Reviews are the backbone of the Airbnb platform, serving as the primary source of trust and credibility between guests and hosts. Just as guests review their stay with hosts on the Airbnb website, hosts also have the option to write reviews about their guests after they have left. It is important to take advantage of this tool as they help hosts share their Airbnb experiences with other hosts.

When writing your review, think about what you'd like to know before hosting someone. Here are some things you might want to highlight:

You can also leave private feedback that will be shared along with the public reviews. 

If you need help with coming up with guest reviews, find positive and negative review templates for almost any situation on Airbnb Review Templates & Guide | 20+ Airbnb Reviews.

Many hosts, especially new ones, don’t understand the value of reviewing their guests. Just like reviews by guests help other guests in making the decision to book, hosts reviewing guests helps other Airbnb hosts in making the decision to accept a booking.

If you’ve had a wonderful guest, review them so other hosts know that this is a guest with a history of good behavior. Plus reviewing guests encourages them to review you in return, helping you collect good reviews of your own.

If you’ve had a bad experience with your guest — if they’ve damaged property or behaved in an unruly manner, for example — review them in a professional manner. Outline the issues you encountered but don’t get emotional. This will help your fellow Airbnb hosts when assessing booking requests.

If you find it difficult to write a guest review, remember that you are not alone.

Read reviews written by other hosts to get an idea of how it is done. Before you start writing, think about what made this guest a good guest (or a bad one) and if you would host them again. Consider how well they took care of your property, how they communicated and how they made you feel. If you were pleased with them, make it known and let other hosts know they were a delight to accommodate. Make sure to be honest and don’t exaggerate (either way).

Airbnb limits reviews to 500 characters so be concise and don’t feel like you have to hit the limit. Make sure you sound professional but warm and proofread the copy to ensure there are no typos or other errors before submitting.

Airbnb also allows host to give their guests a star rating. This enables other hosts to get a quick surmise of how great (or not great) a guest each user was.

Before a potential guest makes a booking at your property, they are definitely going to go through the reviews on your listing written by previous guests. Getting a review about a stay in your property gives you more exposure. Your name and profile are going to appear more often and this allows potential renters to become familiar with your position as a host. 

Oftentimes, when guests get home from a holiday, they usually forget to review their stay, especially if they have had a great time. Leaving reviews for guests reminds them and encourages them to reciprocate by leaving their own commentary about their experience with you and your vacation rental. 

Reviews also give you the chance to do damage control, especially in the scenario where a guest has posted a negative review about you or your property. You now have the option of dealing with it by giving reasonable explanations to address the complaints publicly or in private. 

Furthermore, when you have hosted for a while, you will realize the importance of relying on other hosts’ reviews when you are making the decision to accept a guest or not. Most hosts use this to effectively vet their guests before deciding whether to accept their booking. By posting your own reviews, you are also supporting other hosts who may want to rely on your information before accepting a reservation. 

If you’re new to writing reviews, it can feel challenging at first. Avoid copying and pasting from old reviews, and instead, consider:

Always address guests by name and include a short description of their character (e.g., “quiet,” “polite,” “cheerful,” “considerate”).

“Mr. and Mrs. Brown were a delight to host! They treated the place with respect and followed all the house rules. Communication was smooth, and I would be happy to host them again.”

Airbnb has made the review process straightforward, but there are a few key rules to follow:

Reviewing guests is one of the most underrated yet powerful strategies for running a successful Airbnb business. Positive guest reviews on your listing — and maintaining a high overall rating — can be the deciding factor for potential guests when booking.

One of the most reliable ways to encourage positive feedback is by writing thoughtful reviews for your guests. Many experienced hosts swear by this approach, as it often prompts guests to reciprocate with equally positive reviews.

If you’re looking to grow your short-term rental business and expand your portfolio, our team can help. Request a free demo to see how we help property managers worldwide run their vacation rental businesses smoothly and efficiently.