Airbnb Reviews: Everything You Need to Know • Happily Ever Travels

This is the ultimate guide to Airbnb reviews. In this post, we will be talking about how to review, what is a review, who can review, where to find your reviews, when you can review, and why reviewing is important. We will also have examples of reviews for hosts and guests so that you know what to say to a host or guest.

Reviews on Airbnb can make or break you as a guest or a host and it is crucial that you understand the importance of reviews.

What are Airbnb Reviews?

A review on Airbnb is when you receive feedback from either a guest or a host about your stay in the accommodation.

As a guest, when you write a review you will talk about your stay in the Airbnb and how the host did to help.

As a host, you will talk about how your guest treated the accommodation and how they treated you as a host.

How to Leave a Review On an Airbnb as a Guest

As a guest, you will be asked to review the Airbnb on the day of your checkout. You will receive an email from Airbnb asking how your stay was on a 5-star rating system. From the email, you can click the number of stars you think that the host deserves. Once you do this it will take you to the Airbnb website to finish the reviewing process.

Another way to leave a review is directly on the Airbnb website. To do this you go to the “Messages” or “Trips” section once your stay is completed and from there it will have a prompt for you to leave your review of your stay. Then you will be able to fill out all the information from your stay and what you liked and didn’t like about it.

It will start off by asking “How was your stay with ______?” and then you click the number of stars your stay was on a scale of 1 to 5 stars.

Next, it will go into more detail about your experience at the stay.

Then it will ask you to write a private note for your host. This will only be shown to the host so if you have anything that you think that they could do to fix the accommodation or anything else that doesn’t need to be public information now is the time to tell the host so they can fix it.

Then it will ask you to write a public review for the stay. This will be shown to everyone looking at the accommodation in the review section of the listing. Make sure to be honest but not too nitpicky. Talk about the pros and the cons of the stay. One bad review can ruin an Airbnb so make sure to be honest and kind.

Then it might ask you to tell a little bit more about the stay followed by a few extra questions to help future guests. These questions are not the same for every stay.

This is the the first question asking if the check-in process was smooth. Make sure to answer the questions honestly because they are anonymous.

It will then ask you how well equipped the space was. If you want to go into more detail you can click the buttons below the main answer but you don’t have to.

Next, it will ask you to go into more detail about the amenities that were included in your stay. You can just click yes if the amenity was there, no if it wasn’t, or not sure if you can’t remember or don’t know if the amenity was included.

This question asks if there are areas to relax or work out. I’ve never been asked this question before so it is cool to see that Airbnb is constantly growing its amenities list.

Were there places to relax or work out in the airbnb

After these questions you will be able to submit your Airbnb review. Once you do this it will go public once the host has reviewed you or after 14 days.

How to Leave a Review On a Guest as a Host

To review a guest as a host you will also receive an email asking you to review your guests or group. Or go to Airbnb.com and log in as a host. Then click “Insights”, then “Reviews”, and write your feedback for the guest.

From there you will be able to submit your review and the guests will receive an email from Airbnb saying that you left them a review. Airbnb asks you to be honest in your reviewing of guests so that other hosts have a real idea of what they are getting themselves into.

When to Leave a Review on an Airbnb

Airbnb has a 14 day period of time that allows you to write a review as a guest or host. After the 14 days you will not be able to review the property or guest. This includes editing the review (you have 48 hours to edit your review after you submit it). The reviews are posted after either both of the parties have finished their reviews or the 14 day period has ended.

To respond to a host or guest’s review of you or the property you will have 30 days to do this. This includes reporting a review that you think violates the Airbnb Policies. I will explain how to respond to a review later in this post.

Why Should I Review a Property?

The reason you should leave a review on an Airbnb property is that this is the way that other people will know whether or not they should book it. If you had a great stay and the place had lots of amenities and the host was amazing then people should know!

If the place was a dump and the host showed up 3 hours late to let you in the property people also need to know. It helps in the review if you write about what was good about the property and what was bad (not just the bad things). This way people are able to see the good and the bad and assess for themselves if they still want to book the property.

Why Should I Review a Guest?

You should review a guest because this is what other Airbnb hosts will see when they are deciding to accept a guest to their property. If the guest was perfect and left the place just as you asked them to then you should write this in their review.

If the guest doesn’t follow the house rules, throws a party, and leaves the place trashed then you need to write this in their review. This will also help the guest be able to see what they can do better in future Airbnbs.

Who Can Leave a Review on Airbnb?

The only people that can leave a review on Airbnb are the main guest and the primary host. If you are part of a group staying at the accommodation then you cannot leave a review for an Airbnb. Only if you are the person who booked the Airbnb can you leave a review on your account that you book the property with.

If you are the primary host (listing admin) of the accommodation you are the only one who can see a guest’s previous reviews by other hosts and leave them a review once their stay is complete. The co-host or assistant cannot leave a review of the guest.

Where to Find Your Reviews as a Guest

If you would like to see a review that a host has left you then go to the “Account” in the dropdown menu. From there go to the hyperlink that says “Go to profile” at the top of the page under Account.

There you will see all the reviews that hosts have left you.

If you want to see any private messages that hosts have left you scroll to the bottom of your profile page and click the hyperlink “Reviews by you”. This will take you to a new page that will show you the private messages that hosts have left you.

Where to Find Reviews for Hosts/Properties

To see the reviews that a guest has left for your property go to your hosting dashboard and click on the “Insights” tab at the top of the page.

Where to find reviews as a host on airbnb

Then go to the “Reviews” tab.

From here you will be able to see all of the reviews that guests have left you.

How to Respond to Reviews as a Guest

To respond to a review that you have received from a host you follow the instructions to see the private messages that a host has left you. Then on the right side of the private message it will say “Leave Public Response”. Here you will be able to leave a response to their review of you and all of your future hosts will be able to see your response to their public message.

If you would like to report a review that a host has left you because they violate Airbnbs content policy, the review is biased, or if the review is irrelevant to the stay or you as a guest then you can contact Airbnb and ask them to take down the review.

How to Respond to Reviews as a Host

As a host, you will follow the same instructions to find the reviews from your host dashboard. Then from there, you will be able to find all of your reviews and respond to reviews left for your property.

Leaving a public response as an airbnb host

If a guest has left a public review on your property that you don’t feel is true or you just want to thank them for staying then you can respond to their review and it will be shown publically to anyone looking at your listing. You can also contact Airbnb and see if you can get the review taken down if you feel that the review violates Airbnbs content policy, the review is biased, or if the review is irrelevant to the stay.

Below is an example of a host responding to a public review of their accommodation:

25 Airbnb Review Examples for Guests

This place was perfect! We loved the location, the amenities, and the host was great. We can’t wait to come back!
This Airbnb was good but there are things that they could improve on. Some of the pros of this listing are ________. Some of the things that they could improve on are ________. If they were able to fix these things then our stay would have been perfect!
Our experience at this stay was bad. We had a lot of problems that were not resolved during our stay. First, ________. Then, ______. Lastly, _______. We will not be coming back to this listing and hope that the host can fix these problems for future guests.
This place was good but be aware that it is not centrally located. You will need a car or take public transport while you are here to get to the center. The stay is amazing though! We loved our stay here and can’t wait to come back!
What a nightmare! We showed up and the host was not there and didn’t show up for _______. Then we got in the listing and it was _______. We will not be coming back here and would not recommend this stay to anyone!
Wow! This stay was so great! The host was so helpful and had a lot of recommendations for us near the stay! The place was spotless and we love the ________ that the host left us! We will definitely be coming back!
I wish that I could say that I recommend this place but unfortunately there are a lot of things wrong with this place. First, ________. Then, ______. Lastly, _______. I feel bad saying these things though because the host was amazing! They were so accommodating and helped us with everything we had questions on. If the reviews start telling a different story about this place then we will definitely be coming back.
This place is good but there are no amenities! There is no _______, no ________, and no ________. Besides these things the place is nice and the host was helpful. Wish I could say that we were coming back here but I think next time we will be looking for a place with more amenities.
This place says that it includes ______ but it doesn’t! We chose to book this place even though it was a little more expensive because it included this but it doesn’t. Other than this small setback the place is good but just disappointing it didn’t have _______.
We stayed at this Airbnb for a month and loved it! It had everything that you need for a long term stay and more! They had great wifi as well which is perfect for working at home. If you are looking for a place to stay at long term then this is your place!
We stayed at this place long term (a month or more) and it is not equipped as much as we would have liked it to be. It didn’t have _________, or __________, or even _______. It would be fine for a couple day stay but long term we would not recommend it.
We were looking forward to staying here because of the central location and amazing reviews that this place got. Unfortunately, the _______ was not as great as we thought. The location was great but just the ______ kind of ruined the place for us.
Where do I start…. This place was AMAZING! We loved the free breakfast that was included that the host made for us each morning. Everything about the place was amazing! We wish that we could have stayed here forever. Can’t wait to come back!
The wifi at this place was so fast! We work online so internet is super important to us. The wifi was _____ MBPS and never dropped the whole trip! If you are looking for the perfect work from home stay this is for you!
The stay was amazing! However, the host could have done a much better job. They never responded to our messages, they were late letting us into the apartment by _______ minutes/hours, and they were super rude to us at check out. It’s sad because the place was perfect but we will not be coming back here.
This place was great but the air conditioning didn’t work! We had a hard time sleeping because it was so hot and we were so uncomfortable. We were not really able to enjoy the stay at the apartment because of this but the location was perfect so that made up for it a little.
When we got to the accommodation there were a few things wrong with it, however, the host fixed them right away and we didn’t have another problem for the rest of the trip! So great to have an amazing host that helps when you need it!
This place had such an amazing view of ______. The view alone was a reason to come back to this Airbnb. We could not get over how amazing it was. Can’t wait to return!
Great place, great host, just be aware that the ceiling is a little low for anyone who is over _____ feet tall. I hit my head on it multiple times as did my wife. Not something that they could change but just be aware.
This place is pretty far from the city but it is very close to public transport. Just be aware that you are going to be paying ____ everytime you go into the city.
This place was very close to the airport and the host helped us arrange transportation to get to the airport. Perfect place if you have an early morning flight. Thank you host for helping us and being so accommodating.
The private room that we stayed in was great! The host was there to greet us and show us around the stay. The host told us all the best things to do around the accommodation and even let us in on a few local secrets! The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. If you are looking for a great place and a new friend then this is the place for you!
This private room is not great. The host was very cold to us and seemed like they didn’t really want us around. We always felt like we were in the way and like we did something wrong. If you are looking for a cheap room then this place is great but just be aware the host is not very nice.
This place is great for the price. We booked this stay because it was the cheapest in the area and had good enough reviews. It was not the best place we have ever stayed but for the price I would recommend it if you are on a budget!
For the price of this place it was not worth it. It was very small and pretty far out from the center. If the price was just ______% lower then maybe this place would be worth it.

25 Airbnb Host Review Examples

Thanks so much for staying! Can’t wait to see you again!
Great guests and very respectful. Would recommend them to other hosts.
I wish that I could say that you were good guests, however, you left the place dirty and broke the ______. You were very kind but please do better next time. Thank you.
They did a great job of resecting the house rules and left the place clean and nice. Hope you can stay longer next time!
Very nice and resectful guests. They are quiet and keep to themselves. I would definitely recommend them to any other host.
Do not recommend. They were very disrespectful and did not respect the house rules. Beware of these guests.
They are nice, friendly guests. They were very helpful, communicative, house-rule observant, and left the stay spotless. Recommend to every host.
I hosted ______ for a month and they were very nice and polite. Can’t wait to host them again!
I hosted ______ for a month and they were not good guests. They were rude and when I asked them to please ______ they said that they would not do it. Would not recommend them as guests.
Great guests. They responded to my messages and followed the checkin and checkout procedures. Happily have them back.
So kind and polite! They even left us a little gift and left the place clean and tidy. Can’t wait for them to come back!
Hey ______. I think that you accidentally left some of your things here. Let me know what you would like me to do to get them back to you. Thanks for staying with us!
They stayed in our private room and they were so kind! They were respectful and quiet. They did a great job of keeping the house clean. We had some great conversations and I am so glad that I met them. Hope they come back soon!
They stayed in our private room and I would not recommend them to other hosts. They did not clean up after themselves and were very loud until very late at night. They would come home late and be very noisey. Do not recommend.
They stayed at our accommodation for ______ and we had some complaints from the neighbors. They said that the guests were loud and made it so they couldn’t sleep. Please in the future be respectful of others. Thank you.
These guests were good. They were polite, kind, and respectful. However, they could do a few things better. Firstly, ________. Also, _______. If they did these things then they would be perfect guests!
So happy to have met _____. Hope to see them again soon!
Where do I begin… This guest ruined _______ and broke ________. I am in contact with Airbnb and do not recommend them to any other host.
They brought their pet to the accommodation which I allow. However, their pet left scratch marks on everything. I don’t know what I am going to do and it will probably take a bit of money to repair the damages.
The guests brought their pet with them (which I allow) and it was so cute! A very nice and obedient pet. The guests were kind as well and can’t wait to have them back!
Easy going, kind guests. Would recommend to other hosts.
They were great guests to have, however, they left a lot of dirty dishes in the sink that took a while to clean. We do not charge a cleaning fee for our guests but we might start to after this.
These are some guests that you can really trust! They are very kind and we were very lucky to have them. Thank you and hope to see you again soon!
They had a large group that stayed in our accomodation and they were very respectful and kind. For such a large group they left the place spotless and were quiet and respectful. They followed the house rules and followed the checkout instructions very well. Would recommend them!
They had a large group that stayed at our accommodation and I would not recommend them to other hosts. They left the place filthy and looks like they threw a party at the place which is against the house rules.

Can I Remove a Hosts Review as a Guest?

Sometimes a host will leave you a review that you don’t feel is correct or that you don’t think should have been given. There is no way for you personally to remove the review, however, if it violates Airbnb’s content policy, or is biased, or is irrelevant to your stay then you can contact Airbnb directly.

To contact Airbnb, go to the “Help” tab in the main menu. Then type “contact” in the search bar. Click “How do I Contact Airbnb”. Then scroll to the bottom where it says “Contact Airbnb” and click the “contact us” hyperlink. From there it will take you back to the “Messages” and you will be able to contact Airbnb.

If Airbnb is not able to remove the review of you then your next best bet is to respond to the review. You can do this by following the instructions previously said in the “How to Respond to Reviews as a Guest” section. This might not get rid of the bad review but it will let future hosts know what really happened and that it won’t happen in any future stays.

Can I Remove a Guests Review of My Accommodation?

This is something that is almost impossible to do. It’s like if you get a bad review on Google. There is not much you can do except respond to it the best you can and move on. If it does violate Airbnb’s content policy, or is biased, or is irrelevant to your guest’s stay then you can contact Airbnb directly.

Also, if the guest that left a bad review says anything about the exact location of your accommodation then you have grounds to get the review removed.

Another way to try and get the review removed is to ask the guest to change their review. In order to do this you both need to have written the review within 14 days of the stay and they need to edit the review within 48 hours of posting it. There is not a very good chance that this will work but try explaining to the guests how important reviews are to Airbnb and that you are very sorry for whatever happened.

Make sure that you respond to their bad review (and all the reviews that you receive) with a long response that addresses all of their problems in great detail. This will show future guests what really happened and that it was either not true or will not happen again.

Can You Leave a Review for an Airbnb Without Staying at It?

The short answer is no. If you did not end up staying at the Airbnb you cannot leave it a public review. This includes if the host canceled your reservation.

However, if the host cancels the booking on or after the day of check-in then you can leave them a review.

How Long Do You Have to Leave a Review?

For guests and hosts, this is the same. You have 14 days to leave the review and then have up to 30 days to respond to their review.

Also, if you want to edit a review then you have 48 hours to do so. If you would like your review to be removed then you need to contact Airbnb to have them take it down at any time.

How Star Ratings Work

As a guest, you will be asked to leave a review of your accommodation once it is over. It will ask you a lot of questions about how your stay was by rating it in stars. Make sure to answer all of the questions truthfully because this can make or break an Airbnb.

The star ratings are averaged together from all guests reviews. The main thing that an Airbnb is rated on is overall what you thought of your stay on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Then it will go into cleanliness, communication of the host, the check-in procedure (how easy and efficient it was), accuracy of the listing description, location of the accommodation, and the value of what you think the accommodation deserves.

When you are looking at accommodations on the main page of Airbnb it will have the overall star rating of the Airbnb along with how many reviews it has (for example in the picture this accommodation has an overall rating of 4.71 stars and 125 reviews).

My Review of Airbnb

Now I know that you all came to this blog so that you can read what I think about Airbnb. The truth is that I love it. Airbnb lets you live like a local and is a great way to get to know a city and its culture.

My husband and I have been traveling now for almost 5 years straight and this is all thanks to Airbnb. We are able to book monthly stays and work remotely in the places we book. There is no way that we could be staying in hotels for months at a time!

Airbnb is the best budget option for traveling. If you compare hotel prices to Airbnb prices, Airbnb will win every time.

Another reason that we love Airbnb is when you book a private room you are able to literally live with a local (and it’s super cheap). You get to talk with them and get to know local secrets that you would have never found out otherwise.

Now, let’s get into the not-so-good parts of Airbnb. Airbnb makes it so the prices of a locals rent get so high that locals cannot afford to live there. If there are no locals then there is no culture.

Another downside of Airbnb is that there were some accommodations that when we got to them we left immediately because they were so disgustingly filthy that we couldn’t even think about staying in them for even a night. This is technically not Airbnb’s fault but it is a downside.

There are some reasons not to like Airbnb but in the end, they will always be better than Booking.com (read this post about why Booking.com is a scam)

I am not sponsored by Airbnb at all (I wish we were because we literally live in only Airbnbs) so all of these things are just from our experiences using Airbnb.

Others Review of Airbnb

Here is what one of our readers has to say about Airbnb:

“We love to travel and have stayed in countless hotels, motels, and Airbnb‘s. Our best experiences are always with Airbnb‘s. You just can’t get the amazing locations with a hotel.”

“You can be nestled in the most beautiful mountain lakes of Switzerland or right on the sunny beaches of California. You can choose to cook your own food or eat out without ever having to eat hotel food.”

“It is always so personal and cozy. The beds are always way more comfortable and you get that homey feel. Plus, you can filter all the things that you want so you get exactly what you’re looking for.”

“I can’t even count how many times we have stayed in Airbnb‘s and I’ve only had a problem once and Airbnb had our back and completely took care of it for us. What hotel does that?”

“You can always find anything in your price range whether it be modest or fancy and it is just a perfect fit for anyone from a person traveling solo to a large family.”

“I love reading all of the reviews on a listing to see what regular people are saying and know that they are not biased or fake reviews. You can’t even leave a review for somewhere unless you have stayed there and I love that.”

“We have made so many incredible memories in Airbnb‘s. We’ve stayed right next to the Colosseum in Rome and on the waters of Lake Como. And all cheaper than any hotel would’ve cost for traveling with a family.”