Air Bnb How to Get Rid of Bad Reviews

April 18, 2022 Post a Comment

Near to Get a Bad Review? Here's What Yous Need to Do.

August 6, 2020
Avant-garde guides, STR Life

By Rowan Clifford

Author of Airbn'b'Smart and Hospitable user

Have yous always had ane of those guests that just keep nit-picking at everything?

Yous know the ones, they scrutinize every little particular of your place from superlative to bottom, and nothing y'all can practise is e'er enough.

If yous answered yes, and then yous're not alone.

These are the types of guests that'll become out of their fashion to leave you lot a bad review; in fact, they'll probably relish the opportunity.

But, does that mean you lot've just got to suck it upwards and take it on the chin?

Or, is at that place something yous can exercise well-nigh it?

Well, in truth, it's a lilliputian from column A and a lilliputian from cavalcade B.

Unfortunately, in that location'southward no foolproof fashion to avoid bad Airbnb reviews, but at that place is a way to mitigate the damage (more on that in a minute).

In this article, I'g going to give you a few tips and tricks for neutralizing potential bad Airbnb guest reviews to keep your reputation intact.

Setting the scene

A booking comes through, and the questions outset immediately:

"Can I cheque-in early?"
"Tin I take a tardily check-out?"
"Where can I park my car?"
"Tin I leave my luggage in the house after I check-out?"

There'due south patently nothing wrong with these questions – they're quite normal really – but you can but tell from the tone of vocalism in the messages that this particular invitee is going to be difficult piece of work.

They arrive at your property, and the nit-picking begins…

"There'southward a pilus in the shower. A stain on a cushion. Lipstick on a wine glass. In that location's grit on a window-sill. Where'southward the bottle opener? The WiFi is dull!".

It's simply ane affair afterward another. Goose egg you tin can do is plenty.

These are the types of guests that will leave you a bad review, regardless of everything that yous've done to try to brand their stay as skillful every bit possible.

And then, in these circumstances, what should you exercise?

Start with making sure you oasis't fabricated whatever of the popular hosting mistakes. We compiled a listing for you that you can download hither. If y'all ticked any of those boxes, make sure to address those problems the earlier the better.

Now permit's accept a look at your options to resolve the conflict.

Tin can you remove a review from your page on Airbnb?

You tin't actually "hide" a bad review. The only manner to remove it is to show Airbnb that the invitee violated their content policy. For example, such deportment of your guest as demanding something for a good review or revealing the exact location of the listing are the grounds for review removal.

If the review is calumniating or completely unfair, y'all should definitely report it to Airbnb. In this way, you can relieve other potential hosts the trouble of having a bad guest in the time to come.

What to do if you get a bad review on Airbnb

Option 1. The Refund Route

You lot tin probably sense it from the tone in their messages that what these types of guests are really after is a refund. But, is giving them a refund the right thing to exercise?

Now, there's no right or wrong answer to this i, but here's how I manage this personally.

If what the guest is lament well-nigh is a genuine complaint (I'm talking nearly something that genuinely influences the quality of their stay), so I will offer a class of refund.

Depending on the severity of the issue, I accept ii different paths.

Total refund

If something major happens, and information technology'south had a massive impact on their trip, and there's goose egg I tin do in the short fourth dimension to rectify it, I'll give a full refund as standard. I'd rather not take the money in these instances.

Partial refund

If something non-major, but still genuine occurs, I'll offer a partial refund. But here's the flim-flam…

Rather than offering a numerical value, e.one thousand., a $100 refund, instead, offering a refund as a percent, e.grand., a fifteen% disbelieve.

Refunds as a percentage (up to a certain betoken) have a college perceived value over their numerical counterparts.

*Even though you may give your guests a refund, they notwithstanding go the opportunity to review their stay regardless.

Choice 2. Fight Fire With Fire!

This is what we all really desire to do, am I correct?

If y'all know they're going to go out a bad review, and so you know what, yous're going to leave a muddy review to them besides!

Only as tempting as it is, is information technology actually the right approach?

It hurts, I know, but fighting fire with fire only serves to escalate the problem. There's no winner with this arroyo.

On Airbnb, yous've got a rep to protect, so I urge you to rise above this and take the moral high ground in this battle. It's amend in the long run, I promise.

Choice three. The Diplomat!

The least sexy of the three options is "The Diplomat."

This is where you take every complaint on lath (no matter how ridiculous). You have extreme ownership of information technology, you use tactical empathy with your guest, and yous get above and beyond (in fact, I recommend going overboard) to make amends.

Here's an example:

Guest: "I've had a horrible stay at your house. The bed was then uncomfortable I couldn't sleep, the tap kept dripping, and there was a stale smell in the house. Non GOOD Plenty!!! Geraldine".

Host: "Hey, Geraldine. What can I say, I'1000 so, so sorry that you haven't enjoyed your stay at the house. This makes me feel terrible, it actually does.

I put my eye and soul into making my place immaculate for each and every guest that arrives, and I have full buying of everything that you've mentioned, and I am fully responsible for you not enjoying your stay. For that, I am deeply sorry.

I sincerely hope that the issues y'all've experienced at the holding haven't taken abroad from your stay at %Your_Location% entirely, and they haven't completely ruined your trip.

I have feedback like this extremely seriously and will make sure it never happens once again.

Once once more, massive apologies.

Kindest regards,

Rowan."

The Diplomat approach aims to diffuse the state of affairs. By taking extreme ownership of whatsoever issues, and even escalating and over-dramatising the state of affairs, helps neutralize the charged negative emotions.

Oftentimes, using this approach you'll discover your guests backing down, and even getting to a point where they're telling you "it'south not that bad later on all".

Here'due south What I Recommend

Depending on the state of affairs, in nearly all circumstances, y'all're all-time off going with "The Diplomat", and occasionally sprinkling in a piffling refund here or there.

This approach has served me well in the past and has enabled me to keep my reputation on Airbnb intact.

And, as enticing equally it is to fight burn down with burn, I'd avoid this route at all costs.

Sneaky Hacks For Bad Review Prospects

So, now that we know how to bargain with an aroused invitee to pacify the situation as much as possible, there are too a few tricks you lot can exercise to neutralize the situation further.

The Brown-Nose Cheque-Out Message

This is a message sent to your guests usually a few hours after they've checked out. This message tin be used to "offer an olive branch" to your guests as a gesture of reconciliation and understanding.

Your message could look something like this:

"Hey, Geraldine.

What can I say, thanks so much for your agreement and patience throughout your stay, you've been incredible!

And likewise, a massive thank yous for existence so respectful of our home, and for leaving information technology so neat and tidy on your departure (information technology'due south much appreciated).

Wishing y'all a safe journey on your way home.

Safe travels,

Rowan."

Yet not sending a "cheers" message to ALL of your guests?

That's a lot of work, you're proverb? Not anymore! Smarbnb does everything for you.

Review Delay Fourth dimension

Fourth dimension is the biggest healer.

All charged emotions become diffused over fourth dimension, which is why I recommend delaying the writing of your review until the very last minute.

Let me explain.

Airbnb gives you 14 days to exit a review. One time one side of the political party (either host or guest) has left a review, the other side volition be notified and prompted to do the same.

This is what you want to avert.

Likewise, there is the possibility of your guest forgetting to exit a review, and this is something nosotros want to permit to happen without getting in the mode.

If you're using an automation tool (like Hospitable) to automate reviews on your behalf here's what you lot need to do:

Locate Pending reviews, observe the troublesome guest in question, and click Edit.

Switch the Bad review toggle to ON and click Salve.

With this feature enabled, your review will be delayed until the very last infinitesimal.

If, on the other hand, y'all handle your reviews manually, just brand a note of the review cut-off point and deed accordingly.

You Always Get The Concluding Word

On Airbnb, you, every bit the host, ever go to have the concluding give-and-take by responding to your guest reviews. You have 30 days in which to do so.

If yous haven't taken advantage of this yet, hither's how to do it:

From a web browser, go to your Reviews
Select Reviews Well-nigh Y'all
Find the review you'd similar to reply to and select Exit a Response

Here's what it looks similar in practise:

Time to implement all of that sweetness

If yous're nevertheless not a Hospitable user, it's the correct time to sign-upwards.
Beginning with a 14-day no-strings-attached gratis trial

I recommend leaving a response to all reviews as a default. It shows that as a host y'all intendance, specially in a circumstance where you receive a negative review.

Leaving a thoughtful response to a bad review will ensure futurity guests know your side of the story.

Conclusion

Getting a bad review on Airbnb is a foregone conclusion. It's going to happen at some point, so you might besides be prepared.

So hither'southward my recommended game plan:

Use the Diplomat technique, plus offering a percentage based refund (when needed).
Ship a 'Brown-Nose' thank you message a few hours after check-out.
Don't get out a review until the very last infinitesimal.
Go out a public response to voice your side of the story.

There you go, you now take a game-plan for when such a situation arises to glide through it with as little friction every bit possible.

Remember that avoiding the conflict is always better than resolving information technology. Make certain yous don't do any of the pop hosting blunders.

And, with the tips I've given you here, you should exist able to navigate the situation with equally little collateral damage as possible and go along your hosting reputation intact.

Peace out.

Rowan.

Airbnb Host Reviews & How To Automate Them!

Writing host reviews is non a rocket science. Information technology'southward a fourth dimension-stealer, though. In this article, you will become plenty of useful templates for your reviews. Fifty-fifty better: we'll teach you lot to automate the whole process.