How to Turn Airbnb Guest Reviews into Growth Opportunities | Managing STR Reviews

As an Airbnb host or vacation rental property manager, your guest reviews are more than just feedback; they can be golden opportunities for growth and improvement. Embracing guest reviews with an open mind and a desire to enhance the hosting experience can help you build a stellar reputation, attract more bookings, and ultimately achieve greater success on Airbnb as well as other channels. In this article, we will explore how you can leverage guest reviews to propel your hosting journey forward.

Why are Airbnb Guest Reviews Important?

Guest reviews are very important to property managers for many reasons:

1. Increase Visibility

Guest reviews are one of the most important criteria that affect a listing’s search ranking. Thus, the more positive feedback that a property gets, the higher it will rank on Airbnb search.

2. Improve Reputation

By acting as a proof of the claims made by hosts about their property in their listing and showcasing evidence of the level of service, positive guest reviews serve to improve overall reputation and thus success on the platform.

3. Influence Booking Decisions

The better the reviews and the higher the number that hosts have on Airbnb, the likelier it is that guests will make the decision to book.

4. Obtain/Maintain Superhost Status

A primary criteria of becoming and continuing to be an Airbnb Superhost is to maintain a minimum overall rating of 4.8 which requires a continuous stream of highly positive reviews.

5. Improve Service

Guest feedback can be used as opportunities to learn what property managers are doing wrong or not doing well and take action to improve the level of service provided.

How to Turn Airbnb Guest Reviews into Opportunities for Growth

Managing your guest feedback in a strategic and systematic manner allows you to turn them into opportunities to improve and grow your Airbnb business.

1. Review Your Guests

Guests are not the only ones allowed to review their experience; hosts can review their guests too. Airbnb allows up to 14 days from check-out for both parties to submit their review before it is published.

When you review your guests, Airbnb alerts them that you have done so and reminds them to review you in turn. This is one of the best ways to encourage your guests to review your vacation rental experience, receive more positive feedback, and improve your star-rating.

However, if your guests were particularly difficult and/or prone to complain about everything, you may want to hold off on encouraging them to review you.

2. Monitor Your Reviews and Respond Promptly

Make sure to respond to your guests’ reviews of your listing, whether positive or negative, professionally and promptly.

A well-thought out response showcases your professionalism as an Airbnb property manager while the prompt review proves your answer is not just an afterthought.

Thank your guests for their positive comments and address the critical feedback. Acknowledge their experience and outline the steps you took or are taking to rectify it to make sure it will not happen again.

3. Learn From Your Reviews

Guest reviews showcase how your guests experience your vacation rental property rather than how you, as the architect of it, do.

Analyze each and every review you receive in detail. Don’t ignore even the smallest points your guest has made. Make sure you address all concerns and make tangible improvements to your listing and the overall guest experience.

Meanwhile, repeated positive feedback on different areas of your hosting proves that you are doing those right and should keep doing it that way.

4. Use Your Reviews for Marketing

Guest reviews are real testimonials to the guest experience that you provide. Showcase your best Airbnb guest reviews on your marketing channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and your vacation rental website. This will allow you to make use of the power of your hard-earned reviews for a much larger audience than just Airbnb users and help you get more bookings overall.

5. Monitor Trends and Adapt

Analyzing your guest reviews over time can help you identify trends in preferences or emerging expectations.

Stay updated with changing guest needs and adapt your listing accordingly. It could involve adding new amenities, enhancing sustainability efforts, or even adjusting your pricing strategy.

By staying proactive and responsive to guest feedback, you position yourself as a host who understands and meets the evolving demands of your target audience.

6. Get Unfair/Untrue Reviews Removed

Airbnb allows hosts to have guest reviews removed in cases they violate Airbnb’s Reviews Policy. This includes if the review is biased, such as if the guest attempted to extort the host into giving them a discount or a refund in exchange for a positive review, or if it is not relevant as when a guest who never arrived at their accommodation writes a review of the vacation rental.

Violation of Airbnb’s Content Policy can also be grounds for hosts to ask for the review to be removed. This includes discriminatory or threatening language.

7. Conclusion

Guest reviews present a remarkable opportunity for Airbnb hosts to grow, improve, and create exceptional experiences for their guests.

By embracing feedback, responding professionally, and making meaningful changes, hosts can refine their listings, elevate their reputation, and attract more bookings.

Remember, guest reviews are not merely testimonials but stepping stones toward sustained success in the dynamic world of Airbnb hosting.