ヴルボ (Vacation Rentals by Owner) is an online booking platform dedicated to short-term rentals, boasting over 2 million listings globally. In this sea of options, guests frequently rely on property ratings and reviews to make their decisions. So, for Vrbo hosts and owners, understanding how Vrbo reviews work and how to get more positive feedback effectively is crucial.
This article will explore these aspects in depth, providing practical tips to help your property attract more guests and stand out in a competitive market.
You may also want to check out our blog post about How to Get More 5-Star Reviews on Airbnb.
How Does Vrbo Reviews Work?
Vrbo offers a 2-way review system where both guests and hosts can rate and review their experiences, adhering to Vrbo’s content guidelines.
For travelers, checking the average rating of a listing and reading previous guest reviews helps them understand what to expect. This information aids in determining which property suits their needs best.
On the other hand, for Vrbo hosts, reviewing guest ratings provides insight into a guest’s credibility. This helps hosts avoid potential losses from accommodating problematic guests.
Vrbo Guest Reviews
After checkout, Vrbo allows travelers to submit a property review on a simple scale of 1 to 10. They can also provide sub-scores for specific aspects, such as cleanliness, check-in experience, communication, location, and accuracy of the listing.
Hosts can respond to guest reviews to share the actions they have taken or plan to take to address any concerns raised by guests.
Vrbo Host Reviews
Similar to how guests review hosts, hosts can also review their guests.
They can provide a score from 1 to 5 stars based on their overall experience, cleanliness, communication, and adherence to house rules.
It is important to note that individual host reviews are not public. Vacation rental hosts can only view the average rating in a potential guest’s profile when they receive a booking request from that guest.
How to Earn More Positive Vrbo Reviews?
Vrbo ratings significantly impact a listing’s search ranking. Properties with better reviews and higher ratings often appear higher in search results, making them more visible to potential guests. This visibility can lead to more bookings and increased revenue.
Therefore, it is crucial for hosts to increase their chances of receiving positive feedback.
However, obtaining good reviews is not always easy. Many people only leave reviews when they have complaints.
Thus, it is essential to put in extra effort to leave a lasting positive impression on your guests. Here are some tips to help you achieve this.
1. Set the Right Expectations
Your vacation rental listing does not need to be perfect, but it must have a clear and accurate title, description, photos, and amenities. This clarity prevents any unexpected surprises for your guests during their stay.
A detailed property description also helps attract the right travelers who match your listing’s characteristics. This can lead to finding the perfect guests for your accommodation.
There is no need to cleverly hide any shortcomings of the property, such as road noise, inconvenient location, or missing appliances. If guests encounter issues during their stay that you did not mention, they are likely to leave negative reviews. This is something you definitely want to avoid.
2. Provide Excellent Guest Communication
From the moment guests make a booking request to their checkout, it is essential to communicate proactively. Respond promptly to their inquiries and concerns. Additionally, offers personalized recommendations for local attractions and activities. This approach makes guests feel valued and appreciated.
When guests experience smooth communication with hosts, they are less likely to forget to leave a 10-point review on Vrbo. Here are some key steps to follow:
- Respond quickly to any inquiries guests have before booking and during their stay. This ensures they feel supported.
- After a guest book, send a confirmation message immediately. Thank them for their reservation and confirm check-in and check-out times.
- One or two days before their arrival, provide detailed directions to the property and express your eagerness for their stay.
- On the day of check-in, send a welcome guide. Include important details about self-check-in and house rules.
- The day after check-in, proactively ask about their experience and if they need any further assistance.
- The day before check-out, inquire if they need to extend their stay and remind them of check-out procedures.
- On check-out day, send a thank you message. Ask for any feedback and invite them to leave a positive review on Vrbo.
If guests haven’t left a review after 3 days, consider sending a gentle reminder.
If you manage multiple properties or list on various platforms, communication and information sharing can become overwhelming.
Fortunately, Hostex, a specialized vacation rental management system, can help automate guest messages.
3. Go Above and Beyond with Extra Amenities
When searching on Vrbo, you’ll notice that properties offering more amenities or services consistently receive better reviews and higher rankings.
This is easy to understand. When you put in extra effort, your guests feel your thoughtfulness. Consequently, they are more willing to share their positive experiences!
If you can provide the following amenities, it will greatly enhance guest satisfaction:
- A memorable and unique space.
- Complimentary toiletries.
- Extra towels.
- A well-stocked kitchen.
- Free breakfast or snacks.
- High-quality bedding.
- A smart TV with Netflix subscription.
- Board games or video games.
- Snacks for babies or pets.
In addition, we’ve previously summarized various amenities そして gadgets that can add extra value to your vacation rental.
4. Thoroughly Clean Your Rental Space
Cleanliness is crucial for guest satisfaction.
This is why we consistently emphasize the importance of ensuring your vacation rental is spotless before guests arrive.
Remember, whether you clean yourself or hire cleaning staff, you are ultimately responsible for any oversights. A good idea is to provide your cleaner with a Vrbo cleaning checklist, ensuring no detail is missed.
Regular property maintenance is also important. You should routinely check all furniture, appliances, and amenities to ensure everything is in working order.
You might want to check out our article for more tips on vacation rental turnover.
5. Send a Farewell Thank-You Gift
A small gift can have an extraordinary impact. It can turn your guests from satisfied to delighted, significantly increasing the chances of receiving positive Vrbo reviews.
There are no strict standards for gifts. Local specialties, homemade treats, or even a box of chocolates can make your guests feel special. Remember to include a handwritten note expressing your care and gratitude.
For example, you might write,
"Thank you for choosing my property. I hope you had a wonderful stay! Please accept this small gift as a token of my appreciation. I look forward to your next visit."
6. Provide a Suggestion Box
Even if your property and services are perfect, you cannot guarantee that every guest will be pleased.
Therefore, I strongly recommend setting up a suggestion box or a guest book. This gives guests a space to express their concerns or provide constructive criticism. This way, they are less likely to leave a negative review on Vrbo.
This is a wise move. You may find that guests genuinely offer valuable suggestions to help you avoid future negative feedback.
A suggestion box also subtly communicates that you, as a host, are willing to improve. Guests will feel they are helping you and may be less inclined to “punish” you with a bad review. Instead, they are more likely to leave encouraging feedback on Vrbo.
7. Proactively Request Reviews from Guests
After guests check out, when you write a review for them on Vrbo, the platform will notify them, inviting them to leave a review for you. This is undoubtedly one of the most polite and effective reminders.
However, if you have properties and bookings across multiple platforms, this task can become challenging.
Therefore, it’s essential to use automation tools like Hostex to help manage host reviews efficiently. With such tools, you only need to input a basic review template, and the artificial intelligence will automatically send personalized review requests to each guest.
You can start with the following basic review template to enable your automated review feature.
| – {ゲスト名} をホストするのは本当に楽しかったです。彼らをホストできて幸せでしたし、他のホストにも喜んでお勧めします! |
| – {ゲスト名} さんはとてもフレンドリーで、きちんとしていて、静かなゲストでした。彼らに任せれば私たちの家は大丈夫だとすぐにわかりました。 |
| – {ゲスト名} はいつでも私たちの家に歓迎されています。彼らはアパートをとてもきれいに整頓して去ってくれましたし、とても丁寧で、コミュニケーションもとても楽しかったです! |
| – {ゲスト名} さんは素晴らしいゲストでした! とても親切で、楽しく、清潔で、話しやすいし、ハウスルールも尊重してくれました。{ゲスト名} さんはいつでも私たちの家に来てくださいます。 |
| – {ゲスト名} さんはとてもフレンドリーで礼儀正しい方でした。彼女はアパートをとてもきれいで清潔な状態にして出てくれました。私は彼女をゲストとして皆さんに強くお勧めします。 |
| – {ゲスト名} さんをお迎えできて光栄でした。とても素敵なゲストで、コミュニケーションも素晴らしかったです。またお迎えできることを楽しみにしています。 |
| – {ゲスト名} さんは素晴らしいゲストでした。コミュニケーションがうまく、礼儀正しく、家を良い状態で残してくれました。他のホストにもぜひお勧めします。 |
| – {ゲスト名} さんは、まるで自分の家のように私たちの家を大切にしてくれました。彼らは、物をきれいに整えておいてくれていました。また泊まってくれることを楽しみにしています! |
| – {ゲスト名} さんをお迎えできて光栄でした。{都市名} にまたお越しいただいた際には、ぜひまたお迎えさせていただきたいと思います。 |
| – {ゲスト名} さんは素晴らしいゲストで、どんなホストにとっても彼を迎えられたら幸運です。彼らはまるでそこにいなかったかのように部屋を出ていきました。また彼らをホストしたいと思っています。 |
8. Encourage Guests to Leave Reviews
You should never feel awkward about wanting to receive more reviews on Vrbo.
Guests typically don’t leave reviews unless they had a bad experience, so it’s reasonable to proactively invite them to share their thoughts.
As mentioned earlier, the period right after check-out is an ideal time to thank guests for their stay and gently remind them to leave a review.
Here’s a sample message you could send:
“Hi [Guest Name], thank you for being such a wonderful guest! We hope you had a great time. Our goal is to provide you with an extraordinary 5-star experience. If you could take a few minutes to write a review after check-out, we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you again for booking with us, and we look forward to welcoming you back next time!”
Everyone is busy, and in the rush of returning from a trip, reviews are often forgotten. Therefore, if five days pass without a review, a gentle follow-up can prompt them to leave feedback:
“Hi [Guest Name], hope you’re doing well! You were such a great guest, and we left you a 5-star review. If you enjoyed your stay, it would be wonderful if you could return the favor. It helps future guests find our villa! If there’s anything we can improve for your next visit, please let us know.”
Since guests have a 14-day window to leave reviews, if you haven’t received one after ten days, you can send a brief follow-up message. The goal is to encourage them gently, not to pressure them.
Here’s a suggested message:
“Hello! I’m sorry to disturb you. If you have time, could you please review our service? Your feedback is extremely valuable and helps us maintain our status as a top host on Vrbo. Thank you again!”
By setting up rules with Hostex’s automation tools, you can send these messages without needing to track every booking manually. These simple messages will help you earn more 5-star Vrbo reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vrbo Reviews
What should I do if a guest tries to extort me with a negative review?
Vrbo’s content guidelines explicitly prohibit guests from extorting money or any other compensation from hosts or managers using reviews as a threat.
This means that guests cannot demand refunds or additional compensation in exchange for avoiding a negative review.
If you believe you are being extorted, report the incident to Vrbo’s customer support and provide the relevant documentation. Vrbo will assist you in removing the review and may take appropriate action against the guest.
Can Vrbo reviews be edited or deleted?
Once a review is submitted on Vrbo, the platform does not allow editing or deletion, and star ratings cannot be changed.
This policy aligns with the Communications Decency Act (in the United States) and the EU E-commerce Directive, which require that user-generated content must be the result of the user’s own creation.
However, if you feel a review violates platform guidelines or relevant laws, you can contact Vrbo customer service to request its removal.
Are there any incentives for guest reviews on Vrbo?
Vrbo sometimes offers travelers incentives to encourage them to complete reviews, such as discount vouchers or reward points for future travel.
However, to maintain the integrity and honesty of reviews, Vrbo does not allow hosts to directly incentivize guests to leave reviews.
What is the timeframe for Vrbo reviews?
- On the day of check-out, a marketplace feed card will appear in your account, prompting you to review your guest.
- If you haven’t reviewed your guest within three days after the stay, you will receive a reminder email.
- Both hosts and guests have 180 days to provide reviews.
- Once one party submits a review, the other party has 14 days to complete their review. During this 14-day period, reviews are private.
- Hosts can only review guests who have completed their stay and are within the 14-day window.
- Reviews are automatically moderated by the system. After 14 days or once both parties have submitted their reviews, the reviews will be published on the site.
- To ensure that reviews remain relevant and helpful for travelers, reviews are removed after three years (unless there are limited reviews for a specific property).
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