Changing Rating System: Location --> Safety

[Gowri0]

I think the category "Location" should be dropped altogether. And because I don't want to present a problem without also offering a solution, I think that if Air BnB insists on having a 7th category, "Location" should be changed to "Safety".

 The reasons are -

1) No matter how well you explain the category, some guests don't take the time to understand fully what is expected of them...just like they don't stop to think that it is their responsibility to check the map at the bottom of the page for each listing, read the listing description carefully, and decide between paying less and staying a bit farther away from the heart of the city, or pay more and stay in the downtown areas. Asking them to review "Location" is very misleading because they think they can have it both ways...pay less and also complain about the location. By doing this they hold the host accountable for a choice that is entirely theirs.

For example, in my listing description, aside from saying very clearly which part of town my house is in, I have even written the number of miles some of the popular places are from my house (including downtown), and I'm still facing this problem. And this is despite the fact that from my house you can pretty much drive to any part of town within 15 or 20 minutes...something that I bring to the guests' attention in my initial communication with them.

2) I also think that regardless of how satisfied they are with their stay, or how much they appreciate the host for going all out to make their stay comfortable, there is a human psychological bias involved in reviewing this particular category, i.e., as soon as they see the word "Location" they immediately connect it to how far the house is from their venue and purpose of their visit. So in their minds Location becomes centered around their specific need...we're all egocentric to a greater or lesser degree, I guess.

3) A review of "Location" is very subjective so it doesn't really help other guests. Then why have a category that doesn't help other guests and instead harms hosts?

Here's another example - A guest left $5 on the desk in the room before checking out. I went in to clean, thought he'd forgotten it and messaged him immediately, saying he could come back and get it as I was going to be at home the rest of the day. He messaged me back saying that was a tip he left for me because he was so happy with his stay. In his review he gave me 5 stars on all categories and a 4 star on "Location". Go figure! I don't think he would have given "Location" a second thought had he not been asked to review it.

Another guest in his early 60s wrote in the public portion of his review "house close to work". His visit was entirely work related, though he did go out to dinner with a couple of friends the evening he came to town. He had no private comment to make. He too gave me 4 stars on "Location" and 5 stars on all other categories! Since his review was proof that my home was close to his work, and his reason for coming into town, I sent a polite message asking him if could help me understand why he thought a review of my Location deserved a 4 star when he had openly admitted that my home was close to his work place, the reason for his visit to town. I got no answer back from him.

I could go on giving you more examples and I'm sure other hosts could as well. And we have. Directly to Air BnB. I've been a host for less than a year and I recognized this problem soon after joining. Since then I've called Air BnB several times and have been told each time by different case managers that they will pass on the information to the "appropriate department"...which to this day they are unable to name (when I ask for the name of the department). Since nothing has come of my complaints, I've now begun to wonder whether I'm being given the run around...Air BnB style. And from the responses on this thread it is clear that other hosts are feeling the same frustration. I'm hoping our voice will finally be heard. I would hate to feel so frustrated that I'm forced to stop hosting because Air BnB ended up being just another corporation instead of the community fostering liaison it showcases itself to be. I still want to believe that Air BnB values its hosts for the business we bring.

I think it would be better to review a category such as "Safety". The overwhelming concern guests seem to have when they book is that they want an assurance they're booking in a safe place. Many guests are relocating and passing through town with their vehicle full of belongings. And they want to know if they will be parking in a safe place. Many times wives of male guests message me saying their husbands are driving long distance and they want them to stop at a safe place where they can get a good night's rest rather than stop at truckers' stops which are notoriously unsafe. I've also had guests contact me pretty late at night, well after my posted check in time limit of 9 pm, to ask if I could accommodate them because they feel unsafe at the Air BnB they booked with. So I think that compared to "Location", "Safety" is a far more important category. Safety is not something anybody would want to trade under any circumstance, but driving a couple of miles more so they can stay at a less expensive place is something anyone would be willing to trade.

I want to ask other hosts also what they think of replacing "Location" with "Safety"...if we absolutely must have a 7th category (we could just drop Location completely without replacing it and have the remaining 6 categories reviewed). But let's see what other hosts have to say about replacing it with "Safety".

Everyone, please feel free to voice your opinion on this question. Let's continue the discussion. I encourage others to chime in too...from the more than 1000 who have viewed my other thread in the Host Discussion Forum. Please help us in making our voice stronger...so that we can succeed in bringing about a change in this review category that doesn't benefit guests and instead harms hosts.

Thank you all again for your time 🙂

[Cormac0]

@Gowri

"Location"

There has been very many post regarding this topic, but because of the way this blogosphere works none of them are galvanised into action, because of the fragmented and disparate nature of the AirBnb blogging system.

I agree that the "location" category is complete nonsense and should be removed.

What we have is “Host discussion rooms” when what we need Is “Host topic rooms” so a topic like “Location category”, “Security category”, “Airbnb Help? Category”, “Fraud category” etc. would galvanise opinion and hopefully lead to some positive action.

These Host Topic Rooms HTR’s if you will, would be a far better bellwether of what’s going on in Airbnb then is the current system of random and uncoordinated posts.

[Chad-and-Char0]

I agree.

Location is entirely subjective and pointless to rate. since we can't do anything to change where our listings are located.

Why does there have to be 7 catagories for rating?

How do we get Airbnb's attention in this?

@Gowri0I'm afraid of complaining too much directly to Airbnb, since they could easily do something to make my listings stop coming up on searches.

[Merlin4]

I agree that location is problematic. My preference would be to make it binary and based on accuracy.

I'm not sure I like the idea of just slapping a Safety rating on there. It needs a lot of thought to protect against biases people may have, look into who is saying what, reading between the lines.

For example, I live in downtown Baltimore near a bunch of transit stops. Regardless of the time of day, this means that there always people hanging around waiting to get on a bus, and you will likely run into a homeless person at some point, who may ask you for money or food. As it gets darker, crowds are often bigger because the buses are more spaced out, and you are more likely to get asked for help.

Some people might think this is unsafe. And some people may even make snap judgments based on what people look like and think it is even more unsafe.

Yet I have lived in my area for two years, I know plenty of other people who live around here, and we are all fine with it. Yeah there have been some minor incidents, but that's bound to happen in any downtown area.

So how am I supposed to combat this?

If I put this on my listing, chances are people won't read it. If they do read it, their imagination will go into overdrive and scare them away. Plus I don't see how I can put this on my listing in any kind way.

(Side note, I think if someone gives you 4 stars or less on any rating, they should be required to say why, otherwise they have to do 5 stars.)