How to Deal With a Negative Review At Your Short-Term Rental (Don’t Do What I Did)
You left the most wonderful welcome pack, left some boogie boards suitable to your guests’ age group, you answered a million questions in the lead up to their stay, you gave them early check-ins and late check-outs, they wanted to stay an extra night, so you heavily discounted it for them …. and they gave you a mediocre or negative review. WTF?
It can be very confusing when you have rolled out the welcome mat for your guests, greeted them personally, and received texts from them throughout their stay about how much they love your place — only to be given a less than impressive rating and comment on a booking platform.
What I did …
It has happened to me throughout the six and a half years of self-managing my rental. Not often, but enough to annoy me. I used to get very upset. I remember in my first year, I had a couple stay in my place for five nights. I was so excited — five whole nights!!!! Up until this point the most anyone had stayed was three nights. I probably went a bit overboard. I gave them a bottle of French champagne, local delicacies, early arrival time, late check-out time … AND A WHOLE EXTRA DAY FOR FREE, which was a Saturday night.
In my defense at being way too eager, it was rooted in logical reasoning:
a) Spend money to make money. If I could get good ratings in my first year, it would help me attract more bookings,
b) From the outset of self-managing, I wanted to attract return guests to save me paying commission fees to platforms,
c) I wanted guests to recommend me to family and friends.
It made good business sense. Reality was heartbreaking. The couple had booked on booking.com, which allows guest to score out of 10. They were also a ‘genius’ booking — a status booking.com bestows upon any guest that has a specified number of accommodation stays throughout the year. I had been asked to join the program based on my consistent high ratings. It meant genius guests get an automatic 10% off their stay. So these guests had an amazing deal, especially since it was just 2 weeks from the official start of summer (ie, the weather was beautiful).
They gave me a 6.
I usually got a 10.
The worst part? They left an anonymous review with no comment. I had no explanation for my low score. I knew it was them. I had no other outstanding review scores. I did something I recommend NO-ONE DOES. I texted them.
‘Hello, thank you for taking the time to review my place. As I gave you a discount, French champagne, a free Saturday night, and a generous welcome pack of local groceries, I was just wondering if you could help me improve by telling me what I didn’t do right during your stay?’
OMG, total cringe, amiright? As cathartic as it felt, it’s just not a good look. It was passive aggressive. I think it’s OK to ask a guest how you can improve generally if there’s been open communication in the review or through messaging. But if they have been anonymous, it infringes upon their privacy and it can feel quite accusatory. The guest wrote back:
Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I haven’t done a review before and they are so confusing (yeah, right). I’ll call booking.com and get it changed.
I handed her an opportunity to critisize my place …
Yep, true to her word, she changed the score to a … 7 — but then left a whole series of comments that nit-picked every part of my villa. Ridiculous comments, such as ‘the air is salty!’ Lady, you stayed right opposite THE BEACH. There is literally no pleasing some people. But, I know I was in the wrong. I damaged my brand. And you know what? Maybe they just didn’t like my place. Maybe they don’t like the beach and the glorious salt air sea mist that I am obsessed with? Maybe my place wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was? And that’s ok.
I have come to learn that people have different standards and likes/dislikes when comparing and judging your place and service. And I cannot take it personally. Nor should you.
Don’t get mad, say thank you.
See negative feedback as a gift.
However, if you are getting consistent bad reviews, or many guests mentioning the same issue/s, take it onboard. They are your eyes and ears when you aren’t there. How else are you going to know about a kitchen cupboard coming off the hinges, if they don’t let you know? Don’t get mad, say thank you.
I love when guests let me know something is broken or an item needs replacing. Wear and tear is going to happen. It’s not a poor reflection upon you — unless you do nothing to address the issue. Most guests just text me whilst they’re staying, but some save it for the review (which, admittedly, is annoying). But it is still helpful.
Show them how attentive you are.
If there has been an issue at my place, I get it fixed in record time — I will do anything to make sure the guest doesn’t have to deal with it. I’ll pay extra for an emergency plumber. I will get my handyman to be there in record time to fix the door.
And you know what? Each time guests have given me a 10, or a 5 on Airbnb, because of my attentive service. Things breaking or not working are a wonderful opportunity to show your guests how proactive you are and how you put them first. They’re not going to mark you down for things breaking, but for how you respond and handle it.
It’s also a great chance to reinforce the positive aspects about your place or correct any misunderstandings.
Writing a response.
When writing a response to your guests’ reviews, whether good or less than impressive, always show gratitude for them staying. Say thank you. Apologize for any issues they may have experienced. Offer them a discount for the next time they stay. This helps validate them, and it shows by writing kind responses, future guests will see you as kind and open.
We’ve all seen defensive responses from owners and managers and … well, it’s just not a good look. Why would anyone want to stay somewhere where the responses are rude? See your review responses as positive advertisements to future guests. It’s also a great chance to reinforce the positive aspects about your place or correct any misunderstandings.
Always acknowledge and repeat the positive things that your guests write.
I was once given a review on VRBO that mentioned my place had included use of a nearby pool but when they stayed there, they didn’t have access. It resulted in a lower score and any future guests reading it thinking I lied in my description. However, I had a very clear message in my description saying I did not have access to the nearby pool. I kindly responded and copied and pasted my description, but thanked them as I would make it more prominent.
They also mentioned they loved my view, so I then acknowledged that for future guests “I am so happy you loved the view! It’s my favorite part of the villa too, and why past guests return”. Always acknowledge, highlight, and repeat the positive things that your guests write. It’s a great way to capitalize on what makes your place stand out.
Take nothing personally and keep being kind.
Now, if I know I have gone above and beyond for people, and have done my best, I am good. As long as I am welcoming to my guests, I can weather any nit-picking comment or score. Not everyone is going to like you. Not everyone is going to like your place. And you cannot take it personally.
Although I still believe generosity is the cornerstone of a successful short-term rental, I save my biggest giveaways, discounts, and benefits for my return guests. I know they like my place, I know they are grateful, and they look after and respect it. And most importantly, I know that it helps build a stronger relationship between us that will see them return in the future and make me more money.
Read here about how return guests can make a difference to your business.
(Confused about upfront and hidden costs for professional hosts and managers? Read here.)
Thanks for reading this far! How have you responded to negative comments in the past?
Hire me! Message me at consultleisel@gmail.com
