A guest has checked out, and you’ve taken all the steps to ensure that they’ve had a nice stay: from sharing all necessary information about checkins and checkouts, keeping your home spotless and well-maintained, and responding quickly to inquiries during their stay (even late-night ones). And you start preparing for your next guest, which could arrive just a few hours later, thinking that the previous stay went by without a hitch.
But managing an Airbnb stay doesn’t stop once a guest leaves — did you know that guests have a 14-day period after checkout to leave a public review? This means that there’s plenty of time for them to give feedback on their stay, keeping hosts on their toes until they receive the review.
And while you can’t prevent the occasional bad review, there are ways to reduce the chances of getting them, along with best practices on softening the blow in case it does happen. Read on below for tips on how to handle a bad Airbnb review and use it as an opportunity for growth.
Why Airbnb reviews matter for hosts
Airbnb reviews and ratings aren’t just vanity metrics, they also affect your property’s visibility and credibility. High ratings (typically around 4.8 or above) are required to become an Airbnb Superhost or Guest Favourite, which increases your visibility on the search results. A high rating also affects conversion rates once a potential guest views your listing — ratings are often the first thing they check, and good reviews signal trust. In fact, a study from AirDNA shows that even a 0.1 increase in ratings can add to your revenue, and that properties with 4.9-5.0 ratings significantly outperform similar listings rated lower.
A bad review not only affects your earnings directly, it even puts your Airbnb listing at risk of suspension if your rating dips below 4.3 — this puts a lot of pressure on hosts to get that perfect review each time.
What to do after a bad review
1. Check if the review is valid
You can request to remove reviews that are unfair, dishonest, or contains any of the following policy violations:
- Discriminatory language
- Threats, blackmail, or extortion
- Reviews from someone who didn’t stay at the property
- Clearly false, fraudulent, or spammy content
- Violations of Airbnb’s content policy
Contact Airbnb to report the review, and they will verify if the review violates their policies.
2. Respond to the review
If a review is valid, then you can proceed to the next step: addressing your guest’s concerns. Like guests, hosts also have 14 days after checkout to write a review. It’s important that you respond promptly to your previous guest within this period, as a 90% response rate is another requirement for Airbnb Superhosts.
Your response will be public, so make sure that you:
- Keep your reply short, but be sincere
- Acknowledge their concern
- Explain what happened
- And discuss how you’ve fixed the issue
This shows future guests how you handle issues.
3. Reputation recovery strategies
Use this one review as an opportunity for growth — maybe there are things that could be improved or be run better that you just didn’t spot early enough. Some common guest complaints include:
- Overpromising in the listing: While you want to entice potential guests to convert, it’s also important to be as accurate as possible when describing your property. Any unavailable amenities that are included in the listing will also result in lower ratings, as guests will feel like they’ve paid too much for their stay.
- Ignoring Airbnb cleaning & maintenance: Guests prioritise a spotless Airbnb, which makes finding a reliable cleaner one of the most important things you can do as a host. You should also work to ensure fix small issues like dripping taps, faulty remotes before they’re noticed by guests.
- Unresponsive host: Expect that guests will have questions throughout their stay. If they’re having difficulties with check-ins, check-outs, or locating the property, it’s important that you respond as quickly as you can to prevent frustration. Being responsive can result in guests leaving a more positive review, even when things have gone wrong — while it may not be 5 stars, it could be 3 or 4 with commentary about how the host was quick to respond and resolve.
Try setting up automated Airbnb messages to address repeat questions from guests. You can also put up a guest guide to discuss amenities in your property, especially ones that may be confusing.
Multi-channel distribution for your short-term rental can also help generate more bookings if your Airbnb listing has taken a hit due to a recent bad review. Try listing on Airbnb competitors like Stayz, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
The most important thing to do is to just keep going. If you address issues quickly, the occasional bad review will have minimal impact as they’re eventually replaced by streams of positive feedback.
Navigate negative reviews with professional management
Bad reviews can happen to every host, but it’s how you address them that determines the severity of their impact. If you’re experiencing a repeat pattern of negative reviews that’s starting to affect your bottom line, then consider partnering with professional short-term rental management in Australia like Hometime who can take on the day-to-day operations of your property.
With Hometime, you get all-around guest management: from guest vetting, booking management, day-to-day communications, and handling any emergencies (including late-night ones). You also get a team of experts dedicated to helping you reach your property’s full potential through tailored pricing strategies, listing optimisation with Airbnb photography & styling, and more.
Hometime offers Airbnb management in Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide, and other locations across Australia. Schedule an obligation-free chat to check if we service your area and know more about Airbnb management fees.
