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When vacationing with our family last year we stayed in a eight different AirBnBs. We talked extensively about this and came to the same conclusion - there is n

When vacationing with our family last year we stayed in a eight different AirBnBs. We talked extensively about this and came to the same conclusion - there is no upside in leaving a negative review! There is a downside so I just don’t do it. If I have a bad experience, I just don’t leave a review. If AirBnB would allow you to see the “review rate” of a property that would be telling. “14% of the guests of this property left a review” would mean a lot compared to “72% of the guests of this property left a review”.

tmnvix 9y ago
Revealing the review rate for properties sounds like a very good idea. I wonder if there are any downsides. On a related note, I was talking with an airbnb host yesterday who had just hosted some fairly messy guests that may or may not have broken something. He decided that not leaving a review was the best course of action. It seems that revealing the review rate could work both ways (for hosts and guests).
- dazc 9y ago
  A place I stayed last year has been booked pretty much all the time since I was there (11 months). Yet, my review is the latest one published. The place wasn't bad (by AirBnB standards) and I was surprised by this.
- function_seven 9y ago
  > It seems that revealing the review rate could work both ways (for hosts and guests). Would't that put us right back in the same situation? Guests and hosts will now worry about keeping their review rates above some threshold, and feel the pressure to write some kind of review. The original pressure to not leave negative reviews still exists. I mean, I don't know if there's a solution to this. I remember a long time ago, when I bought and sold on eBay, that I rarely gave negative feedback. Just to avoid the retaliatory feedback from the other party.
chiefalchemist 9y ago
It seems to me you have to also reveal that for the individuals. That is "this person reviewed X of their stays." What about the simple: "Would you recommend this to a friend?" And then a _short_ reason. I mean is "too much morning sun" a bad review? Nope! What it is, it is. Some people will love it. Some won't. Some won't care either way. The point being in hiding the truth ABB is essentially inviting people to book stays that they are not going to enjoy. The advantage of leaving a "bad"review is obvious: You might save someone from a shite experience. And if this were the stay'er community standard, that someone could be you.
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > I mean is "too much morning sun" a bad review? Yes, inadequate light isolation in a place rented for sleeping is a significant negative feature.

tmnvix 9y ago

Revealing the review rate for properties sounds like a very good idea. I wonder if there are any downsides. On a related note, I was talking with an airbnb host yesterday who had just hosted some fairly messy guests that may or may not have broken something. He decided that not leaving a review was the best course of action. It seems that revealing the review rate could work both ways (for hosts and guests).

dazc 9y ago
A place I stayed last year has been booked pretty much all the time since I was there (11 months). Yet, my review is the latest one published. The place wasn't bad (by AirBnB standards) and I was surprised by this.
function_seven 9y ago
> It seems that revealing the review rate could work both ways (for hosts and guests). Would't that put us right back in the same situation? Guests and hosts will now worry about keeping their review rates above some threshold, and feel the pressure to write some kind of review. The original pressure to not leave negative reviews still exists. I mean, I don't know if there's a solution to this. I remember a long time ago, when I bought and sold on eBay, that I rarely gave negative feedback. Just to avoid the retaliatory feedback from the other party.

chiefalchemist 9y ago

It seems to me you have to also reveal that for the individuals. That is "this person reviewed X of their stays." What about the simple: "Would you recommend this to a friend?" And then a _short_ reason. I mean is "too much morning sun" a bad review? Nope! What it is, it is. Some people will love it. Some won't. Some won't care either way. The point being in hiding the truth ABB is essentially inviting people to book stays that they are not going to enjoy. The advantage of leaving a "bad"review is obvious: You might save someone from a shite experience. And if this were the stay'er community standard, that someone could be you.

dragonwriter 9y ago
> I mean is "too much morning sun" a bad review? Yes, inadequate light isolation in a place rented for sleeping is a significant negative feature.