Airbnb host reviews are vital to increasing bookings and maintaining income. Reviews are, after all, the best way to boost your Airbnb’s reputation and ensure that you’re viewed as a great host.
How you respond to guests is also important. You’re also expected to review your guests within 14 days of their booking. But as your Airbnb business grows, this can seem like a laborious task.
With that in mind, we’ve collected some great Airbnb host review templates so that you can quickly and efficiently take care of this task and continue on your journey to Superhost status and beyond!
Why are Airbnb reviews for hosts necessary?
How to see host reviews on Airbnb
Can Airbnb hosts delete reviews?
How to respond to a bad Airbnb host review examples
Good Airbnb review samples for hosts to use
Why are Airbnb reviews for hosts necessary?
Leaving a review as a host shows that you’re acting as a responsible member of the Airbnb community. Host reviews help other hosts vet their guests but also help you appear more trustworthy and communicative.
Airbnb asks you to fill out star ratings for each guest’s stay, ranking things like cleanliness, communication and observation of house rules. These provide the basic background of the review, but you’re also encouraged to submit some words about the booking.
Another benefit is that host reviews give you a chance to invite guests back for another stay, which ensures your listing stays in their minds. Host reviews are also critical in gaining Superhost status. We’ve got a complete guide on how to become an Airbnb host and how to become an Airbnb Superhost on our site if you’re interested.
It may feel difficult to review guests if they’re only staying for a single night; after all, what can you say other than ‘good guest, no issues’? But even after uneventful stays, you can still use your review to say something about your listing and encourage future bookings. For example, you could say something like, “[Guest name] was a fabulous guest who stayed for one night in my lovely town-centre apartment. I’d love to welcome you back in future if you’re in the area.”
How to see host reviews on Airbnb
All reviews on Airbnb are fairly easy to find. Guest-submitted reviews for your properties will be available directly on your listing pages. Host reviews are instead placed against the guest’s profile and are visible in their bios.
Can Airbnb hosts delete reviews?
If you get a bad Airbnb host review, Airbnb does not allow you to delete it. Instead, you’ll have a 14 day grace period to respond.
If you’ve received a bad review as a host, you’ve got a few options. First, you can do nothing and simply accept the review. It will sit on your profile and be visible to future guests/hosts, so may impact your success in the future.
You can also communicate directly with the host or guest and try to resolve it between yourselves. Sometimes a partial refund or apology can help restore goodwill and lead to a guest or host editing their review, so it’s worth a try.
Generally, you’re better off responding to the review. This isn’t an opportunity to enter into an argument or debate – it’s a chance to address the points raised in the review in a fair and honest manner. The strength of responding to a review is that other hosts/guests can see the reply – so you can show you’ve taken their concerns on board and have replied. Often this can help restore a guest’s confidence before booking.
If you feel the review is biased, unfair or against Airbnb’s review policy, you can also report it. Airbnb’s dispute moderation team handles this. However, their decision is often final, so ensure you’ve tried to resolve your issue with the guest first.
If a bad review arises out of a dispute with the guest due to damages or liability issues, get dedicated Airbnb insurance to give you better protection next time in case the worst happens.
Do hosts have to rate guests?
While Airbnb encourages hosts to submit reviews, nothing is forcing you to do so. Some busy hosts end up missing the 14 day review window, while others just don’t value the review process as they may fail to recognise how useful it is.
Remember, host reviews are critical to attaining (and maintaining) Superhost status. Guests are also notified whenever you submit a review and can only see it once they submit their own, so it’s a good way to prompt guests to send a review.
How to respond to a bad Airbnb host review examples
Remember: It’s always better to try and resolve things in private before you post a public review. When you do, remember that it’s a permanent thing and likely to attract a negative one in response from the guest. If you must leave a bad review, be professional and encourage them to reach out to discuss things further.
Generic bad guest review response
“Thanks for sharing. We always try to achieve the highest standards and are sorry that you didn’t enjoy your time with us. We’d love to speak to you about your stay to see what we can do to make things better. Your feedback is much appreciated.”
Overly critical or inaccurate guest review response
“We always try to maintain the highest standards but in this case the guest’s comments are not entirely accurate or fair. This is is the version of events that actually happened: {Insert your version of events here}. We’d have loved to have known in advance of any issues so that we could have taken the time to rectify them. As you can see, we have mostly positive reviews and take guest feedback seriously. We will continue to create positive experiences for our guests.”
Good Airbnb review samples for hosts to use
Before we get into these samples, remember that every review should be tweaked slightly to make it unique to the guest. While host reviews are best kept short and sweet, you must avoid all of them sounding the same or you’ll come off as impersonal and robotic.
With that in mind, here are some copy-paste reviews you can use with only slight tweaks for each.
Great guest
“[Guest name] was a great guest. No complaints. Welcome back anytime.”
Invite them back
“Thanks for staying with us [Name] and being such an excellent guest. Please contact us again in the future if you’re in the area and want to book.”
Good communication
“Fabulous guest with excellent communication maintained throughout. Would love to have you stay again.”
Stuck to house rules
“[Name] respected my house rules and kept the place clean and tidy. Highly recommended.”
Went above and beyond
“Amazing guest! [Name] really went above and beyond to leave the property tidy and safe. Come back anytime!”
Looking for Airbnb insurance?
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Read more of our Airbnb guides
If you’re wondering how to become an Airbnb host, how to grow your business or want to learn more about hosting-specific topics, take a look at our 30+ Airbnb guides.
