It’s going to be useful for you to know how Airbnb reviews work if you’re thinking of becoming a host on Airbnb, or recently listed your space on the site.
Simply put: people are likely to book your space if you have better reviews, higher ratings: the kind of social proof essential to inspiring traveler confidence.
- How Do Airbnb Reviews Work?
- How to Respond to Airbnb Reviews?
- How Do Airbnb Reviews Affect My Superhost Status?
- Types of Airbnb Reviews
- Examples of Airbnb Reviews
How Do Airbnb Reviews Work?
Simply put: consumers rely on reviews to discover great local businesses, which includes your Airbnb listing. In that same vein, consider these customer reviews figures:
- 94% of consumers say an online review has convinced them to avoid a business.
- People don’t trust businesses with lower than 4-star ratings. 80% of consumers say the star ratings they trust the most are 4.0, 4.5, and 5 stars.
In addition to guest reviews, Airbnb takes the feedback process one step further by asking the host to leave online reviews of the guest as well.
By accruing enough reviews and constantly reviewing your own guests, you can become a trusted and respected member of the community, which can encourage people to book your place for their next trip. 
When are Airbnb Reviews Posted?
Guests and hosts have 14 days after checkout to write a review. The reviews only show up when both parties submit their feedback or when the 14-day review period has ended, whichever comes first.
This means that host reviews written by your guests will eventually be made public, regardless of whether or not you, as a host, left a review of your guest.
Can You Remove or Delete Airbnb Reviews?
As an Airbnb host, you cannot delete online reviews by your guests unless these violate Airbnb’s content policy.
You can report a review by going to your “Account” page, clicking on “View Profile”, and clicking the flag icon next to your Airbnb host review.
How to Respond to Airbnb Reviews
To write your review response, go to “Reviews” then click on “Reviews about you.” Then find the review. You have 30 days from the time the review was published to write a response.
Responding to an Airbnb review and need inspiration? Check out these examples of how to respond to negative reviews or positive feedback. The way you respond can turn one-time visitors to repeat customers and attract new business.
How Do Airbnb Reviews Affect My Superhost Status?
Airbnb’s Superhost program recognizes hosts who go above and beyond for every guest. Superhosts enjoy increased visibility in search results on Airbnb, exclusive perks, insider access, and an expanded set of business tools for hosting.
The current criteria for achieving Superhost status is as follows:
- Achieve a 4.8 overall rating or higher;
- Respond within 24 hours at least 90% of the time;
- Host at least 10 stays a year (or 100 nights over at least 3 completed stays);
- Have less than 1% of cancellations (for those with less than 100 reservations per year, this means 0 cancellations)
One of the factors that Airbnb takes into account when identifying Superhosts is your overall rating. Your overall rating is the average star rating across all your Airbnb listings (if you’re managing more than one).
To keep up this high rating benchmark, you’ll need to be proactive about your Airbnb reviews. In addition to leaving guest reviews, you’ll also need to actively respond to their feedback, especially if it’s negative. Take their comments to heart and use their suggestions to improve the experience for the next guest. Over time, this can lead to more satisfied customers and reservations.
Types of Airbnb Reviews
There are different types of Airbnb reviews that users can leave on the site or app.
- Public reviews: Up to 1,000 words that are visible to everyone in the community.
- Private feedback: A message to a host or guest to show appreciation or suggest improvements.
- Star ratings: Ratings for hosts from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) for the overall experience and for specific categories, including: overall experience, cleanliness, accuracy, value, communication, check-in, and location. You need to get 3 star ratings before your overall rating appears on your listing or profile.
- Group reviews: A public review that appears on the profiles of all of the guests on the reservation. There are no group reviews for Airbnb hosts.
- Cancellation reviews: If you cancel a reservation as a host, an automated review will be posted to your profile. These reviews are one of the host cancellation penalties and can’t be removed. But you, as a host, can write a public response to clarify why you needed to cancel.
Examples of Airbnb Reviews
If you’re managing one or more listings on Airbnb, you can read all your Airbnb reviews by visiting your profile or clicking your profile photo on the top right corner of the site, or by navigating directly to your Airbnb Reviews page.
Here are examples of hosts reviewing a guest after their stay:
And here’s an example of Airbnb reviews of a host, as posted by their guests:
You can also use a review software platform like ReviewTrackers to keep an eye on what Airbnb users are saying about your space, along with reviews on other travel review websites like Tripadvisor, Yelp, Google, Facebook, and more.
Final Thoughts
Remember: Airbnb reviews can help drive guests to book your place. The more and better reviews your Airbnb listings have, the more likely you are to attract guests. Successful hosts are able to make connections with guests that enhance the experience, opening the doors to better reviews, a stronger online reputation, and increased bookings.
Customer reviews research shows that 94% of consumers use reviews to guide most of their ordinary purchase decisions. However, reviews are more than a powerful information resource; they also represent a fundamentally social endeavor. Get in touch with ReviewTrackers today to ensure your brand is exceeding customer expectations, managing reviews from the top directories, and tracking what customers are saying about their experiences.
