The Importance of Great Reviews for Your Short-Term Rental

Five-star reviews are essential for short-term rental hosts who want to be successful, especially on Airbnb. In fact, Airbnb requires hosts to maintain an overall rating of 4.8 stars to qualify for Superhost status. To maintain this level of excellence, hosts must strive to provide an excellent experience in order to wow their guests and get great reviews.

In this article, we’ll take a look at why getting five-star reviews for your short-term rental is so important. We’ll also point you toward the resources you need to provide a great guest experience and ensure you receive excellent reviews. 

Why Are Five-star Reviews So Important for Short-Term Rental Hosts?

• High ratings help you get more bookings. When guests are looking for a short-term rental, they are more likely to choose a listing with a high number of five-star reviews. This is because they know that other guests have had a positive experience at the property. Reading reviews helps potential guests determine if your rental is just right for them.
• 5-star reviews help you qualify for Superhost status. Airbnb’s Superhost program is a designation that is awarded to hosts who meet certain criteria. These include maintaining a rating of 4.8 or higher, completing a specific number of stays, a low cancelation rate, and an excellent response rate. Guests can filter results for Superhosts only, which can help to increase visibility in search results.
• Highly rated hosts can boost their rates. Hosts with excellent reviews can often charge higher rates for their short-term rentals. Guests may be willing to pay more for a listing that they know has provided excellent service and experience to past guests consistently.
• Great reviews help you build trust with guests. When guests see that you have a lot of five-star reviews, they know that you are a reliable host who can be trusted to provide a good experience. This can help you build trust with guests and encourage them to book your property again in the future.

In short, excellent reviews are a must for short-term rental hosts who want to be successful.

Important Tips For Getting Five-Star Reviews For Your Short-Term Rental

• Write an accurate and detailed listing description. Your listing description should be clear, concise, and accurate. It should accurately describe your property and its amenities, as well as the surrounding area. For help with perfecting your listing description, visit our post, Airbnb Listing Description Samples.
• Keep your property clean and well-maintained. This is arguably the most important factor in getting five-star reviews. Guests want to feel comfortable and relaxed in your property, so make sure it is spotlessly clean and free of clutter. Are you struggling to get positive reviews for cleanliness? We’ve got you covered with our Ultimate Airbnb Cleaning Checklist – Step by Step guide, which will help you perfect your cleaning process.
• Be responsive to guests’ messages and requests. Guests want to feel like they are important to you, so be sure to respond to their messages promptly. If they have any questions or concerns, do your best to address them as quickly as possible. We share some important tips in our article, Airbnb Hosting Etiquette, The Do’s and Dont’s that can help you set some guidelines for communicating with your guests and ensure an excellent review.
• Go above and beyond to provide a great guest experience. This could include offering a welcome package, providing recommendations for local attractions, or simply being a friendly and attentive host.

Should I Ask Guests For Reviews?

Host opinions differ on whether or not to ask guests for reviews. Many hosts ask for reviews at the time of check-out. However, opinions vary on this practice, and some advise that it can reflect negatively on you to do so. 

When we provide a 5-star stay, we deserve a 5-star review. Provide an excellent experience, clear and consistent communication, and resolve any problems ASAP and you will almost surely receive a 5-star review. If a guest is unhappy, there may be nothing we can do to change that, and we may receive a negative review.

What To Do If A Guests Leaves A Negative Review

At some point in your short-term rental host journey, you may receive a bad review. Your guest’s feedback is really essential to improving the service you provide and your future guests want to know that. 

When you are able, you can respond to negative feedback politely and graciously. Your message to your past guest is also a message to your future guests. Express gratitude for the feedback, and assure them that you take it seriously. Detail the ways you have resolved or improved the issue that was mentioned in the negative review and thank them for their feedback. If you feel the review was unfair or untrue, you may want to explore how to have the review removed. We’ve provided tips for how to do this in our post, How to Remove Airbnb Reviews – A Superhost’s Secret Weapon.

Don’t Forget to Review Your Guests!

Take the time to write a thoughtful review for your guests using one of our 10 Great Airbnb Guest Review Examples. When you review your guest, they receive a notification letting them know you’ve reviewed them and it may just inspire them to hop on and write one for you too. But please be patient. After check-out, guests will be traveling and your review will not be a priority for them at that time. 

What is your experience with getting reviews for your short-term rental? Do you have tips to share with other hosts for getting reviews and maintaining an excellent rating for your listing? Share your tips in the comments!