Introduction: Responding To Airbnb Guest Reviews
[bctt tweet=”Why You Should Respond To Airbnb Guest Reviews + How”]
Click for the accompanying 5-minute YouTube Video “Airbnb Quick Tip”.
I have written a blog for those Airbnb hosts who only need helping in responding to negative guest reviews.
Why?
1. Shows host engagement to future potential guests (FPGs)
2. Allows the host to highlight one positive aspect of a lengthy review
3. Allows hosts to respond to a negative review without calling attention to it
It surprises me how few hosts actively respond to their Airbnb guest reviews. The above three reasons are why I recommend all my hosts respond to reviews. But, there is a bit of science to it. I’ve told you why. Now, let me explain how.
[bctt tweet=”Most Airbnb hosts don’t respond to their guest reviews. Don’t be one of them!”]
How To Respond To Airbnb Guest Reviews
First, you don’t need to respond to every review. But, you should respond to about half. As many reviewers will leave short text, you can use the following generic responses for these Airbnb reviews:
- Be sure to ❤ my listing to your Airbnb Wish List so you can find me easily next time!
- Thank you for the ★★★★★ review!
Here are a few examples:
Responding to reviews shows FPGs that you’re an engaged host who reads and cares about their reviews. This bodes well for you. It’s just another small thing that sets you apart from your competition.
As a guest of more than 1,000 nights on Airbnbs in 34 countries, I can tell you that most Airbnb’s are very similar. It comes down to these small variables for the final decision. I think “well, the host responded to their guest reviews and I’ve never seen that before. I have to assume they care a little bit more than other hosts’ so I think I will give them a try.” Whether or not it’s a conscious thought, it’s happening.
Second, we know that Airbnb guests don’t read, right? Right. But, some guests like to leave lengthy reviews. In this case, cherry-pick one aspect of the review to highlight in your response.
Did they mention that really nice view or how central your location is? This is your opportunity to review yourself based on a guest review.
Did they mention how family-friend your space is? This is something hard to depict in your photos and gives you a golden opportunity to sell FPGs with families!
The FPG is more likely to read your response and synopsis than the entire review. It’s like the P.S. section on emails. This is really powerful when the review starts positive and then lists a few negatives.
The FPG will likely scan the first line for negative words, not find any and go down to read your succinct response, therefore, missing the slight negative altogether!
See my example below where a guest left a lengthy and mostly positive review with a minor, slightly negative point. In the response, notice the slightly, negative point was ignored and the positive was emphasized:
Third, it’s necessary to respond to negative reviews to briefly address the issue and how it was resolved.
Related Blog: How To Respond To A Negative Review On Airbnb
An FPG doesn’t want to read about your defensiveness towards the situation, only about how it was resolved. And, since you’re already responding to positive reviews, you won’t call added attention to it.
Alternatively, see below for how it looks when you only respond to the negative reviews (Yes, this example of what not to do is from my listing):
Pretty obvious, right?
Outtro: Responding To Airbnb Guest Reviews
Remember, all of your responses should be short (or, Snappy, Catchy, + Thorough), even the negative ones. The rule of thumb is no more than two short sentences or half the guest review, whichever is shorter!
Did you know it is possible to avoid negative Airbnb guest reviews entirely?
Share your thoughts below in the comment section.
