Tactics to Get Airbnb Guest Reviews

What are Airbnb Reviews?

Airbnb offers both guests and hosts the opportunity to review their experience of each other. Once a guest checks out, each party has 14 days to submit their review of the stay though they cannot see the other’s review of themselves. Once both parties have posted their reviews of each other or the 14 days have passed, whichever comes first, Airbnb publishes the reviews.

Reviewing hosts and guests however is not mandatory on either party and many guests and more hosts are likely to skip the process altogether.

Why are Reviews Important for Airbnb Hosts?

Reviews are particularly important for Airbnb hosts as they directly and indirectly impact bookings and revenue.

1. Rank Higher on Airbnb Search

The more reviews your listing receives and the higher the quality of the reviews, the higher you will be ranked by the Airbnb algorithm.

2. Inspire a Sense of Trust in Your Offering

Airbnb users are known to look at reviews for proof that your listing description matches your actual offering. The more reviews you have to showcase and the better they are, the more trust a potential guest feels in your offering.

3. Prove Your Value to Guests

Having lots of reviews higher than 4.5 will let potential guests know they are assured of great value in booking your listing because so many other guests have attested to the same.

4. Get More Bookings

The combination of higher visibility across search results, better ratings, and proven value through great reviews will lead more potential guests to book your property.

5. Charge More

Because guests trust in the value you offer, they will be willing to pay a higher rate than for a listing that can’t claim as many or as good reviews.

6. Become an Airbnb Superhost

Great reviews are an integral aspect of becoming an Airbnb Superhost and enjoying the rewards.

7. Improve Your Business

Whether it’s confirming that you are doing something right or letting you know which areas need improvement, guest reviews can help you improve your offering and performance.

Tactics to Get More Reviews for Your Airbnb

1. Provide an Amazing Guest Experience

If you want your guests to crow about you, you need to give them something to crow about. Ensuring all your guests experience a fantastic stay is the best tactic to getting more reviews. Your guests will feel motivated to review and rate you high all on their own. Cleanliness, self check-in, clear house rules, great customer service, and thoughtful touches are paramount.

2. Ensure Attentive Communication

Provide a consistent and personal messaging experience from the point of their booking a stay to the point they leave your property and get home. Automating guest communication can help you save time while ensuring you proactively and responsively communicate with your guests.

3. Review Your Guests

Airbnb prompts both guests and hosts to review their experience once a guest checks out. This often gets ignored however by guests caught up traveling back or unpacking from their holiday. Be proactive and review your guests. Airbnb will notify them of having been reviewed, encouraging them to review you in turn. You can also message them asking them to review you.

4. Ask For Feedback

Make sure to ask your guests for feedback on how you can improve. Then act on them. By consistently improving your guest offering, you ensure not only being ahead of the competition but to consistently receive great reviews.

5. Say Thank You

Don’t forget to send a message thanking your guests who took the time and made the effort to leave you a review and/or provide feedback. You can even reach out to guests once you have worked on their suggestions to let them know how they have helped you improve. This will improve the chances of their becoming repeat guests.

How Not to Get More Reviews for Your Airbnb

1. Don’t Try to Pay for Good Reviews

Paying for positive reviews is against Airbnb rules. It is also fraudulent and illegal in many countries, including the US. You risk being fined heftily or even losing your business altogether.

2. Don’t Pester Guests

Feel free to encourage your guests to leave you a review but don’t annoy them to do so. An email and a follow-up asking for a review are fine. A completely uninterested guest can easily ignore them without feeling pestered. If you are trying too hard and leaving your guests feeling exasperated or even harassed, they are unlikely to book with you again and may even be motivated to leave you a bad review, putting your hard work to waste.

3. Don’t Wait Too Long

Make sure you time your request for a review well. Give your guests time to get back home but not so much time that they have fully checked out of vacation mode. Waiting too long can also lead to the 2-week time limit set by Airbnb running out.