The reviews system is being updated

Jenny
Community Manager
Community Manager
Galashiels, United Kingdom

The reviews system is being updated

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Hosting connects you to strangers from around the world that you’d likely never cross paths with if you weren’t a Host on Airbnb. Reviews are an essential part and natural conclusion to each stay – whether a Host rates a guest or a guest rates the experience they had during their stay, reviews are displayed publicly for everyone to see. With that being said, sometimes reviews left by guests may feel unfair. You’ve told us that you’re frustrated with the current reviews system, so we’re updating the way reviews work as a result of your requests.

 

Feel more comfortable hosting guests without worrying about the possibility of receiving a retaliatory review or not having enough info about potential guests with the following upgrades:

 

  • Learn how you can dispute retaliatory reviews under our updated reviews policy.
  • Flag reviews from guests who commit a serious policy violation or violate your house rules.
  • Read specific details left about guests by other Hosts—and leave these details when any guest stays with you. 

 

Early next year, we’re also introducing a chatbot to make it easier for you to initiate a review dispute—without having to contact Community Support.

 

The same process applies to the reviews guests leave for you. Guests will still choose one to five stars for their overall stay. They can now also add a star rating—and specify what went well or could have gone better—in several categories. Only your overall star rating is factored into Superhost criteria, so your star ratings and feedback in specific categories won’t impact your Superhost status. 


Read more about it on the Resource Center.

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137 Replies 137

@Bubba-Lee0..Hello...I've been complaining about location as a star rating for yrs.  I'm sorry I wasn't located where you thought, but keep in mind, I can NOT pick the building up and move it closer.  Not sure what's worse, stupid people or ABnB.

 

Everything in your comment is spot on.

Jo614
Level 2
Cork, Ireland

Unfortunately one of my listings was deleted by Airbnb due to a complaint by someone who isn't even an Airbnb member (a family friend booked the accommodation for them, and they complained to her). How crazy is that? And repeated requests for Airbnb to review the deletion have met with silence. Not a discussion of the facts and a justification for the deletion, just silence. No answer. Nothing.
As a result I have suspended my other listings on Airbnb and am actively investigating other platforms.
Airbnb is far too guest-centric. Hosts are the finite resource that Airbnb needs to court. It is already being overloaded with "professional" landlords with cookie-cutter city centre apartments who are just hoteliers in disguise. The individual host with their unique cabin, barn, spare room etc that formed the basis for the genesis of Airbnb is being driven out by unreasonable demands and an appalling attitude to customer (host) relations. If a problem arises despite your best efforts to solve it, look out! You can expect no help from Airbnb.
There are a growing number of alternatives to Airbnb.

@Jo614 

 

Good post I think you are right about that, 

 

STR Industry needs a reboot, more host like me hahah,

Like every other host here and on Social Media, I must add my $0.02 worth to say that what you try to sugar-coat and call "optional extras" will not be viewed that way by guests. They should be more accurately referred to as "defining criteria" for each main category because guests will use those criteria to determine how many stars to assign.  Guests will believe for each box they cannot check, they should deduct a star. And as those defining criteria are in many cases unachievable, i.e. "pristine" and "spotless", there are going to be a lot of really angry hosts not getting 5* for cleanliness because of these absurd sub-categories.

Out of curiosity, why are there no extreme sub-categories for guests?  Such as,
>"Left home in pristine condition".
>"Exemplary grammar in their communication".
>"Showed appreciation and left a lovely host gift".
>"Delightful conversationalist".

The guest categories are a yes or no. Did they follow House Rules? Yes or no. Why not, "They followed them perfectly!"

This new update continues to show that AirBNB is very critical of hosts and very lenient towards guests.





@JoandJoe0 wrote:

 
>"Exemplary grammar in their communication".

>"Delightful conversationalist".


@JoandJoe0  😂 you cracked me up with that.   

 

 

 

Terrill0
Level 6
Dresden, ME

I’m super happy I booked a stay with Airbnb for this weekend because I cannot wait to see how this new review looks from the guests perspective…

@Terrill0  please take screenshots. 

and I'm travelling across the country in a few weeks, we could stay in sydney with friends but i'm opting for an airbnb so I too can see this new guest review system. 

From my most recent guest’s reviews it looks complicated 😂

Hi Gillian, my big take- away from the new process is that hosts can leave very specific information if they had issues with a guest. My recent guest clearly didn't read the listing, told me he couldn't see the photos (meant to inform him)?! and asked me and my host partner 4 times for the same tip information (also mentioned multiple times in the listing). I was VERY nervous about his stay. They checked in after mid-night...And reached out with issues after 9pm. They weren't BAD they were just Annoying!!! I was able to leave specifics about this in his review so that other hosts get a heads up. Right after hosting that guy I stayed with and Airbnb host and the went through the review process very slowly and carefully. As a guest you are given the chance to explain if something went VERY wrong or: was just a bummer OR if the place just wasn't a deal. Accuracy also gives the guest a chance to say specifically if there are amenities that not actually provided or unexpected charges... Once my host reviewed me I could see his additional comments about me...and now they no longer appear in my reviews, just the star rating.

@Jenny  @Catherine-Powell 

Just thought I'd pass along how this new review system is negatively impacting hosts and how guests are NOT using the "optional extras" as bonus points, but rather as defining criteria for awarding fewer stars. 


On Facebook today a 4.99* host just received a 4* review.

First, the guest marked the host down for Accuracy because the listing photos taken in June (summer) were "too nice" and didn't match what the home looked like in November (winter). Stars taken off because the guest didn't feel he could check off "Photos are accurate" because it wasn't as sunny in winter time. 

>>Without the prompting of those "Optional extras" aka "defining criteria", it would never have occurred to the guest to mark the host down for the photos looking different due to seasonal changes.<<


The guest then gave a 3* review for location because there are no sidewalks and the cars drive fast on the roads so the area is not walkable. So the host was marked down because the guest couldn't check "walkability" as a "defining criteria". 
Again...

>>It never would have occurred to this guest to even think about "walkability" or sidewalks (which are 100% beyond a Host's control) if you people hadn't put this  idea in the guest's head. <<  
I personally would fight this review for "conditions beyond my control".

The guest also marked this host down for Value for "bland scenery". In winter. In the woods. You can't make this ** up. **

>>Have I mentioned that had someone ** not come up with these "optional extras" the guest would never have thought that winter seasons = bland scenery?<<

**. They are absolutely oblivious to reality in Hosting. These optional extras need to go away. Now.

Now you have an actual example of what we have been saying since you first mentioned the new system. I'm sure there will be many more bad reviews because you've tainted the guest's opinion.  Do you people FINALLY understand what we hosts are fearing?
Is anyone paying attention? This new review system is an EPIC FAIL.


Fix it.

 

** [Inappropriate content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

Emilie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

@JoandJoe0 Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns about the reviews system. I will pass everything you have mentioned to the wider Airbnb team to take into consideration when making future product changes.

 

Your feedback is always important to us as it shapes the updates made to the Hosting experience. 🙏

 

Emilie

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Merci de jeter un oeil aux Principes du Community Center/ Please follow the Community Guidelines

Please, it is important that hosts' opinions and comments are passed on to the teams at AirBnb. While JoandJoe0 may not be the most diplomatic commentator here, I can assure you this person is speaking for numerous other hosts.

 

Personally, I don't think these recent decisions and changes to AirBnb policies are even remotely in support of or favor hosts, rather significantly skewed towards guests. At some point, AirBnb needs to ask themselves who is supporting the concept on which the company was founded? That would be good and responsible hosts, who opened their homes up to travelers and now must deal with decision after decision that is impacting their safety, earning potential and reputations.

We've argued the same points 9 years ago. Airbnb fixed their wording how they word the questions. But that was in those ancient times when the host's opinions were acknowledged and the issues resolved in the matter of days (vs. the communication threads closed in 24h, so those so called "specialists" with no competence other then answering your call and advising you to provide the feedback).

So why are we going in circles, solving what has been solved?

Possibly because in last  2 years we have seen tones of changes that are doing nothing but hurting the community. And yes, we have been reporting, BUT NO ONE IS LISTENING. So why reporting? You guys here do nor provide any feedback on what HAS BEEN DONE neither. Is that how anyone expect improvements? Lets stop being naive.

Wende2
Level 10
Church Creek, MD

@Jenny @Emilie   Hello.....why is it every time there's a supposed update for the host, the next paragraph is always better for the guest.  It really is insulting.

 

I've been complaining about location being horrible as a star rating.  We're getting dinged for not being close to where the guest wanted to visit.  For some reason, they can't think for themselves to put my address and where they plan to go, or the intended event address in maps.  Yrs ago I received 3* from a guest that thought I was located near his golf tournament, a 2 hr around trip drive, he's fault not mine, but guest who lost the 5* rating.

 

And don't get me started on the "summer release", since June I've had 20 bookings to date, and a loss of over $4,000, may not be much to some, but for me it's a hardship.  They keep adding categories, but I don't see Nature Lover as one, which would describe my listing to a T.  Now I see your commercials are guiding people to...spectacular pools & OMG!...isn't that wonderful, guess us everyday nice places don't make the cut.        

Jenny
Community Manager
Community Manager
Galashiels, United Kingdom

Hi @Wende2 

 

Thanks for your feedback - I've made sure to note it for the relevant team to review.

 

We appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

Jenny

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