Writing Airbnb Reviews
Over many years of using Airbnb we’ve learned that reviews can be the most important part of choosing where to stay. A picture is worth a thousand words—and pictures on Airbnb are very important—but if you travel enough you learn that there are ways to mislead with pictures just as easily as with words. Previous visitors are where the real gold lies in figuring out what it will really be like when you stay someplace.
But alas, these are often wanting.
In many cases, someone will write just a sentence or two. Others write nothing at all. And those who do take the time to write are often shy about making any critical comments. Because the reviews are so critical to the experience of staying someplace using Airbnb, I feel that it’s imperative for users to write honest, complete reviews. But what does that mean?
Grade Inflation
It seems that many people on Airbnb feel that unless something goes very wrong, then they’re obligated to give a five star review. But when a five star review is the starting point, there’s no way to distinguish between a truly outstanding experience and one that’s merely adequate.
For example, the Airbnb we stayed at recently in Akumal was beautifully decorated with high quality furniture and appliances, had a terrace with seating for four off the living room, a rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi tub, and was only a few years old in a gated community with a pool and other amenities. This condo fully earned its five-star rating.
But this other listing, where we stayed just a couple of nights on a stopover visiting family last summer, was in a very old “cottage.” If memory serves correctly, it is actually an old gazebo that, over many decades, had improvements made to make it what it is today.
Please don’t misunderstand. Although this was certainly not near the top of our list of places we’ve stayed, it was fine. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but we slept through the night, despite the streetlight that shined directly in the window. The kitchen was very small with limited appliances that also had many miles on them—fine for a simple breakfast or even small meal—but not someplace we’d want to cook regularly. It was also a bargain and it was the most conveniently located to the people we were visiting.
My point here is not to denigrate this listing, which many reviewers say they loved—indeed one person stayed there for two full months! However, when a place like this gets 4.72 stars it becomes very difficult to determine which are the truly great places to stay and which are merely mediocre. I understand most people are staying someplace for a few days to a week or two, so the stakes aren’t always so high, especially if you’re just there for a couple of days to visit family.
But when you’re going to be someplace for a month or more, you don’t want to inadvertently end up in a place that doesn’t meet your expectations. Unfortunately, this “grade inflation” means that we sometimes have to get ridiculously picky about the ratings. How useful is a rating when 4.7 stars means that it’s probably not a place you would want to stay for more than a few days? It seems like the fact that Airbnb displays the rating to two decimal places should be their clue that something is wrong with their ratings system.
Including Weaknesses
It’s strange to me that on Airbnb most reviewers emphasise the highlights of their stay and few point out the foibles. Elsewhere on the Internet people only write reviews when they’re unhappy with a product or service (I’m looking at you, Google Maps). I realize this is because Airbnb solicits reviews very actively so people feel pressured to write one. I also understand that it’s different when you’re writing a review of a large multi-national company than when you’re reviewing the carriage house in someone’s backyard: someone just like you or me.
I’ve heard lots of anecdotal feedback from people that they don’t want to say anything critical because they feel like it’s usually a small, independent person hustling on Airbnb so they can make their mortgage payment. And sometimes that’s true, although there are plenty of investors operating on Airbnb treating it like a business in every way. In fact, Carrie and I go out of our way to try to find the listings that are run by an individual with just one or a few places they rent out. We find that the service is better, the homes are more personalized, and that we tend to enjoy the experience more.
And I completely sympathize with the difficulty writing something critical about these people. Most of them work hard to make their place wonderful and when they fall short, it’s often not due to a lack of effort. It feels bad to write something negative about someone else, especially when you see their picture right on Airbnb and have been communicating with them directly. You don’t have that kind of experience with a hotel, so it’s a lot easier to point out the running toilet or noisy air conditioner.
But here’s the thing I try to remember when I’m writing a review: there are many more people just like me who are going to be considering whether or not to stay there. If I write something critical, it might cause some pain for the host, but it’s saving some pain for countless future guests who will be able to take those critiques into consideration before they book.
Not only are you helping future guests, you’re also helping the host by making clear to them the things that matter to their guests so they can improve. It’s not enough to tell the host that you were unhappy with something. If you don’t put it in your review, they may conclude that it really wasn’t very important.
You Don’t Have To Be Mean
Just because you’re including critical comments in your review doesn’t mean that you have to be spiteful or hurtful or even negative overall. Before I write any review, I ask myself two questions so that I’m able to include the negative items in a review that are important as well as ensure that I’m doing it in a constructive way.
What Would I Want To Know Before Booking?
When you look back on your experience, what are the things you wish you’d known before booking? These don’t have to be things that would have (necessarily) made you choose something else. These could be things that would have helped you calibrate your expectations. Or maybe these are things that you could have planned around. Or maybe they are things that would have prompted you to book a different stay.
That five-star reviewed condo in Akumal that I included above? Although it had a dishwasher, it turns out that dishwashing detergent is virtually impossible to find in this part of Mexico. As in, we never found any. And the property management company responsible for it didn’t leave us any. So it was completely accurate for them to list a dishwasher on the listing, but I definitely would have wanted to know in advance that there wouldn’t be any soap for it! I probably still would have stayed there, but I wouldn’t have been looking forward to having a dishwasher again after months without one. And maybe I would have stopped at the Costco in Cancun (over an hour away) for some dishwasher soap before driving down there.
Who Is This Place Best For?
Virtually every place on Airbnb is a good fit for someone, even if it’s not a good fit for you. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine who that person is, but there’s always someone. After all, someone probably lived in that place as their permanent home at some point! If you can figure out who that person is, it can help steer your review and allow you to point out faults in a way that helps someone else.
We had a great time visiting Cape Town, South Africa in early 2020. While we were satisfied with our apartment on trendy Kloof St, it wasn’t really the right fit for us. It was close to all the hip bars and restaurants of the city and not far from the backpacker district, either. However, we don’t spend time in bars and cook virtually all of our meals at home, rarely eating out.
In exchange for being in a location so conducive to dining (and drinking) you get to be someplace that’s much louder, has more traffic, is a bit more touristy, and attracts more petty crime. We found that this was a poor trade off for us! But for someone going to Cape Town for a week of vacation who is young and plans to spend their off time hitting all the cool restaurants and closing down the bars at night, this place is perfect! It’s right on Kloof St less than a five minute walk from virtually any of those places.
Won’t I Get A Bad Review?
Another common fear about writing a critical review is that the host will write a bad review about you in retaliation. Back in the modem ages of the Internet, this was a real problem on eBay: few people wrote negative reviews because the seller would write you a bad review and you’d never be able to buy anything again.
Airbnb has addressed this by preventing either the host or the guest from seeing the other’s review until both parties have written their reviews. Once the reviews are submitted, they can’t be changed. So even if you write something critical, the host won’t be able to see it until after they’ve already written their review of you.
And if you’re still a little uneasy about writing something critical? Rest assured that the host will have the opportunity to publicly respond to your review where other potential guests will see it. So even if you’re afraid you may be going too far or are being unfair, the host will have an opportunity to provide additional comments of their own and those comments aren’t tied back to your account.
The only situation where I would caution someone about writing a negative review is when the host knows in advance that a bad review is forthcoming. In this case, you’ll have to make a judgment call based on your assessment of the honesty of the host. The reason for this is that, although the host can’t read your review until they submit their review of you, they can see whether or not you’ve written a review at all. So if they’re expecting a negative review and they see that you’ve written a review (even though they can’t read it) that may prompt them to write something negative about you in a kind of preemptive retaliation.
Of Course, Write The Good Stuff, Too
Especially if you are being critical in your review, write about the things that went well or that you particularly enjoyed about the place. Even if you hated the place, there are bound to be some redeeming features.
Share The Details
I encourage people to include details in their reviews that might not appear in the listing description or pictures. These include things like:
Was the bed hard or soft?
Some people prefer a firm bed and others soft. It’s not enough to say that the bed was comfortable or uncomfortable (which is what most reviewers seem to do) because we don’t know what kind of bed you like!
Is the kitchen fully stocked?
As a long-term guest it’s critically important to know if the kitchen is really equipped for someone to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner most days of the week. Does the kitchen look like one that you could live full time with? Or is it a mini-fridge, toaster oven, with a few plates and glasses?
What’s the neighborhood like?
Are the neighbors loud? Can you hear the street noise? Did you feel safe at night? Is there shopping nearby? Can you get food delivery?
Does everything work well?
Is the air conditioning efficient or noisy? Is the WiFi fast enough to stream and browse at the same time? Were there any weird tricks you had to use to get the windows to close or the TV to work?
How accurate are the photos?
Do the pictures portray the experience of being there accurately? Is the space smaller than it seemed? Is there something the host always keeps out of frame? Is everything in the pictures actually present in the rooms?
Can it really accommodate all guests?
If the listing says that it’s suitable for four people, would four people really be comfortable there? Too often the number of sleeping spaces doesn’t match the seating in the living or dining areas. Or the bathrooms aren’t suited for the number of guests listed. Is there enough hot water for everyone? A listing might technically be able to accommodate eight guests but that doesn’t always mean they’d enjoy staying there together.
What does the space feel like?
Is it dark and gloomy or bright and airy? Is it an open floor plan where your group can be social or is it closed off and private? Are the ceilings low and confining or do the rooms feel spacious? Is the decor minimalist, sparse, stale, cluttered, homey, warm?
What are the logistics of living there like?
Is there curbside trash collection or do you have to bring your own garbage to a nearby dump? Do they recycle and provide separate bins with clear instructions on what goes where? Do you have to do any kind of maintenance, such as watering plants or changing filters? Is the hot water hot and plentiful?
What is transportation like?
Is a car necessary or is there public transportation? How easy is it to use the public transportation? Is there covered parking or street parking or a pay lot? Is it difficult to find or access in some way? Is it in a walkable neighborhood? How far is it from the tourist sights?
Would you stay there again?
This might be the most important comment in your review!
Wrapping Up
Although it seems like a lot of things to go over in a review, you don’t need to write a novel! You don’t have to include everything, just the stuff that’s most important or really stands out. If every other review already mentions something, there’s no need for you to repeat it unless you have something to add. Airbnb really is a community and active participation in the reviewing process is critical to ensuring that both guests and hosts are able to get the most value out of the experience possible!