Overview

Most potential guests base their booking requests based on the Airbnb review system. Very few things give more assurance to the guest than five-star reviews. On the other hand, managing public reviews and reputation while abiding by the Airbnb reviews policy is quite time-consuming for the host.

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In this blog, we are going to break down some Airbnb host review templates that you can use for different situations as well as some automation tools that can make the overall experience of template generation easier. 

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Airbnb Reviews from Guests

Guest reviews are often the best way for hosts to gauge the public response to their Airbnb’s service quality. From a guest perspective, it provides a rating system for the infinite amount of choices on the listing page. Guests can inform future guests about their guest experience, removing the ambiguity and risk of booking a stay at an Airbnb listing. Most reviews will abide by Airbnb’s Reviews Policy. In the case that it violates one or more of the reviews policy, the host can request for it to be removed by reporting it with explanations. Also, refer to the Airbnb Content Policy page for additional information that may be relevant to managing guest reviews. These related articles should be kept handy so that the host is familiar with the review process, and so they can respond adequately in case an unjustified zero-star rating threatens to damage your Airbnbs’ reputation.

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Guest Reviews from Hosts

Writing a review for a guest aids in distinguishing between guests that were absolute pleasures to have and the ones that you would never want to return. By regularly reviewing guests, hosts demonstrate their commitment to the Airbnb community. Completing Airbnb host reviews is a prerequisite for that elusive, trustworthy Airbnb Superhost status, which will be visible to all guests on the host’s profile page.

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How to Write Host Reviews

When you go to write your Host Review, consider the following about your guest:

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1. Evaluate the condition of the property. Leaving towels scattered or the bed unmade should not lead to a negative review. However, if something was broken and not reported to you, it's appropriate to include this in your review.
2. Maintain objectivity. For instance, if guests had small children, it's reasonable to expect a bit more disorder.
3. Reflect on your cleaning fee. A higher fee might lead guests to believe they don’t need to clean up much themselves.
4. Consider if they caused disturbances, such as playing loud music that bothered your neighbors.
5. Determine if they smoked inside the property, which could be a significant factor for a negative review, based on personal policy.

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Also, be sure to take into account guest reviews here. Let’s say someone wasn’t the perfect guest but left positive reviews, maybe reward that rating boost for your Airbnb listing before going straight to writing negative reviews about them.‍ Remember to use the star ratings system responsibly as well, and avoid giving 0-2 star ratings unless the guests have shown extremely unpleasant, illegal, or disruptive conduct.

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What if the perfect guest leaves bad reviews?

Airbnb guests booking Airbnb listings expect to have a 5-star experience. So if there is a glitch with your check-in process or general cleanliness (see how to maintain cleanliness at scale here), they’re going to let you know. 

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So if a guest leaves a bad review, you have two options on how to proceed. 

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The first is to dispute it. “When you dispute a review, we’ll ask you to provide evidence, such as photos or an Airbnb message thread with guests. Your evidence will need to demonstrate that a serious policy violation happened. It must be clear that reporting the policy violation to Airbnb and/or the guest likely led to the retaliatory review “ (Airbnb Resource Page)

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The other option is to make sure the cause of the poor Airbnb guest review doesn’t happen again. The way to do this is to analyze the review, pull the most actionable information, and fix it with your team.

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Private Feedback for Bad Reviews

If you want to turn good guests into great guests and not ruin their chances of booking an Airbnb listing from future hosts, use private feedback that only they can see. Being transparent with them while providing clear descriptions of how to improve their behavior for future Airbnbs would leave a positive impression on the guests.

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Airbnb Host Review Templates

Using templates for guest Airbnb reviews can significantly streamline your process. Think of review templates in a similar vein as scheduled Airbnb Automated Messages. By utilizing a prepared template for each positive review (and negative ones too), you eliminate the need to craft a new message from scratch after every visit.‍

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However, be mindful not to use identical reviews repeatedly. The Airbnb algorithm may detect this pattern, potentially impacting your Superhost status negatively.

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5 Positive Airbnb Host Review Templates

1. "<Guest Name> was an exceptional guest, demonstrating great communication, grace, and appreciation. We wholeheartedly recommend <Guest Name> to any host."
2. "<Guest Name> is an ideal guest: easy-going, exceptionally kind, and well-mannered. We eagerly anticipate their next stay with us."
3. "Hosting <Guest Name> was a delight due to their cheerfulness, communicative nature, and respectfulness. We strongly recommend them."
4. "<Guest Name> and their family were exemplary guests, showing great care for our home and treating it respectfully. We would not hesitate to recommend them to other hosts and would gladly welcome them back."
5. "A very cheerful couple; although we missed further interactions post-check-in, they are always welcome to return."‍

5 Negative Airbnb Host Review Templates

1. "Regrettably, despite our clear no-smoking policy, we detected the odor of smoke in the apartment following the guests' departure, which inconvenienced the subsequent guests."
2. "The guests did not communicate their arrival time, leading to a situation where they were unable to proceed with the standard check-in process upon their arrival."
3. "The apartment was left in a disorderly state. It would have been appreciated if the guests had adhered to our house rules, including placing dishes in the dishwasher."
4. "While communication was satisfactory, the guests left the property vulnerable by leaving the front door open."
5. "<Guest Name> exceeded the number of guests initially indicated in the booking. Although we accommodated the extra guests, it would have been preferable to be informed in advance to adjust accordingly."

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Automation Tools to Help With Guest Reviews and Host Reviews

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Review a Recent Guest With AI

In addition to automated guest message, HostAI is now able to write Airbnb host reviews for you. So, instead of Host Review Templates and trying to do everything to dodge the Airbnb algorithm, HostAI will pull the most relevant information from a guest's stay and write a review that is personalized to them. 

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Plus, you can choose when you want to and when you don’t want to write reviews for a guest. So, if your recent guest was a great guest or if they were a not-so-great guest who could use some private feedback, you can be sure that your HostAI-generated review is tailored to them.

Turn Airbnb Guest Reviews Into Actionable Tasks

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HostAI, in addition to some other automation tools (linked in related articles such as this one here), can take an Airbnb guest review and turn them into tasks that you can assign to your team to complete so that your listing is spick and span for the next guest. In addition to reviews, HostAI can also pull information from the Airbnb message thread and turn it into a task for your team to complete. 

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HostAI Tasks feature creates tasks from reviews

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Conclusion

This article should serve as an insightful resource for Airbnb hosts, detailing the use of review templates and automated systems to simplify the review-writing process. It highlights the importance of the review rating system in shaping the guest experience and the host's reputation, offering practical tips for crafting effective, honest reviews that foster a positive community and encourage guests to return.

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