No matter how good of a host you are, you will receive bad reviews at one point. The truth is that people have different expectations, and at times it can be hard to meet all those expectations. At times, the criticism may be unwarranted, and you really want to fight back, but you also have to remain professional. While you cannot change a review, you can control how you respond to it. Plus, a bad review allows you to rectify a mistake and keep your guests happy. So, how to respond to a review on Airbnb depends on the following?
The first negative review
You are seated in your living room going through your Airbnb reviews, and everyone seems to say positive things about your space. Then you run into not-so-positive feedback saying, provide dish soap, add a mirror here, leave Wi-Fi instructions next time, etc. That is an understandable concern and feedback that most hosts get. Then next comes a negative review from a guest. The review will mention poor water pressure in the bathroom, squeaking wood floors, terrible bedding choices, poor quality appliances, etc. The guest then ends the review by saying that it was the worst choice for them. How do you react to something like that?
Related Blog: How to Get 5 Star Reviews in Airbnb
Initial response
It can be hard not to take things personally when you come across a review like that. After all, for most hosts, an Airbnb is like their home. Even when you are living in a different location, you have put a lot of work and effort into an Airbnb space. Therefore, such comments can easily trigger you. However, before you jump and start arguing with a guest, take some time and think this through. For starters, two negative comments with ten positive comments will not deter other guests from coming to your space. Secondly, your response will determine how other guests see you and whether they consider you professional.
Examples of how to ace your negative review responses:
✅ Take the discussion offline
✅ Respond quickly
✅ Acknowledge the customer’s complaint
✅ Apologize & empathize
✅ Take responsibility
✅ Provide an explanation if needed
✅ Make it right
Dealing with a review
A guest will either love your space, feel neutral about it or completely hate it, and that is okay. Pleasing everyone is impossible. Even super hosts get negative reviews at times. But here are some tips that can help you with how to respond to a review on Airbnb.
Address the issue
Ensure you rectify the issue to avoid the same complaint. For instance
Guest: The place was beautiful, but we had issues with the WIFI
Host: Thank you for staying. We apologize for that inconvenience and have already resolved the issue.
Do not be accusatory
As a human, when you are attacked, you might feel the need to attack back and defend yourself. Do not do that.
Guest: The place is nice, but the host is very dictatorial with all these rules. I kept getting all these messages, like keep the volume down or to stop partying:
Host: Thank you for staying at our place. Please understand that we keep getting noise complaints from the neighbors. One of our rules is that no party is allowed to avoid inconveniencing other people.
Do not ignore negative feedback
Do not only respond to the positive part of the review and ignore the negative.
Guest: The place looked exactly like what the pictures showed, and there were some cookies waiting for us when we got there. The water pressure in the bathroom was, however, terrible.
Host: We are glad you enjoyed the place and that you loved the cookies. Sorry about the water pressure in the bathroom. We assure you that the issue has already been rectified.
Be brief
There is no need to go into detail explaining to the guest why a certain issue has not been resolved. For instance, if the issue was with the bathroom tap, there is no need to start explaining to the guest how you are hosting for the first time and just learning the ropes. Simply tell the guest that you are working on the issue.
Never ignore negative feedback. When other guests are reading reviews, and they see you have ignored something, they immediately form a perception of you as a ‘don’t care host’. Saying you do not know how to respond to reviews on Airbnb is no justification. Use the tips mentioned above to address guest complaints.
Address the reviewer by their name and respond promptly 😇