Airbnb is a community where success is measured by feedback and reputation.
Some minor slip-ups or mistakes can impact you for a very long time, and even stop your rental unit from taking off.
These reviews are like online referrals that can help or hurt your future business substantially.
Don’t leave reviews to chance, do all that you can to create a 5-star guest experience.
Reviews on Airbnb unique in that they are for each unit and tied to each host. When guests are looking at your unit, they see reviews for that specific unit, but they also see reviews for other units you rent out.
This is especially important for full-time Airbnb hosts with multiple units. Having great reviews for your first few units can make it easier to launch your newer units.
So how do can you set yourself up for success?
Give a Detailed and Accurate Description
When a guest knows what they are signing up for, they will be more understanding compared to guests that were deceived.
A clear, accurate and detailed description aligns expectations and sets the bar for your place to be graded on.
Don’t promise something that you cannot deliver. If anything, under-promise and over-deliver.
You don’t have to be the Marriot to be successful…You can be a Motel 6.
Learn more about how much your Airbnb is worth.
6-Star Service…ALWAYS
Put on your guest hat…and think…what perks and services would make you say, “Wow!”? Do those.
Some ideas…
- Contact the guest a few days before they arrive and ask if they have any questions or special requests.
- Follow up with guests during long stays and ask them if they would like a complimentary cleaning service.
- Make yourself available by phone at all times to answer any questions.
Lastly, if there is a problem such as clogged toilet or broken light bulb, treat it as if it was a HUGE problem.
Problem solvers are super heroes and everyone loves a super hero! Go above and beyond the basic expectations and you will be rewarded.
Have Modern Amenities
Something like a Netflix can come in handy when a rainy day happens on vacation. If that $10 subscription can land you 1 or 2 good reviews, it was worth it.
A Keurig machine or premium tea can also go a long, long way too. Ever had a rough night and needed a caffeine pick-me-up the next morning? Your guests do too!
Make sure to provide the correct amenities that your guests will find high utility and high value.
A family of four may appreciate their favorite cereals there upon arrival while a business traveler would value a computer desk and printer.
Understand Your Specific Guests
Guests receive reviews too, so check out what other hosts are saying about your prospective guests.
Check their reviews to find out…
How often do they travel on Airbnb?
Do they even leave reviews?
If so, how critical are they?
In the reviews, what stood out most to them at other places they rented from?
By identifying these key pieces of information, you can make sure to customize their experience and focus on what matters most to those specific guests.
Be a Guest Yourself
Airbnb is about community and you should get out and see what it has to offer!
I have traveled by myself and with friends to many different cities and I have picked up Airbnb hosting tips along the way. Being excellent in hospitality means seeing what others are doing and do it better!
While we cannot guarantee you a 5-star review, these tips will point you in the right direction.
Looking for more help? Check out our tips on how to stop bad reviews on Airbnb.
What have you done to earn 5-Star reviews? Share your tips in the comments below!
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This free training is brought to you by James Svetec an Airbnb Expert who has managed over $1M in bookings & Symon He, the founder of LearnBNB, the #1 Airbnb hosting education blog.
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My recent ratings have been 4 stars in value and location..yes my most recent one who gave me 4 in those categories said the price and was and was “close to where they needed to be”. I do not get these star reviews. The price is much lower hotels and other hosts in my area, i also provided guests with breakfast foods, a strong wi-fi and a TV with netflix/cable…along with bathroom essentials. and I made it clear where my house is and what’s around me. Shouldn’t they have taken this I consideration before booking?
Yes guests ‘should’ be taking this into consideration, but they don’t always do that before they book.
If the review period is about to expire and you have already left your guests the review but they haven’t and you know they were happy with the place is it OK to contact them and ask to leave the review?
Base on my experience communication is king. Just make sure that they understand that you are a nice person and there to help.
Obviously I am assuming that your listing is actually describe what the guest is going to experience once he/she arrives
I am a Super host – 5 Star rating all the way (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/357842?preview). I am wondering why a few of my quests did not bother to write their review. These people are the people that I gave the best services and extras…. like providing transport/pickups, foods and pay for their dinner and extra laundry service. It’s a free ride, breakfast, lunch and dinner :)))
Being a host every single review is important to maintain our Super host status.
Hi! I started a month ago https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22518826 and have 13 five star reviews. I do not provide a TV yet, and wondering if it is necessary. Perhaps, I can just provide Netflix and visitors can watch on their mobile devices. What do you think?
Katherine, hello.
We do have TVs but we do NOT provide CABLE. From Costco we bought wifi TV and in them they have already Netfix, Amazon, Acorn, Hulu… set up. We pay a little less than $12/mo for Netflix. I could be wrong but, I think PBS is about $5/mo?? Anyway, my point is we are ahead of the game by not paying $99/mo for cable and pay only for wifi. Check it out. Our TVs have Roku if you want to ask the sales person about it but I think there are other choices as well. Hope this helps.
We’ve found that the more you offer guests the more you are leaving for them to find a problem with, we used to let people use our washing machine room, now we don’t.. We let guests know their is washing facilities at the camp site close by. We achieved super host 4 times consistently, we don’t go above and beyond what is requiered of us. Generally if people are chatty on arrival, we follow that lead, if they are quite or shy we leave them be.. experience has showed us that our red flag warnings right from the initial message can be trusted , people who ask for discounts will usually leave poor reviews so we will decline from the get go and tell them why also. One of the frustrating things is we get knocked down for is our location. We are 20mins by car from the city and we clearly state this, we often get review saying ‘far from the city’ our picture clearly show we are In the middle of mountains and a lake view, we are clearly not in the city… Duh!!