How to Write the Perfect Airbnb Guest Review + Free Templates (2024)

When writing an Airbnb guest review make sure to be thoughtful and detailed. Try not to leave a bad review; if they had a few little annoying habits consider telling them privately rather than public (like leaving a little messy or being a bit too loud.) You have the option to send a private message in the review to draw their attention to any issues.

According to a consumer review survey byBrightLocal:

• 91% of consumers regularly or occasionally read online reviews.
• 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

With stats like these, it’s not hard to see why Airbnb reviews matter online for both hosts and guests. Learning to write a guest review is so important and my Airbnb guest review templates will hopefully be useful in saving you time!

What Airbnb Will Ask you to Review.

Airbnb will send you a message to write a review for your guest usually about 3-4 hours after your check-out time. You will rate your guest out of 5 stars for cleanliness, communication, and observance of house rules. After this part, you will write your public review of your guest. I’m generous with stars, they have to really do something, for me to go less than 5 stars. I hope they do the same during their own review, because no one is perfect!

Airbnb Guest Review Inspiration.

Here are some Airbnb Guest review templates you can go ahead and use, simply copy and paste the ones you like and change the name for each guest. This way you’re not writing each guest review on the fly.

Once you ‘know’ how to review a guest on Airbnb, you’ll feel more confident leaving the same reviews for almost all guests. I find if a guest is generally good, I use the same review every time, I try to stay on the more positive side, as we all know how important reviews are. I’ve been hosting since 2012 and there is no need ( or time) to compose something poetic and different for each guest. Staying to the point and clear is best.

Here there are samples on how to write a review. I would keep your favorites on your phone in Notes (for a quick copy and paste during the review time) :

• (Guest’s name) was an excellent guest! Communication was clear and she left the apartment spotless and tidy. I would definitely recommend (Guest’s name) to any host.
• (Guest’s name) was an amazing guest. Communication was smooth, The apartment was left in great condition and the house rules were respected. I hope to host (Guest’s name) again in the future!
• We enjoyed hosting (Guest’s name) Everything was smooth and they left the place in excellent condition. We hope to have the chance to host (Guest’s name) in the future!
• (Guest’s name) was a great guest! She was friendly, quiet and took excellent care of the space. Any host would be lucky to host her!

What if A Guest was Not Good?

Try to be diplomatic and as polite as possible. If it’s their first time using Airbnb, and they were a bit loud one evening or used too many towels, but otherwise were great guests, send them a private message after the review. for example:

“Hey, the set courtesy hour was 9 and there was loud music until 11, other hosts may not appreciate that, just giving you a heads up so you don’t get a bad review next time”

If they really did something you think other guests should know about, and you can’t recommend them, and would not want to host again, then it’s best to write that in the review.These would be rare cases such as damaging property, sneaking in extra guests or pets, checking out late, being rude/aggressive/ or leaving a big mess.

If communication was an issue and all you got were crickets chirping after each message. I don’t publicly mention that, if they are new to Airbnb. I find is common with new guests to not answer messages, they may not have the Airbnb app set up, or be checking the Airbnb website or email for messages while vacationing. In this case, I send a private message staying:

“Hey thanks for staying, you should download the Airbnb App before your next trip, that way you can easily communicate back and forth with the host“

Because, they will eventually see your messages they didn’t answer and usually message later saying “Sorry! I never saw any of these messages!”

How to Get a 5 Star Review from a Guest.

Guests are likely to spend more money on a property that has positive reviews. So how do you get those 5-star reviews?By exceeding a guests expectations and having clear communication throughout their stay.

For example, on the morning of your guest’s check-out, send a friendly message that says:

“We hope you enjoyed your stay (name) Let us know if there is anything you need, feel free to check out a little later at 12”.

If you can offer an extra hour to check-out guests will really appreciate your gesture. Your final message after checkoutwill confirm how thoughtful a host you are! ( Because you are! )

“Thank you for choosing to stay with us, safe travels and we hope to see you again!’’

This should be sent within an hour, after check-out, while their stay is still fresh in their minds, increasing their likelihood of writing areview and making them feel they are welcome back.

Tip: Always try to receive as much feedback as possible from guests to improve yourself the next time.

What if a Guest Does Not Write You a Review.

In the beginning, my first guests were new to Airbnb and did not write a review (and the 2-week window to submit the review was closing in) I found a little nudge message helped prompt guests to submit a review.

“Thank you again for staying with us, I’d love it if you could take a minute to leave a review of your experience. Reviews are incredibly important to my success and help to reassure potential guests that my property is a great place to stay!”

More often people just get wrapped up at work or other activities and the review slips their minds. If you know that you provided an excellent stay and they left happy, definitely do the nudge!

How to Handle a Negative Review.

As hard as you may try to create a 5 star experience, on occasion you may have a guest who thinks otherwise. Airbnb is unique in that it allows both guests and hosts to write reviews of each other after a stay. You can share your side of the story in a response that will be posted publicly on your host page under the guest’s review. The trick is to reply in a very thoughtful and calm way that will smooth everything over. We once had a bad review as the airbed we provided had a slow leak and by the morning they were flat on the ground. They didn’t mention anything until the review came around.

Writing a Public Response to a Negative Review.

Don’t take a bad review as a personal attack on yourself or your vacation rental. Make sure to take time to breathe and process the review. Some guests will not mention any inconveniences to you in person, so use the negative feedback as an opportunity to improve your property for the next guests.

Reply a few hours later when you are calm and not in a reactive mood, guests don’t want to stay with a hotheaded host. Most importantly, make sure to acknowledge the guest’s inconvenience.

As other potential guests will read the negative review and your public response, assure future guests that the situation has been fixed and would not happen again. This could be that the ‘leaky Airbed’ has been replaced or the ‘broken hot water heater’ has been fixed and guaranteed for 5 years etc.

For more ideas for starting an Airbnb, check out my other article:

HOW TO START AN AIRBNB | FREE LISTING WORKBOOK FOR HOSTS!

P.s A comprehensive Guest welcome book is one of the most important amenities that you can offer. Here is My easy to edit + Modern Welcome Book Template, which will bring your Airbnb up to a professional and polished level.You can always edit it anytime and add a new favorite restaurant or activity in your area that you’ve discovered during the year. It comes as part of a bundle of goodies in my Airbnb Host Bundle!

Related