Delete the 'overall experience' rating. It is a random and unmeasurable criteria.

[Jane8]

I get great reviews, positive comments on cleanliness, breakfast, communication, making people feel welcome and so on. I work extremely hard to be a good host. Yet I have 4.8% 5 star rating.

The majority of my 4 stars are for 'overall experience'. This could be because the sun did not shine that weekend, they were disappointed with the museums, perhaps they were not keen on the supermarket nearby, maybe they wished Cambridge were Ibiza ..or in an ideal world their room would have had an en-suite bathroom.. who knows?

'Overall Experience' is unquantifiable. Neither the guest nor the host know exactly what it is. If a guest gives 5 stars for everything else except 'overall experience' what is the host supposed to do to improve? Move house?

[Carolyn5]

I agree. I have not a single bad review yet, but my Super Host status was recently removed without explanation. Apparently I am not meeting their requirements but I'd like to know how. Today I have a repeat booking from a very happy guest.

Air BnB - ditch the micro-managing and concentrate on the hosts who pay your wages. We will take care of the guests.

[Sandra126]

@Carolyn5, your superhost could have been removed also for not having had the required amount of bookings, for instance. Several reasons for it to come and go.

[Carolyn5]

With seasonal factors and personal schedules affecting bookings this is extremely unfair. What does Air BnB expect me to do? Give up my life? Move? The ratings should be given on the customer experience provided, not on where I am.

Ridiculous.

Carolyn

[Sheila44]

I started hosting in July of this year and have been full for almost 3 months in a row.  One guest and her mom were so disrespectful to my home; failed to mention disability accommodations, etc.  I spoke to the guest and/or touched base with her (thru airbnb text) at least 2 - 3 times per week.  Comments were always pleasant, no issue; everything is fine although she stayed at her sister's home (an hour away) for most of the month she booked because she (the guest) lives in California, while her sister lives in Kentucky.  Nevertheless, once it came time to review her stay, she was so critical that I was absolutely blown away.    Her review stated my listing failed to mention I had dogs, when the listing and my introduction has always mentioned my pups.   She criticized the carpet in MY living space upstairs and wrote the review as if the carpet in her area was soiled.   That ONE dishonest guest dropped my 5 star rating to an 83%. The guests before and SINCE have all rated me with 5 stars.  I contacted airbnb about the guests critical review knowing that I communicated with this guest 95% of the time through the airbnb system.  Airbnb could clearly see from our discussions that the guest was dishonest, yet nothing was done.  Who knows how long it will take to achieve Business Traveler status again.  Very disappointed and discouraged.

[Jane8]

When awarding Business Traveller or Superhost status I think Airbnb should only count the quantifiable stars i.e. for cleanliness, communication and so on. The stars that a host works hard for.

Overall experience or location are subjective things which a host cannot improve on. It is what it is. 

If a guest awards five stars for every criteria, leaves a glowing review, then gives four stars for overall experience.......then I think the guest assumes that refers to the holiday as a whole rather than just their stay at your house.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Highly disagree.... love the Overall Rating.  Perhaps defining what it measuring exactly would be more appropriate.  

[Linda108]

All rating systems are inherently flawed and that is how I view the Air BNB star rating.  I am sure many of us have been rated at work or by an audience or by a customer.  The five star rating is a "quick and dirty" snap shot of the customer reaction.  What can be useful is detailed feedback.  While some guests are picky or even not truthful, the feedback can be objectively reviewed and a decision can be made to adjust or not to adjust.  

[Mary-Ann0]

The rating review system will be lopsided and unfair until host's reviews and stars are made public like guest's reviews are now.

And then hosts need to stop being afraid of stating the truth about all undesirable guest behavior and start writing truthful honest reviews or just state “would be better as hotel guest” so other hosts will know.

[Jiw0]

Well, I think any star rating system isn't an exact science.   "Overall Experience" is a good one for anything that doesn't fit into neatly predefined categories.

My personal gripe with using 'stars' and then 5 of them is the similarity to hotel star ratings.   If a guest interprets it that way then very few AirBnB listings are on the level of a 5 star hotel.

I would like a different number of stars than 5, and not stars but some other symbol like the "Belo" squiggly A paperclip thingie.

[Rich19]

I do have super great reviews and wonderful guest (a few, not so good). Even though my category star and overall star ratings are high, I now realize my star ratings will never align to comments due to a few factors. First, some people will never give the highest rating to any service because believe the highest rating in deemed perfection and they believe perfect is never achievable - it's not personal. As some other hosts indicated, some guests rate on perception. I had one guest who said they specifically book my place for its location. It was 'exactly where they wanted to be" but rated me 4 star for location and 5 star for everything else. I just don't bother myself with the star ratings anymore because (as far as I see) so long as you qualify at least as a super host, potential guests just read the text reviews.

[Stephan2]

Agree, see also my posting from two weeks earlier: https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Host-Voice/Review-maximum-10-stars-instead-of-5/idi-p/206447

[Sheila44]

Thanks Rich, great summary.  Your points are very well taken.

Sheila

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

I'd like to see all the stars disappear, they are the main cause of stress to me and spoiling what should be a fun experience. The comments guest's leave are much more important.  1) Great stay would like to come back 2) Soso (satisfactory) stay , neither hot nor cold, 3) Disappointed stay would not reurn.