Just like how guests review their stay with hosts on the Airbnb website, hosts too have the option of writing reviews about their guests after they have departed. It is important to take advantage of this tool as they help users share their Airbnb experiences with others. It enables other hosts to browse and see what the guest was like. This way, when a guest requests a rental on Airbnb, the host can see how that guest acted and behaved in other rentals and acts as a great tool for hosts to vet guests and vice versa. 

Guests pay a lot of attention to the reviews of a property and can be the deciding factor of whether they book a property or not. And as a host, it is important to keep the 5-star reviews coming so that the bookings keep coming too. As important as it is to give guests a mind-blowing service it is also important to review them as reviews will only show up on the profile when both parties have written one.

The importance of reviewing your guests may not seem obvious at first especially if you are new to hosting. However, if a guest has had a wonderful stay and a hassle-free check out in your property, you want other hosts on the platform to know about it. Especially since this is a vetting system that most hosts use to determine if they can accept a guest’s booking. Additionally, more often than not you will also receive a positive review for your listing. 

However, when you have had a bad experience with your guest perhaps due to unruly behavior or property damage it might get a bit complicated. This is most often the time when you put a bad review on the guest’s profile. Remember to be professional, but also be direct as to why the guest is getting the bad review in the first place. 

If you find yourself stumbling initially when writing a review on a guest, remember that you are definitely not alone. It helps to read a few reviews written by other hosts about the guest and come up with something of your own without copying what they say word for word. 

Before starting to write your review, think about whether you would host this guest again and if you would recommend them to other hosts. Base your reviews on how well the guests took care of your holiday rental and how you felt about them. If you were pleased with them, make it known and let other hosts know they were a delight to accommodate. 

As far as character count goes Airbnb limits reviews to 500 characters. But you don’t have to write to fill the limit. Your review can be limited to a response to a visitor’s review and a way of saying “thank you” for choosing your rental. Try to be honest and clear and straight to the point with your reviews. And always double-check typos and other mistakes before you submit your review. 

It helps to give them a star rating too since the option is available it helps other hosts know at a glance just how great (or not great) they were when they stayed with you. This actually catches everyone’s eyes quicker than what you write in your review.

Before a potential guest makes a booking at your property, they are definitely going to go through the reviews on your listing written by previous guests. Getting a review about a stay in your property gives you more exposure. Your name and profile are going to appear more often and this allows potential renters to become familiar with your position as a host. 

Oftentimes, when guests get home from a holiday, they usually forget to review their stay, especially if they have had a great time. Leaving reviews for guests reminds them and encourages them to reciprocate by leaving their own commentary about their experience with you and your vacation rental. 

Reviews also give you the chance to do damage control, especially in the scenario where a guest has posted a negative review about you or your property. You now have the option of dealing with it by giving reasonable explanations to address the complaints publicly or in private. 

Furthermore, when you have hosted for a while, you will realize the importance of relying on other hosts’ reviews when you are making the decision to accept a guest or not. Most hosts use this to effectively vet their guests before deciding whether to accept their booking. By posting your own reviews, you are also supporting other hosts who may want to rely on your information before accepting a reservation. 

If you are new to writing reviews it could be a struggle to start and the temptation to copy and paste a review from a different place could be strong. Here are a few things to think about when you write your review.  

Always address the guest by name and try to describe the kind of people they were in a few words. Some examples you could use are quiet, polite, cheerful, loud, well-bred, honeymooners, etc. Here’s a sample of an Airbnb review of a guest: 

“Mr. and Mrs. Brown were a delight to host! They treated the place with respect and followed all the house rules. They had smooth communication and I hope I get to host them again.” 

Airbnb has made reviewing guests as easy as it can get. However, there are a few guidelines to follow in the reviewing process. 

Airbnb gives both hosts and guests 14 days to write a review after the check-out date. So, make sure you write a review and submit it well ahead of time. 

Keep reviews honest and fair as other hosts will be reading your review about the guest before letting them into their property. 

Highlight key points (both positive and negative) that you think maybe important to highlight for other owners. 

You have the ability to change your review within 48 hours of submitting it, or until the guests have submitted their review. 

Reviewing a guest is one of the most underrated strategies for running a successful Airbnb. Having positive reviews in your listing and maintaining an overall high rating can convince guests to make bookings on your listing. One sure-fire way to ensure that your amazing hosting converts into positive reviews is by writing one yourself and hosts who have been successfully using the platform for a long time swear by it.  If you are looking for ways to grow your short-term rental business and expand your portfolio, talk to our sales team. Or request a free demo to find out how we help property managers all over the world manage their vacation rental businesses smoothly.