Writing reviews for guests is a major part of the hosting process, no matter how you look at it. That being said, there’s more than one way to write a review for Airbnb guests… but that doesn’t mean they’re all equal.
When things go smoothly, writing reviews is a breeze – but when things don’t go so well, it can be a challenge.
What habits have you allowed yourself to fall into when it comes to writing reviews, or have you created any habits at all? When a guest’s stay was great, are you reflecting that well? When things go awry, are you deflecting or placing too much blame?
Here are a few quick tips on how to write solid reviews, no matter the situation.
1. If it was a “bad” stay, evaluate your hosting behavior.
Obviously, there are some things that are completely out of your control and anomalies happen. However, as a dedicated and seasoned host, you probably know how to ensure your guests are comfortable and have everything they need.
That said, there are times when you do everything you can and for the guest, that’s still not enough. We’re not saying you should allow yourself to be pushed around, but before you tap the keys to write a negative review, look carefully at the situation and ensure there’s nothing else you could have done to fix the issue.
2. Be honest and specific.
More often than not, if things don’t go according to plan, we worry about being “unkind” and writing a bad review because of how it might reflect back on us as a host. We understand the hesitation, but honesty truly is the best policy.
If a stay was genuinely awful, be specific in your guest review about why that was. This not only gives the guests a heads up about their behavior (which, hopefully, they’ll be willing to change if they stay in future hosts’ homes) but it also gives potential hosts a heads up about what to expect from said guests.
If a stay was great, be sure to sing plenty of praises. In some cases, “short” reviews can be perceived as “negative” reviews for minorly “bad” guests. Don’t force that on your great guests.
All in all, be specific about what happened – good or bad. Great guests appreciate the compliments and bad guests get called out for their bad behavior.
3. Make it personal.
There’s plenty of software out there that will generate positive reviews for you or you may even have some generic reviews written and saved somewhere that you use when the time comes. No matter how you do it, we urge to you personalize your reviews every. Single. Time.
Great guests appreciate the gesture (as review writers themselves, they know the time it can take) and often, they’ll be willing to reciprocate and write a stellar review for you in return. This eliminates some of the “fluff” reviews that are left on your listing.
Let us explain what we mean. Here are two examples of guest reviews that aren’t helpful:
- “Cindy was a great guest – we hope she will be back!”
- “Jerry kept our home clean and followed our house. Great guest.”
These don’t give any specific detail to what went well during the review or give any indication that you had communication of any kind with your guests. If you’re specific, your guests will be, too.
Writing great reviews isn’t rocket science and doesn’t have to be a challenge! Don’t let a few lines of text worry you the next time you’re personalizing a review.
Happy hosting (and reviewing!)!
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