn about it as he was a fine driver for some people but not for me.  In some ways it is unfair to give him a 3 in order to get him to not pick me up again because he just wasn't the right driver for me.

If airbnb has the software programers for it it would be good for guests to be able to search on each criterion and to mark which ones they don't care about at all and which are the absolute must haves.  For myself as a host, I would like to know if the guest only leaves negative or no review.

Totally agree

I agree.  The guests that give bad ratings should not be given the opportunity to book again.  We have decided to reject any booking from previous guests who claim to have been unsatified on a previous visit.  It would be a big improvement if Airbnb had a policy for this situation.  It would help since many of the low ratings are not valid.

I agree,

If the guest gives the host a 3 star rating, instant booking shoyuld be blocked.  A guest should realize that a 3 star rating means "I don't want to come back, at least not at the current price. " Maybe the rating guide should state that 3 stars means "very unlikely to return unless changes are made" or some such.

Karen & Jeff

great questions

@Branka-and-Silvia0  I wouldn't take the booking from a guests who gave me less then 4 stars and wanted to come back.    Even if they used IB, they would not be allowed to stay.  My House, My Rules.  Its that simple.  

I am not sure why so many hosts think they have to hosts a bad guests again....its very odd to me that I keep reading this that hosts are accepting bookings from their former guests that weren't considered a good guests.  No money in the world is worth my stress level.  Just means one less going-to-eat dinner.  🙂

@Momi0, there are several aspects to hosting guests again, who were not smitten by my place or me the first time.
One is acknowledging that the world is vast and there are people of all kind in it. Even if an event may be less than Great, it contrasts the others. Total harmony of an uninterrupted flow of guests arriving at 10 pm, greeting politely, going to bed and checking out whilst I'm still asleep, leaving the room as if nobody was there, may seem ideal, but it is not, it would be so boring, that I would not wash sheets for that. It would reduce me to an anonymous chamber maid.
A grouchy guest, who complains about aspects of the place, gives another view on it, which may give me ideas to change it.
In a way it's also funny to meet grouchy people a second time, see if they are still as stressed or unhappy.
The most satisfying is, if mutual respect grows over time - I had a guest going from 3 stars with a bit of grumbling in the feedback to 4 stars and then to 5 and "my favourite airbnb in town"
Another aspect is, that the guest is a known quantity, which is still less tiring than a new stay. You can just check them in or even let them self check in and leave them to grumble on the phone to someone else. If you do not care about a superhost status, it's not a problem.
Sometimes they recommend the place to friends nevertheless and you get better guests by it.

Hosts are very different, if I see a bad review, I crosscheck both host and guests. Your ideal guest may be someone's nightmare.

Last not least, we put an offer in the public space. It seems disrespectful to me, not to host someone again, who did not do damage. It would mean to say, like you do in your slogan "My house, My rules", that there is only one way and the other person 's ideas or opinions count for nothing.

I would not host a person again, that does damage and not pay for it, that leaves a mean review or private feedback, especially whilst being friendly to my face or attacking me personally (not that those would book again 😉 ).
But minor infractions or minor grumbling, like four stars? In what kind of business could you ever expect all clients not to complain ever? A morgue? A robot repair shop?

Helga I love this attitude of yours... Thank you for sharing your insight.

Happy Hosting!

Tina

AirBNB seems to be VERY strict about always providing a room if IB is used.

I tried to cancel a reservation in September within minutes of the IB.  You see, we had promised my place to a blind lady and her husband for her 50th birthday.

I couldn't block the dates because the app asn't working on my phone and AirBNB didn't know how to fix it.

Ever since that day,  when I cancelled, I get  notices from AirBNB that  canceling another guest will mean I am kicked out of AirBNB.

Karen & Jeff

Hello @Alice-and-Jeff0,

Great suggestion, I'm afraid it isn't possible for me to add anything to the 'Top' section as this shows based on an automatic criteria, however I have added it to the 'Featured' box on the homepage. I hope this is ok. 🙂