How to Respond to a Bad Airbnb Guest Review: Tips and Real Examples
It’s every host’s worst nightmare: a bad Airbnb guest review. Whether it’s a guest who left the place trashed or someone who was just generally difficult to deal with, getting negative feedback can be demoralizing and frustrating.
But don’t worry! In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to respond to bad Airbnb reviews, as well as real-life examples of hosts who did it right (and wrong).
Airbnb guests are quick to leave reviews, both good and bad. Bad Airbnb guest reviews can be damaging to your business, but a well-crafted response can help to negate the effect.
It’s important to remember that not all guests are created equal. Some will be more demanding than others, and some will be more reasonable. It’s important to take each review on a case-by-case basis.
Why keeping your guest rating at maximum is essential?
Your Airbnb ranking is based on reviews. The higher your ranking, the more likely you are to show up in Airbnb search results. And the more likely you are to get bookings, which means more money in your pocket.
A high rating on OTA sends a signal to potential guests that you’re a great host. It shows that you’re reliable and that guests can expect a good experience if they stay with you.
For example, this vacation rental has gained a lot of credibility with its high rating of 4.98 out of 5. This builds trust with potential guests. Many people who are looking for a short term rental to rent will see this as one of the top options, as it has such high customer satisfaction ratings.
Quick tips for responding to bad Airbnb guest reviews
There are a few key things to keep in mind about how to respond to bad Airbnb guest reviews:
1. Respond promptly
Show that you’re taking the review seriously and are interested in resolving any issues by replying to reviews as quickly as possible, preferably within 24 hours. To improve your response time you can rely on automated notifications from vacation rentals channel managers like Your.Rentals.
2. Apologize
If the guest had a valid complaint, apologize for the inconvenience. If the complaint is unwarranted, you can still apologize for how the situation made them feel.
3. Take responsibility
Show that you care about your guests and their satisfaction, irrespecutful of who’s right. Acknowledge the reviewer’s concerns, but avoid getting defensive.
4. Offer a solution
If the guest had a valid complaint, offer a solution to make up for it. This will show your commitment to making things right. Provide a brief explanation of what you’re doing to rectify the situation. This could be a discount on their next stay or a credit towards damages.
5. Thank the guest
Even if the review is negative, thank the guest for their feedback. This shows that you value their opinion and want to improve your business.
By following these tips, you can turn a bad Airbnb guest review into a positive experience. You’ll show future guests that you’re a responsible and caring host and that you’re always looking to improve your business.
Real-life examples of how to respond to bad Airbnb guest reviews
You should respond to bad Airbnb guest reviews in a different manner depending on the type of those reviews.
Specific bad Airbnb reviews
People may stress attention on particular worries during their stay, for example:
- no early check-in
- bug in the bedroom
- noise from the street
- the property was not as described in the listing
Good real-life examples to answer specific bad reviews
“The house was dirty and there were bugs everywhere.”
I apologize for the condition of the house when you arrived. We have since rectified the situation and taken measures to prevent it from happening again in the future. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
“We had to wait an hour for someone to let us in.”
I’m sorry for the inconvenience you experienced. We will do our best to make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
“The house was nothing like the pictures.”
I’m sorry that you were disappointed with the house. We will do our best to make sure that our pictures accurately reflect the condition of the house. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Generic negative Airbnb guest reviews
These reviews usually don’t provide any strong argumentation or feedback.
Good real-life examples to answer generic bad reviews
“Not recommended.”
We appreciate the feedback and we are constantly trying to improve our short-term rental and our services. Your reviews help us do that. If you have any specific concerns or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at xxx@email. We would love to hear from you. Thank you for your time and for writing this review.
“I won’t book it again.”
Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy your stay with us. We would love to speak with you further about your experience and see how we can make it right. Please reach out to our Guest Services team at xxx@email.com and we’ll be in touch shortly. Thank you for your time and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future.
“3-star reviews on Airbnb”
We always appreciate feedback – both positive and negative. It helps us to improve our short-term rental and our services and make sure that we are meeting the needs of our guests. If you have any issues with your stay, please let us know via xxx@email so that we can address them as quickly as possible. And if you enjoyed your stay, please give us a 5-star rating. Because Airbnb considers anything below 4.6 a negative review. Thank you for taking the time to write this review.
How to interpret Airbnb star rating
The Airbnb star rating system is very strict. This deserves careful attention.
As Airbnb puts it, a place gets 5 stars if they are:
- Overall excellent
- Cleanliness met our standards
- Accuracy was accurate
- Check-in was easy
- Communication was great
- Location was perfect
- Value was worth it
- Amenities were as promised
To maintain a 5-star rating on Airbnb, hosts are expected to meet a strict standard. If a review is less than 5-stars, it is seen as a sign that there are major problems with the property or host.
According to some observations, the average Airbnb host quality score is 4.7. If an account’s rating falls below 4.6 stars, this is a serious sign to a host. You might loose your Super-host status.
If the average rating falls below 4.2 stars, the account is at risk of being suspended. If the rating drops to 4 stars or less the listing could be permanently (!) removed from Airbnb.
Ratings of 1-5 stars at Airbnb correspond with the following levels:
Airbnb ratings are not equal to Google reviews. It is normal to look at a Google review for a business that has 4.5–4.8 stars and thinks it is a very good rating. However, Airbnb’s ranking algorithm focuses on anything close to perfect.
That said, Airbnb hosts need to put in the effort to convince their guests to leave 5-star ratings. This helps boost the host’s ranking on the site and can lead to more bookings in the future. By providing a great experience for guests, hosts can ensure that they are happy with their stay and will be more likely to leave a positive review.
What can you do when you receive bad Airbnb guest reviews next time
When you receive bad Airbnb guest reviews, it is important to take the time to read them and try to understand what went wrong. Often, some clear red flags can help you avoid similar problems in the future.
In particular, it is important to look out for future guests who are difficult to communicate with, late check-ins, or guests who leave the property in a mess. If you notice any of these warning signs, it might be best to decline their reservation.
However, if you do decide to accept them, make sure to have a clear plan in place for how you will handle any potential issues. And, most importantly, be sure to respond promptly and courteously to any complaints or concerns that they might have.
You mention that you could ‘decline’ a guest’s request. I had a problem when a family trashed the bathroom and it was not fir for the next incoming guests to use. I contacted AirBnB and they served a financial penalty on me for having to cancel the guests stay, despite it was not my fault. They are very strict on this issue, please be aware
Thanks for your feedback Roy. It’s certainly something to consider when publishing with Airbnb.
I had a stay from hell in Spain recently, the host is new from Russia. Did not have the property clean, there were electrical problems and power outtages several times for. hours at a time (with small babie this is was a nightmare), no ac as advertised, one small unit on wall living room and 4 other rooms nothing in a heat wave. The sheets bedding were covered in dried body fluids and hair, smelled very bad. There were pests and seemed a rodent lived in the sofa. The terrace amenity with solarium could not be used as the sole access too it was broken could not with all my might and body weight drag it open, quite danger scared me, host refused to fix. The host said well these never happened before and that’s it (sure with their new listing and I’ve stayed around the world on Airbnb for 11 years w excellent reviews) .Needless to say Airbnb cancelled the month stay, but did not rebook my for a new place and left me homeless. The host wrote me a scathing review on my public profile lying that I did not pay for my week stay, lying I brough in 3 adults next day (never happened I spent days uploading photos and dealing wiairhnb support trying to get out of there), stating I didn’t pay for my electricity and utilities (um all inclusive on Airbnb) lied menting eviction courts police never happened I had prepaid my stay weeks prior to arrival. said I just complain about far fetched whims and ask for refunds etc. Absolutely insane after a stay from hell literally with a nightmare russian host (who lies is the owner is not) who didn’t speak English. Airbnb removed the review said it violated their policy and then this revenge host called them and got them to repost it when it’s full of lies. The trust and safety person she dealt with also reposted it without notification or notice to me (behind my back) and so did not even give me my fair roghtto respond!! Violating Airbnb employees code of ethics and the laws like this. How can you publicly write lies that a guest didnt pay when we prepay to book and enter the property, plus she sent me the reciept Airbnb paid her the prorated days. Not to me too we have signed reciepts by her and took pics and videos all was cleaner when he left thanks than we arrived. Support has given me the run around 2 weeks now keeping it up says host has freedom of speech, what the hell is this nightmare? I have the worst stay made worse by Airbnb an worst nightmare experience. What do you?!
That sounds like a nightmare stay. I can only recommend you to insist with Airbnb and snd them proof of your “hell” stay. To remove the recview from you as guest on airbnb.
Hope you have luck.
MG
They don’t care …whoever lies first lies best
My property is in London. 16 miles from the airport. The guest complained that they can hear plane noises. It is London! You can hear them all over London. As they know how Airbnb works, they gave me in total 2 starts review lying about the rest of the things to get me a very bad review. They didn’t report to me more issues. She gave me 2 starts for the self check in and 2 starts for cleaning when it was spotless. The have ruined my airbnb career. Please could you help me to reply to her review. Thank you.
I had booked a short term stay in Florida. We have been trying to find a rental for a very long time with no luck. Finally we found this place we were so happy.
It was time to pay. I wanted to pay early Air bnb wouldn’t let me. So November 7th came I was 2$ short in my account. I called my bank they said go to a all point or sum atm you can deposit money there. I went to over 30 of them non would let me. Called my bank they put the money in for me. Air bnb took the payment on the 9th of November. I have copies of everything. Then on the 14th of November they sent me a email saying I was cxld for non payment. My host then sent me a message asking if I had cxld I said no.Air bnb made a huge mistake. Called Air bnb. Several times( witch is like pulling teeth because nobody communicates with anyone. You have to go through the whole thing over and over again.Talked to a ambassador so they say. She says it was a computer error I paid in full now a engineering has to fix the cancelation part of the reservation. We’ll here we go again another $2000 taken out of my account on November 15th!!!!!!!!!! That was it!!!!!!! I couldn’t take it anymore I cut them off from my account!!!!!! Thank goodness my host was on my side and helped us as much as they could.
This morning I received a email from Air bnb saying we are having a hard time accessing your account to get $2000.First of all I did NOT give Air bnb permission to take $4000 out of my account for a 3 week stay that only cost $2000 a month!!!!!!!!! Who do these people think they are??!! You can’t call them,nobody knows nothing because they worship their computer. They cannot think for themselves!!!¡! I thought I was in the twilight zone talking to these people. I guess I will have to seek legal counsel.