In defense of airbnb, I have to say that this opo-up menue "what the **bleep** do you complain about, care to specify?" Is the fruit of good intentions, to make hosts happy. It's a direct result of a long discussion some 18 months ago (approximately, time flows fast).
we then asked for an obligation to the guest or at least a strong prompt, to detail a "bad " review or rating. We got that part and I'm not unhappy with it.
Evidently we asked also that airbnb use the same standards on both sides in the explanation. If 4 is bad, it should be labelled "bad" in the guest menu, so the guest knows, that he does damage. If it's not bad, then there should be no threats no nagging mails.
What I see in such threads about ratings, is that most people take the nagging mails seriously and suffer from them or are annoyed or furious.
Airbnb should consider the psychologic impact.
Being scolded by a dominant business partner, humans temd to pass on the blame and we are consequently furious about the guests giving 4 stars.
If one takes a step back, it's probably rather harmless:
1. I don't believe airbnb fires hosts for getting 4 star ratings. Maybe hosts, who create problems, unsatisfied guests, who will "never use that service again" and have at the same time 4 star average ratings. But to get a four star average, you need to get nearly never 5 stars. As for every fool, whom you can never satisfy, there exists a fool, who will say "marvellous " to a chaotic lodging, 4 stars average is a good indicator that the host is not made for the job.
So, what's the rating and the superhost thing for? In my opinion, it's pure marketing, to create different products to attract different customers. Like if you produce a breadspread: you wrap it in plastic and sell for 1,50 in the normal supermarket. Then you fill it in a glass jar and sell it in another shelf gor 2,99. Then you put it in pladtc coated cardboard and put it in an organic shop for 4. Glass labelled vegan spread in theorganic shop for 5,90. It's always the same product, but you will sell more of it, if you sell it jnder different brands.
We all sell the same product. A place to sleep. Maybe without the sheets even, maybe with a palace around, but in the end, there are limited variations. And as we are obstinate independents, airbnb has limited power to define our prices and marketing. The rating system gives them a bit more power in that domain. Hard work of some hosts, a certain character of host and lodging and the aleas of guest rating create "superhosts": Great a luxury category (the vegan bio spread). They set higher prices all by themselves, conscious of their value.
Hard working, proud but just not superhost? They will set their prices high nevertheless (organic spread - sorry bio = organic, can't edit).
others will get less stars and will lower the price - you have your supermarket product. Some may be too slow for modern marketing: create automatic pricing. Combine it with guest satisfaction expressed by stars and you have your cheap supermarket product, when the algorithm brings some prices down. If they don't use automatic pricing, combine the stars with search results: no bookings for a while and they will play with their price anyway.
The nagging mails are just to make us more receptive to the guidance.
(I have a sarcastic morning, it seems). What hosts should be aware: there is nothing personal in all that. It's a statistical game to sell more nights. And they are extremely good at selling nights. If a host happens to fall in the right category, self perception and useful level to the marketing algorithm, they will be happy, be it as superhost or be it a someone who wants to be fully booked with the leadt effort. In the second case, just ignore the nagging mails. It's only hurtful, when the hodt's self perception differs from what would be the best nplacing for his product. You can always go against the suggestions and be successful at it, but it may be a strong hint to change your communication and / or your price.
For the anecdote: I fid that about anyear ago: raised my price, changed wording and pictures slightly to cible other types of guests and decreased the number of 4 stars noticeably but got nearly completely rid of the "helpful suggestions " how to improve the place, if I was a magician.
