An Airbnb Hosts’ Guide to Writing Reviews
Airbnb is a community based on trust – trust that goes both ways. Guests want to know that their potential Airbnb hosts are accommodating and that their chosen vacation rental meets their expectations; and hosts want to ensure that guests are respectful of their property and the rules they establish. Both sides are also concerned about fair payment and cancellation policies.
Airbnb is also invested in their hosts being successful and their guests being satisfied, because that is what keeps the wheels of their business turning. This is where the Airbnb review system comes in. Reviews of both hosts and guests establish credibility and create a sense of ease for people making decisions that involve trusting complete strangers in committing to an Airbnb rental.
‘It’s no exaggeration to say that reviews are the glue that keep the sharing economy together, instilling a potentially chaotic or unpredictable process with a sense of humanity and order.”
– Seth Porges, Forbes Contributor
Airbnb’s Rules For Reviewing
To maintain the integrity of the review system and keep people honest, Airbnb only allows reviews to be posted either 14 days after a check-out is complete (the time limit to leave or edit a review), or once both parties have submitted – whichever comes first. This prevents either side from writing their review based on the other’s comments.
If you submit your review before your guests, you’ll be given a 48-hour window of editing leeway to make any last minute changes. After publishing, you will have a two-week period to reply to your review, which can range from simple acknowledgment, to a ‘thank you’, to an explanation or apology for any issues that were brought up. Keep in mind, everything written–both reviews and replies–must comply with the stringent, yet minimal, Airbnb review guidelines.
Reviewing Your Guests
Writing reviews for your guests can have many benefits. First of all, you contribute to the community by helping other hosts make important decisions about accepting unknown guests to book their Airbnb listings. Secondly, when you have positive feedback to give, you create a good rapport with the guests which can not only inspire a reciprocal positive review but also encourage repeat visits. Lastly, writing a review for a guest serves as a good reminder for them to return the favor, which can help your own host ratings improve and thus, lead to more bookings (cha-ching!).
Remember, the Airbnb review system is meant to be helpful for hosts to make a decision in choosing trustworthy guests, and it’s likely those potential guests have chosen their host based on the review archive, as well. So when you sit down to write your guest reviews, make sure they add value and are both informative and transparent.
The Importance of Writing Guest Reviews
Writing guest reviews isn’t just a means to build your reputation as a host but also a way to strengthen the network of the Airbnb community – both between hosts and between hosts and their guests. Consider the fact that fellow hosts may use your submitted review to determine whether or not they want to open their own homes to the guests in question. How can you help them make that decision? Is there anything in particular about the guest that you find important for other hosts to know?
A Quick Guide To Writing Airbnb Reviews
As an Airbnb host, you understand firsthand how important guest reviews are in your decision-making process. It’s likely that reviews are what led you to that guest in the first place. If you were pleased with your guests, make it known that they come recommended and reassure future hosts that they are a good choice.
Remember that it’s most important to be honest and clear. You have 1,000 words or less to describe the experience and impression the guests left on you. For some ideas, feel free to take a look at what other hosts have written to use as your inspiration. While you should, of course, avoid copying past reviews, it can be helpful to refer to past reviews as a guideline of important items to include.
If you’re not sure what to write, start by deciding if you would recommend the guest to other hosts. Would you want to have them back at your property? You definitely don’t want to write a negative review unless it is a guest you would reject in the future. If you are going to write a complaint, make sure you have evidence or examples to back it up.
Don’t forget to include the entire Airbnb experience. There’s more to the Airbnb process than the home sharing itself. How was guest communication before they arrived? Did your guests leave the place as they found it? Were they respectful and courteous or demanding and difficult?
Feel free to also throw some stars into the mix. Words are best for communicating the specifics of the experience, but symbols can be telling and often capture attention more quickly.
We Can Help
As you can see, the equation for a well-rounded Airbnb review can be complex. But you don’t have to carry the whole burden of the review process on your shoulders alone – Guesty For Hosts can handle this and all the other time-consuming aspects of being an Airbnb host for you. Regardless of whether you decide to jump on the Guesty For Hosts bandwagon right now, here are a few review templates that may help you to get started.
For Inspiration: A Few Airbnb Review Templates
•”It was my pleasure hosting [Guest]. She respected my house rules, communication ran smoothly, and most importantly, she was super friendly! I highly recommend her as a guest and would gladly host her again.”
•”[Guest] was a great guest! I’d be glad to host him again anytime. He took great care of my place, left it clean and tidy, and was a pleasure to speak with. Highly recommended!”
•”I loved having [Guests]! They were great about correspondence, they treated my place like their own, and most importantly, they are such warm people. Smooth sailing from the get-go. I hope to have the opportunity to host them again and any host would be lucky to have them!”
Maintain the Sharing Ecosystem
Think about the Airbnb review system as a pay-it-forward opportunity. Maintain the bubble of trust in the community by contributing to other hosts’ experiences and helping them to feel safe sharing according to their respective preferences. Just as you put your trust in past reviews, other users depend on the ones you leave. So do your part and write a solid, transparent review and help the sharing economy thrive.
If you are interested in seeing how Guesty For Hosts can automate this process for you, try it free for 14 days! Begin your free trial today!