The effect of Airbnb real estate business on tourism and real estate markets throughout the US is undeniable. The Airbnb website has created a platform in which guests and hosts can communicate and interact freely to serve the best interest of all parties. The system that Airbnb established promotes clarity, innovation, and self-improvement from everyone involved, both guests and hosts.
Guests are finally adapting to Airbnb’s concept and now they have high expectations from their hosts. Meanwhile, the most straightforward and obvious way to measure the success of Airbnb hosts is by the quality and amount of Airbnb reviews that they receive from their guests.
Airbnb reviews were created so that the Airbnb community could prosper by helping each other out. Guests rely largely on the experience of previous users to know more about the hosts and their listings. It makes sense for Airbnb to establish a system like this because after all they are the mediator, a third party connecting two other parties.
The information about hosts and rental properties gets passed on from one guest to another in the form of Airbnb reviews, where a guest can write about the positives and negatives experienced during his/her stay.
Related: 6 Reasons For The Growth Of The Airbnb Investment Property
The reviews system is created for two reasons. The first is to allow guests to interact with each other to give a brief summary about their experience with a host and his/her property. The second reason is to provide hosts with constant feedback to give them the opportunity to improve all the time to meet the demands of guests.
Airbnb reviews are measured on a scale of up to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest and 0 being the lowest. But what is the standard that hosts need to deliver to obtain the 5-star rating from reviews? Let’s take a look at some proven methods to increase your Airbnb reviews as a host:
How to Boost Your Airbnb Reviews
Here are several ways that can help you boost your reviews in Airbnb.com:
1. Be Accurate and Descriptive
The success of your hosting experience will depend on the honesty you give to potential guests. As an Airbnb host it is important to provide guests with accurate details about the house, flat, or room you are renting out.
The accuracy of details must include location, useful information about the surroundings, and a general description of your listing (number of room, number of bathrooms, balconies, verandas, amenities, services, etc). Remember to be precise and fair; promising more than you can deliver just to attract this first customer will eventually backfire because of the negative reviews afterwards.
On the other hand, if guests end up getting what they signed up for, then they will definitely mention that in the reviews as something positive about the host. To the contrary, guests who have booked an entire flat due to its amazing location only to find out that the location was not described and depicted correctly will supply the host with a very bad review for deceiving them.
Related: The 6 Best Cities for Airbnb Investment
2. Photos Matching the Listing
The display and the photographs that are posted by the host is the main thing that attracts guests to an Airbnb listing. The truth is that most Airbnb guests generally look at two things: location and photos of the listing.
The photos of the listing give the guests a general overview of the place they are renting and paying money for. This results in a level of expectations that has to be met by the host, because if a host shows pictures that don’t match the listing, then a bad review and even a cancellation are inevitable.
Guests like to get what they pay for, and this is why hosts have to post accurate and recent photos of the listing. After all, even if you manage to deceive a guest once, he/she will reveal the true nature of your rental property in the reviews.
3. Respond to Guests
Positive Airbnb reviews will always mention the availability of the host to address the issues and concerns of the guests. A host that is available to reply to guests in a short period of time will be getting positive reviews for the effort to make the guests feel cared for and to assure them that their comfort and concerns will be answered as swiftly as possible.
Be responsive and don’t neglect guests once they check in at your property.
4. Provide the Best Amenities
The area that differentiates regular hosts from 5-star hosts is the services they provide to their guests. Providing amenities is part of the Airbnb experience nowadays. The minimum amenities Airbnb guests expect are bathing products, towels, clean sheets, and access to some kitchen supplies.
However, to stand out and to get better reviews, a host must go the extra mile. Hosts who provide better services such as Netflix, bike rentals, or breakfast will get outstanding reviews from their guests.
Related: Increasing Airbnb Income Using New Innovative Airbnb Services
5. Learn from Criticism
Nobody starts being an Airbnb host and immediately perfects it from the first try. Owning and managing an Airbnb rental property is overwhelming in its own way because you would have to deal with bookings, pricing, cleaning, resupplying, and communicating with guests.
Being an Airbnb host is much learning by doing. Airbnb reviews improve gradually as you improve. Hosts who have had some very negative reviews have went on to become super-hosts because they fixed mistakes and put efforts into becoming better. If one guest leaves an Airbnb review that the house was a little bit dirty, as a host you will now know what to focus on to improve.
Airbnb reviews are the selling point of the host on the Airbnb platform. The better your reviews, the more attracted guests will be to book your listing even if it’s a bit more expensive than the competitors.
A 5-star review places the host in a higher ranking than the competitors. Staying innovative, caring for guests, and being detailed about the listing are the ways to ensure that your reviews will be increasing constantly.
If you don’t have an Airbnb property yet, make sure to check out Mashvisor for thousands of available properties across the US.