Airbnb Host Reviews & How To Automate Them!

I want to show you a few little tricks.

First up, I want to show you how to write a killer Airbnb host review (don’t worry, I’m going to give you examples), and secondly, I want to show you how to automate the whole process too.

And thirdly, I’ve got a load of Airbnb review templates you can have too (more on that in a minute).

So, if you’re like me and you’re always looking for the best and most efficient ways to do things, I think you’re going to love this post.

But first, a little background…

How do Airbnb Host reviews work?

Airbnb has a two-sided review system whereby hosts can review guests, and likewise, guests have the opportunity to review their hosts.

As a host, you are encouraged to leave a review of your guests for the good of the community.

To leave a host review, you’ll need to go through four separate steps:

Step 1.  Leave a star rating on the following categories:

• Cleanliness—Did the guest leave your space clean?

• Communication—How clearly did the guest communicate their plans, questions, and concerns?

• Observance of House Rules—Did the guest observe your House Rules?

Step 2.  Leave a public review (up to 1000 words)

Step 3. Add a private note (this step is optional)

Step 4. Would you host the guest again?

Once the review is submitted, it’ll be processed and will go public either once your guest has reviewed you, or if the guest fails to submit a review, your review will become public after 14 days.

Why Airbnb reviews of guests are important?

Reviews play an important part in how Airbnb’s platform works, and have a crucial role in future booking opportunities for both hosts and guests.

They help to build trust, and hosts rely on reviews of guests to avoid bad guests. Most hosts confess that they always look through Airbnb guest reviews before they confirm a reservation.

That’s why to encourage you to write reviews, Airbnb sends an email and app notification after each trip asking you to review your guest. Once you leave a review, Airbnb will encourage your guests to provide their feedback by sending a notification. If they were generally satisfied with their stay, they are more likely to return you the favor.

In this way, you’ll increase the number of your reviews and get more reservations. Besides, your past guests will appreciate that you help them look trustworthy in the eyes of other hosts.

Airbnb review guidelines

So what does a good Airbnb review look like?

And, what are the components that turn an average review, into a great one?

Let’s find out!

Name drop

People always appreciate the use of their names.  It makes the review more real, and more personal.

Keep it informal

The best examples of Airbnb reviews aren’t all formal and stuffy, instead, they’re casual and conversational.  

Lavish praise

Don’t hold back when it comes to praising your guests.  If they were tidy, mention it.  If they were friendly, mention it.  You get the picture.  

Remember it’s public

The reviews you leave are visible not only to hosts but also to guests looking to stay at your place too.  

Would your guests rather stay with a kind, casual, friendly host, that lavishes praise and builds connections with their guests?

Or, would they rather stay with the miserable, grumpy host, that’s never got a good word to say about their guests?

You already know the answer, which is why it’s important to conduct yourself with real integrity throughout the review process.

Airbnb host review example

“What can I say, %guest_first_name% has been incredible!

From the moment the booking was made %guest_first_name% has been an absolute pleasure to host.  

%guest_first_name% was kind and respectful throughout their stay, and upon checkout, the property was left absolutely spotless.  

Would I recommend %guest_first_name% to other Airbnb hosts?

Absolutely.  

I’d welcome %guest_name% back in a heartbeat!”

Airbnb Host Review Templates

The Airbnb review example above is a goodie, but you need more than one template in your repertoire so that you can rotate them to keep things fresh.

Using templates will save you time. You won’t have to draft a unique response after each stay. Just copy and paste from a template and move on with other tasks you need to do when running an Airbnb.

It’s better to make your review templates gender-neutral. Then you won’t have to edit pronouns and will be able to avoid mistakes that could offend your guests.

I’ve pre-written 5 Airbnb Host Review Templates for you that you can use for free for your future guests.

How to automate Airbnb host reviews (so you never have to write a review again)

Ok, so now that you know how to write a killer Airbnb host review, and you’ve also got a load of pre-written host review templates too, I now want to show you how you can automate this review process.

It’s actually pretty easy.  

First up, though, you’re going to need one of the tools for Airbnb hosts to help you with this. For that, we’re going to be using Hospitable.

Once you’ve got an account set up, you can follow the steps below:

Login to your Hospitable account, and from the dashboard, click on the Heart (Guest Experience) icon.

Click on “Review rules” from the menu bar.

And then “Add New”.

You’ll be greeted with a pop-up box that looks like this.  Click on “Add a review template”.

And now, all that’s left to do is add your review template, switch the toggle to ‘ON’ to activate the message rule, and select when you want your review to be sent out.

I recommend a delay of about 3 days before sending out a review to give you a little leeway should you have any troublesome guests.  That way, if you need to leave a bad review, you can intercept the automation process and manually write a review instead.  

And, there’s just one last step you might need to take…

As it’s possible to manage multiple properties, via multiple hosts, on multiple booking platforms with Hospitable, you’ll also have the option to assign these review rules to any of these categories too.

And that’s it.  Once you’ve gone through this setup process, you can then sit back and relax, and let Hospitable do the heavy lifting for you.

You can officially retire from your review writing responsibilities forever!

Reviews automation is just the first step. Download our guide on automation strategies that will boost your revenue.

Frequently asked questions:

Q. If I automate reviews, won’t I sound like a robot?

Not at all.

Can you remember how I used this code %guest_name% in my message templates above?

Well, that’s called a short code, and it dynamically pulls in information about your guests to insert into your messages.  

Using short codes you can create incredibly personalized review templates that have that human touch.

Q. Won’t it look weird sending the same review template every time?

The goal is to not have just one review template but multiple.  If you have a selection of pre-written host review templates that are activated, Hospitable will use it’s randomizer function to randomly select which review template to send.  

With reviews on rotation like this, you can rest easy.

Q. What if I need to leave a bad review?

As a default, the review system will leave all guests a five-Star review.  However, if you need to interject with this process to leave a negative review or something similar, all you have to do is simply manually write your review instead (before the automated review gets sent).

Conclusion

Airbnb host reviews are one of those niggling little jobs that are important, but not urgent.  And that’s why it’s always one of those tasks that you put off until the very last minute (at least I do anyway).

That’s why I say “be gone” with that stress…

Just automate it instead.

And I really mean that.  I can hand on heart say that I haven’t written a single host review since 2017, and I’ve hosted over 200 guests at that time.  

Will automating your reviews transform your life?

Probably not.

But will it free up your headspace, save you time, and mental bandwidth?

Hell yes!

Since you’re now in the efficiency mode, don’t forget to download our guide on automation strategies that will boost your revenue.

Peace out,
Rowan.