Post by High Priestess on Oct 5, 2015 0:53:56 GMT
Louise shared August 2015:
Review question
I might have put this out before--so ignore if I did. But lately--even though we've been working harder(like dogs) to make the house look great inside an out--and making changes according to what some guests have said--we've been getting more 4 star reviews than 5 star. The last person said the house "was too dark"--so we're going to add more lighting which we planned on doing before--but then again, we can't aways jump through hoops as nothing is perfect. It's where we live--so it's a big deal to move in and out and feel the stress of the reviews. I've thought of writing a note to guests about reviews--and how we would love five stars but I hesitate to do that? Or don't know if there's a way anybody does that perhaps in a light or humorous way? People seem to be more picky lately because actually the house is in much better shape! Though I understand the review process and the need for it it adds a lot of stress--especially when you don't always get 5 stars! Thanks for listening and perhaps someone has a thought about this!
Peter:
Hi Louise One thing I've been doing that has been quite effective is to say to the guests when checking in that I'm working hard to get Superhost status which needs five star reviews, so if there's anything I can do to make their stay as good as possible, please let me know right away so I can try my best to take care of it. Then, throughout the stay, I check back (not too frequently) to say "I hope everything is going OK. Is there anything I can do to make your stay better?" Then, lastly, I make sure to say goodbye to them when they check out. At that time, I wish them a safe trip, ask if there was anything that could have been improved and again remind them to give me five stars if they can to help me reach Superhost status. Uber riders often say to drivers "five for five"
Keith:
yes, this has been a good technique. A few other hosts have said that they put in their welcome/confirmation messages something like, "We strive to provide a 5 star offering, if you find anything doesn't meet this standard, please let us know so we can remedy it during your stay."
Often, even if a guest doesn't find things perfect, they feel guilty for not telling you and often give some latitude.
For me, I havne't done this, nor do I do what Peter does when I give people a walkthrough.. I do tell them to let me know if they need anything, and sometimes people complain in reviews about something they didn't mention during their stay--it's frustrating, but some people view this as confrontation and so they wont mention it even if you invite them to.
to some extent you can resolve the issue by being clear in the listing about any perceived deficiencies. spin them as an advantage.. guests who would have problems with things like (not a lot of natural light) might not stay and so you don't risk having a hard to please guest.
Louise:
Thanks Peter and Keith. We've gotten much higher ratings for the one room(when we're there) but just lost super host status--so these are good suggestions. I've been trying to keep up by email to check in when we're not at the house--and thought of saying something in the welcome booklet about how we always strive for five stars(and helps with super host status--or something like that). I guess I need to feel less awkward about asking them for that and at the same time telling them to let us know if anything can be remedied. I think one thing in our listing is that the airbnb photos make the place look lighter(as they lighten it up). When it's sunny ad windows open--it is light--so I wouldn't say the place lacks lighting. But as all of you know SF has a lot of fog. But we're going to add some more lighting where we can to certain rooms. And at least add something to the welcome booklet about the five star goal! We also added that the house is an older family house with a lot of color and atmosphere--so guests who want a sterile type environment don't book!
Alessandra:
You know, you can't please everyone all the time. We've learned that over the period of time we've been listing our place. For example, despite the fact that the listing clearly states "no microwave", we've still had 2 reviews mentioning the lack of a microwave. Or, that our place is dark (we have charcoal gray walls & white trim), but plenty of lighting, yet sometimes guests state that the place is "dark." It's obviously dark in our listing photos, so they should be aware of that when considering booking with us. Lastly, I wouldn't worry about the whole Super Host
status thing. When I had it, there was really no clear advantage that I could see, other than the fact that it made me feel good. When I lost it, I was initially very upset. This was due to just one nasty, high maintenance guest writing a horrible review. Also, I'd like to add that we should all have the ability to cancel at least one reservation every six months due to unforeseen circumstances & not be penalized by losing Super Host status if that's what we're trying to maintain or strive for.
Peter:
Alessandra, I just went on Target website and they have a Sunbeam 0.7 cu ft. microwave for $38. If it was me, I'd spend the $38 in a heartbeat and know that no-one will ever again complain that there is no microwave.
Alessandra:
If it wasn't for Airbnb's strict "no cancellations" in a year policy, I'd have Super Host status, but I don't let that bother me any more. It's just not that important.
Louise:
Thanks, Alessandra. Trying to balance pleasing guests and aiming for five stars with the reality that nothing is perfect. Think I'll put a note in my welcome booklet that reflects what Peter said in his response. I agree with you that a cancellation shouldn't effect super host status. Life intervenes--things come up!
Review question
I might have put this out before--so ignore if I did. But lately--even though we've been working harder(like dogs) to make the house look great inside an out--and making changes according to what some guests have said--we've been getting more 4 star reviews than 5 star. The last person said the house "was too dark"--so we're going to add more lighting which we planned on doing before--but then again, we can't aways jump through hoops as nothing is perfect. It's where we live--so it's a big deal to move in and out and feel the stress of the reviews. I've thought of writing a note to guests about reviews--and how we would love five stars but I hesitate to do that? Or don't know if there's a way anybody does that perhaps in a light or humorous way? People seem to be more picky lately because actually the house is in much better shape! Though I understand the review process and the need for it it adds a lot of stress--especially when you don't always get 5 stars! Thanks for listening and perhaps someone has a thought about this!
Peter:
Hi Louise One thing I've been doing that has been quite effective is to say to the guests when checking in that I'm working hard to get Superhost status which needs five star reviews, so if there's anything I can do to make their stay as good as possible, please let me know right away so I can try my best to take care of it. Then, throughout the stay, I check back (not too frequently) to say "I hope everything is going OK. Is there anything I can do to make your stay better?" Then, lastly, I make sure to say goodbye to them when they check out. At that time, I wish them a safe trip, ask if there was anything that could have been improved and again remind them to give me five stars if they can to help me reach Superhost status. Uber riders often say to drivers "five for five"
Keith:
yes, this has been a good technique. A few other hosts have said that they put in their welcome/confirmation messages something like, "We strive to provide a 5 star offering, if you find anything doesn't meet this standard, please let us know so we can remedy it during your stay."
Often, even if a guest doesn't find things perfect, they feel guilty for not telling you and often give some latitude.
For me, I havne't done this, nor do I do what Peter does when I give people a walkthrough.. I do tell them to let me know if they need anything, and sometimes people complain in reviews about something they didn't mention during their stay--it's frustrating, but some people view this as confrontation and so they wont mention it even if you invite them to.
to some extent you can resolve the issue by being clear in the listing about any perceived deficiencies. spin them as an advantage.. guests who would have problems with things like (not a lot of natural light) might not stay and so you don't risk having a hard to please guest.
Louise:
Thanks Peter and Keith. We've gotten much higher ratings for the one room(when we're there) but just lost super host status--so these are good suggestions. I've been trying to keep up by email to check in when we're not at the house--and thought of saying something in the welcome booklet about how we always strive for five stars(and helps with super host status--or something like that). I guess I need to feel less awkward about asking them for that and at the same time telling them to let us know if anything can be remedied. I think one thing in our listing is that the airbnb photos make the place look lighter(as they lighten it up). When it's sunny ad windows open--it is light--so I wouldn't say the place lacks lighting. But as all of you know SF has a lot of fog. But we're going to add some more lighting where we can to certain rooms. And at least add something to the welcome booklet about the five star goal! We also added that the house is an older family house with a lot of color and atmosphere--so guests who want a sterile type environment don't book!
Alessandra:
You know, you can't please everyone all the time. We've learned that over the period of time we've been listing our place. For example, despite the fact that the listing clearly states "no microwave", we've still had 2 reviews mentioning the lack of a microwave. Or, that our place is dark (we have charcoal gray walls & white trim), but plenty of lighting, yet sometimes guests state that the place is "dark." It's obviously dark in our listing photos, so they should be aware of that when considering booking with us. Lastly, I wouldn't worry about the whole Super Host
status thing. When I had it, there was really no clear advantage that I could see, other than the fact that it made me feel good. When I lost it, I was initially very upset. This was due to just one nasty, high maintenance guest writing a horrible review. Also, I'd like to add that we should all have the ability to cancel at least one reservation every six months due to unforeseen circumstances & not be penalized by losing Super Host status if that's what we're trying to maintain or strive for.
Peter:
Alessandra, I just went on Target website and they have a Sunbeam 0.7 cu ft. microwave for $38. If it was me, I'd spend the $38 in a heartbeat and know that no-one will ever again complain that there is no microwave.
Alessandra:
If it wasn't for Airbnb's strict "no cancellations" in a year policy, I'd have Super Host status, but I don't let that bother me any more. It's just not that important.
Louise:
Thanks, Alessandra. Trying to balance pleasing guests and aiming for five stars with the reality that nothing is perfect. Think I'll put a note in my welcome booklet that reflects what Peter said in his response. I agree with you that a cancellation shouldn't effect super host status. Life intervenes--things come up!
