Having more good reviews on Airbnb is always a top priority and concern for vacation rental hosts. For the Airbnb ranking algorithm, your listing will be placed higher than your competition with fewer/negative reviews.
Studies show that most customers consult reviews before making a purchase decision, so more good reviews on Airbnb equals more bookings. It’s as simple as that.
Now, let’s talk about the things that you, as an Airbnb host, can do to get more good Airbnb reviews.
1. Make real expectations
Your vacation rental listing doesn’t have to be perfect, it is essential to make a clear and accurate title, description, photos, and services, so as to prevent your guests from experiencing any unexpected shocks during their stay.
A detailed description of your listing will also help you find the perfect guests for your accommodation by selecting only travelers who are perfectly suited to the characteristics of your property.
There is no need to be clever to hide the shortcomings of the house such as road noises, inconvenient location, lack of appliances, etc. If your guests face problems that you didn’t mention during their stay, it will most likely bring you bad reviews, which is the absolute last thing you want.
Make sure you deliver on your promises while exceeding the expectations of your guests, it will definitely help you to get more 5-star reviews on Airbnb and other platforms.
2. Communicate with your guests thoughtfully
Sending messages to your guests at each step of their stay to provide the information they need will make them feel well taken care of. When guests feel that they have very nice communication with the host, they are also less likely to forget to give you 5-star reviews on Airbnb.
You may follow these important points to send messages to your guests.
- A message when the guest has made the reservation, thanking for booking and confirming the check-in/check-out time.
- A message two days before the guest’s arrival, detailing the location of the house and ways to arrive, and expressing expectations for the guest’s stay.
- A message on the day they check in, giving detailed information about the stay and what to expect.
- A message the day after they arrive, checking in on them and asking if they need any further help.
- A message the day before they check out, asking if they need to extend their stay and reminding them to take all their belongings.
- A message the day after they leave, thanking the guest, asking if they have any comments or suggestions, and inviting the guest to leave a good review on Airbnb.
- A reminder message asking the guest to leave a review if they haven’t left one 5 days later.
If you’re managing more than one property or have listings on several platforms, the messaging work will be overwhelming. Luckily, Hostex – a short-term rental management platform – allows you to automate all these messages in a snap.
The best part is, this is 100% automated, and still feels very personal. Start your free trial of Hostex and start automating your messages today.
3. Exceed guests’ expectations
When you search on Airbnb, those properties that provide special experiences always have more good reviews and higher rankings.
It is a near-certain way to get more good Airbnb reviews – your guests will be excited to share their experience when you go above and beyond!
If you have these facilities in place, it would serve you well.
- a unique space that is unforgettable.
- free breakfast or snacks
- high-quality bedding and bathroom supplies
- Smart TV with Netflix subscription
- board games or video games
- goodies for babies or pets
4. Respond to requests ASAP
As mentioned in our previous article, responding quickly to guest requests is very important, it is the most intuitive part of your service quality and will greatly affect whether or not you will receive more good Airbnb reviews.
When a guest poses an inquiry or reaches out for help, it means that they cannot solve the problem themselves. At this time, guests are usually in an urgent mood, timely support will significantly enhance their stay experience, while the opposite may cause disappointment.
On the other hand, there is also a requirement for quick responses from Airbnb’s algorithms, and slow answers will lead to a drop in your listing’s ranking.
If your properties are listed on multiple platforms, staying on track with each guest while switching between platforms can be time-consuming, Hostex‘s automated tool allows you to manage messages from different platforms in one inbox and reply to all inquiries automatically.
5. Give a gift of gratitude
A small gift can be over-deliver which takes your guests from happy to delighted and gains more 5-star reviews on Airbnb.
There is no standard for this, a welcome basket, homemade bread, or even a box of chocolates can make your guests feel special. Highly recommend a parting gift from your city or neighborhood while guests check out, it is a great time and way to lead your guests to give good reviews on Airbnb.
It is even better to put a handwritten card to your gift to show your care and appreciation, like “Thank you for cherishing my property. Your stay was a delightful experience! Please accept this small gift as a symbol of my gratitude, we’re looking forward to your next visit.”
6. Provide a suggestion box
Pleasing every guest and their unique lifestyles is easier said than done. Leaving space for your guests to critique their stay without hurting your listing reviews by making a suggestion box is a smart move. You’ll also find that guests may provide some genuine tips to help you prevent future bad reviews.
A suggestion box subconsciously lets your guests know you are open to improving and will make them feel like they are helping you with it, which is a good thing. Rather than giving a bad review to teach you a lesson, most people will be more likely to offer a good review on Airbnb to encourage you.
7. Review your guests
Reviewing guests is one of the most important routines for short-term rental hosts.
When you write a review for your guest at Airbnb, it will send a notice to the guest inviting them to give good Airbnb reviews back, which is certainly one of the most polite and effective reminders.
Still, it’s a lot easier said than done if you have listings and reservations on multiple platforms at the same time. Well, luckily, you can fully automate the reviewing process with Hostex’s automation tool.
You can choose a review template below and start your automated reviews with Hostex.
| – {Guest name} was an absolute pleasure to host. I was happy to host them and would gladly recommend them to any other host! |
| – {Guests Name} was a very friendly, neat, and quiet guest. We just knew our house was in good hands with them. |
| – {Guest name} is welcome at our place anytime. They left the apartment very clean and tidy, also very polite – communication was very delightful! |
| – {Guest Name} was a great guest! Very nice, fun, clean, easy to talk to, and respectful of house rules. {Guest Name} is welcome at our place anytime. |
| – {Guest Name} was very friendly and polite. She left the apartment in an absolutely fine and clean condition. I very much recommend her as a guest to everyone. |
| – It was a pleasure hosting {Guest Name}. They were very nice guests, the communication was excellent. We look forward to hosting them again. |
| – {Guest Name} was a great guest. Good communicators, respectful, and left our home in good condition. Highly recommend them to any other host. |
| – {Guest Name} took care of our home as if it were their own. They lefts things clean and in place. We look forward to them staying with us again! |
| – It was a pleasure to host {Guest Name}. I would sincerely love the opportunity to host them again on their return visits to {city name}. |
| – {Guest Name} was a superb guest and any host would be lucky to have them. They left the space looking like they weren’t even there and I would host them again. |
8. Encourage guests to leave reviews
You have absolutely no need to feel embarrassed about wanting more good reviews on Airbnb.
Users generally don’t leave reviews on platforms of their own accord if they’re not complaining about a bad experience, a gentle reminder about how important the 5-star reviews are, does wonders for getting guests to log on and add a review.
As mentioned in tip 2, right after your guests check out is the opportune time to thank for their stay and gently remind them to leave you a review.
“Hi [Guest Name], thanks for being such a great guest, hope you had a wonderful time. Our goal is to make this an exceptional 5-star experience for you. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few moments to write us a review after you have checked out. Thanks again for booking our place. It would be a pleasure to host you again next time you’re in town!”
Everyone has a busy life and in the whirlwind of returning from a trip, reviews often get forgotten. So if 5 days pass without a review, asking a second time will often make sure your guest leaves you one.
“Hi [Guest Name], we hope you have safe travels home. You’re very nice guests, we have left you a 5-star review, and if you enjoyed your stay, it would be great if you left us a review as well. This would make our villa more accessible to future guests. If there is anything that could have made your stay better please send us a message.”
Since the time stipulated for a guest review is 14 days, if you have not received a review after 10 days, you may send a short message to follow up. The purpose is to gently nudge them into reviewing, not to force them. Word choice matters.
“Hello again. Sorry to bother. When you have a chance, would you please take a moment to review our services? Reviews are very valuable to us and they enable us to keep our Superhost status on Airbnb. Once again, thank you!“
Set the rules for sending these messages through Hostex’s automation tool, and there’s no need to keep an eye on the reviews for each reservation. These simple messages will help you earn more 5-star Airbnb reviews.
Conclusion
All in all, accurate listing descriptions, service that exceeds expectations, and thoughtful and timely communication will ensure that your vacation rental listings get more good reviews on Airbnb and other platforms. If you’re still not getting more 5-stars, then something must go wrong.
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