Change to Instant Booking Parameters

Kevin-and-Tamara0
Level 3
Washington, DC

Change to Instant Booking Parameters

This week, I discovered AirBnB made changes to how reviews/recommendations are linked to guest profiles, which has a significant impact on the guests who are now considered to meet the "previous recommendations" requirement setting.  Now, reviews for guests who booked a group reservation now apply to ALL guests who were included in that reservation.  I've received several instant bookings from guests whose profile show 0 reviews but have linked reviews for someone else's account once you click on their expanded profile.  This is NOT ok!  Just because the primary account holder made sure the reservation went smoothly, house rules were followed, and all their guests conducted themselves properly DOES NOT mean the other guests in that reservation will do the same when booking a reservation of their own.  Not to mention this was a major change to a host-chosen governing parameter made without consulting or notifying the hosts!  It essentially removes a crucial facet of control away from hosts and in the current social environment, that is a scary thing.

Jenna Pool
28 Replies 28

@Huma0  Thank you for your response. 

 

As I've always stated, I only can speak for myself and control my own actions. I was raised to do the right thing. And yes, hosts are taking a chance by accepting guests.

This is why I send detailed information about myself. 

 

I know some guests do not do the same. I still don't think all should be penalized for it. You say you check all the boxes; I respect that because obviously not all hosts do that. So, you have hosts that will deny you even when you're only inquiring about their space.

 

Constructive criticism is always good. And since many of you have responded to me, I see things a lot more clearer now and I don't feel as bad as before. However, it is my hope that many of you will take into consideration my concerns as well as other guests. Besides, this is what makes us better as people, listening to each other.  

 

Thank you for your input!

Qte

@Qte0  We've hosted many Airbnb rookies in our mountain condo and in our homeshare townhouse. When we send them a message the night before about checkout, we always "warn" them that a few hours after checkout they will get a message from Airbnb to leave a review. We say that we'll get that message too to review them. We note "No rush, you have 14 days," say "Welcome to Airbnb!", and then wish them a safe trip home.

Qte0
Level 2
Raleigh, NC

Thank you for the kind response. Unfortunately, all hosts are not welcoming as you are. I will make sure to take your advice moving forward.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Qte0  I'm a home-share host who has a private room/bath listing and share the kitchen with my guests. I've accepted quite a few guests with no reviews, and they've all turned out to be great guests. What I go on is the way a guest communicates with me when they want to book (I don't use Instant Book at all for this reason), so someone like you, who says she sends a friendly, informative message, would lead to an acceptance of the booking.

 

I also see you have written a bit about yourself on your profile page, have uploaded ID, and you have a clear, friendly profile photo. All those things are important to me, and most hosts, especially with a new guest with no reviews because it shows that they understand that they are booking someone's home, not an anonymous hotel room and we have to have some basis for trust.

 

You would be amazed, though, how many new guests have nothing whatsoever on their profile- a grey silouette instead of  profile photo, only a phone number listed, and haven't even bothered to write one sentence about themselves on their profile. And their first message to the host will be something like "Is there a place to park?" No greeting, no introduction, no info about why they are travelling. I can't imagine how they think a host would eagerly accept their booking.

A lot of those guests don't even bother to read thoroughly through the listing info- they just look at the photos and price and hit Book. Then they arrive thinking they were getting a whole house, when it's a room in a host's home, or come with a dog, when it's a no pets listing, or show up 3 hours before or after the check-in window.

 

The thing about a guest using IB is that because IB hosts don't have an opportunity to communicate with guests before they book, in order to protect themselves from partiers and otherwise undesirable guests, they use settings like the guest has to have good reviews, recommended by other hosts. If you look for listings which require you to send a Booking Request, you may find that you are more readily accepted, because non-IB hosts are accustomed to messaging with guests before accepting the booking and using their own judgement as far as picking up on "red flags". And if we've been hosting for awhile, we have a pretty honed sense of whether this will be a good guest or not.

 

A word about reviews, since you're new to this- Airbnb leads guests to believe one thing when they go to write a review, but then turns around and applies ratings harshly to hosts. For instance, they tell that guests that 4*s means "Good". Nothing wrong with good, right?  But when hosts get consistent 4* ratings, they get messages from Airbnb about how they need to pull up their socks. A 4.7 average on the "overall" (which is separate rating, not an average of the individual ratings) rating is what is considered the target for hosts and Superhosts will lose that status if they fall below 4.8. 

 

A 5* rating on Airbnb doesn't mean it's the Ritz- it means it was as advertised, it was clean, you were comfortable, and the host was responsive and nice. So try to be generous with your ratings (of course, if the place was a dump, or the host was rude, they don't deserve 5*s) . When it comes to the written part of the review, that, to me, is really where to describe your stay and let other guests know what to expect- the star ratings are so subjective, that what might be a 5* location to you, because you're a outdoorsy type who likes to walk, may be a 3* for someone who is used to driving everywhere and was fussed that it was a 10 minute walk to the grocery store.

 

And if there's some little thing that you think the host needs to be aware of in an otherwise good stay and good host, it's sometimes nice to not mention in the public review, but in the private part that you can fill out. I was very grateful to a guest I had, who pointed out privately that there was a lot of cat hair on the outside chair cushions, rather than in the public review. That cat was a stray who had decided she lived here and had only been coming around for a few weeks (I was still in denial that I now had a cat, as I'm not a cat person)- I hadn't even noticed the cat hair, but I thanked her for letting me know and now I always make sure to vacuum those cushions regularly.

 

All hosts started out with no reviews, so I feel it's only fair to be open to guests who are new, with no reviews. We all have to start somewhere.

Good morning, @Sarah977  , and thank you for your reply!

 

Thank you for accepting guests w/o reviews. Like you  said, we have to start somewhere, and that is so true. Yes, I always send an informative message about myself . The sad thing is that regardless of how informative my profile looks, I still get ignored a lot because of no reviews. And instead of a host keeping it real, they literally send me an email about my name or finally reviews. In a situation like this, it easily turns into discrimination if one doesn't just want to say that they don't  (and other guests) want to accept a guest because of no views. However, it is only fair for guests to do their part and have a more informal profile and picture, and read the host(s) House rules and bio; I know I do. 

 

Why do I have only one review? That's simple, I don't go anywhere because I work two jobs and just finished raising a kid. Now that my son is out of the house, I've decided to travel more. My stay from last year was totally unexpected because I had death in the family, and I (my brother and wife too) decided to book an Airbnb for the first time. I didn't think to leave a review because my mind was elsewhere but more importantly,  I didn't know that we had too or the importance of them. However, I made sure that the host house was cleaned and  emptied the trash before I left. If one isn't use to or know about writing a review, we shouldn't be penalized for that. However, I don't blame that on the host, I know that pressure comes from the top up.

 

On the flip side of IB, it does give the opportunity for guests w/o reviews to book and not feel like an outcast or excluded; in which, at times leads to discrimination. That's only if it's done right on both sides. I will continue to make sure that I do my part and remain an open book to any host that I request a stay from. 

 

I guess I'm just a down to earth (but straightforward) and respectful person. Some things are not meant for reviews. One example would be the one about what happened about the cat; that was something that I would have told you privately too.

Some guests have told me that if they don't leave a review it's because their stay was just terrible. I could see myself doing that because that way, I don't leave you a negative review and life goes on. If I can't work it out with my host privately, I wouldn't leave them a review. 

 

 

@Qte0  Well, if you had a host who was unresponsive or defensive when you pointed out that something wasn't working, or was rude, or the place was dirty, you should definitely leave a review to warn other guests. Both hosts and guests tend to think of reviews as positive or negative and some just can't bring themselves to leave a negative review. But that helps no one. We have to think of reviews (the written part) as honest, not + or-.  

 

You seem like the kind of person who could write a review which is fair and honest- mentioning the positive, along with the things that could use improvement, if that's the case. Written reviews are the only way that guests are advised what to expect, and hosts are advised whether a guest is recommended or not. And there are some hosts and guests who really should be banned from the platform-but that will never happen if people never leave reviews unless they are 100% positive.

 

One thing you can do when looking for a place to book is to cross-reference reviews and see if the host usually leaves reviews for guests and what kind of reviews they leave. When you read a host's reviews, click on the profile pic of the guest who reviewed them. That takes you to the guest profile. You can then see if the host left a review for that guest. There is a host on this forum who also travels a lot as a guest. He says he never books with a host who's a serial non-reviewer.

Qte my dear, you sound like a lovely guest indeed, in the alternative universe where covid never ran rampant, I'd have loved baking you scones for breakfast. One of the things I miss about hosting is writing reviews for charming guests. (I confess I'm mad curious about what happened with the cat)

I would be happy to host you @Qte0 reviews or no reviews. Look me up if you ever come to Maine!

Please send me your information! I will definitely come to Maine!

Please send me your information. I've always wanted to visit Maine and try their lobsters. My dad was a commercial fishermen for over 30 years. 

 

@Sally221 The cat was my response to another host.

 

You are amazing!

Cormac0
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Kevin-and-Tamara0 

 

Airbnb have create this complete mess, If Airbnb would honor any damages done by their complete lack of guest scrutiny, that would be half the battle.

 

But Airbnb want it all there own way, they want to put completely unknown entities into our properties and then they do not want to cover any damages done, except in the case of very high earners or extremely persistent Hosts.

 

What I can't understand is why they won't cover any damages since we led to believe it such a rare occurrence unless of course there afraid of moral hazard, where host would make up false or exaggerated claims!

 

Hosts are just cannon fodder, get used to it.

Sammy35
Level 10
Pittsburgh, PA