How to improve the guest experience and encourage better reviews on Airbnb and Booking.com

A stay that lives up to what the listing promised, and a welcome that slightly exceeds expectations. Guests rate the gap between what they imagined and what they experienced, more than the stay in absolute terms.

Platforms break the rating down by criterion. On Airbnb, guests rate check-in, cleanliness, accuracy, communication, location and value from 1 to 5 stars, plus a separate overall rating. On Booking.com, scores run from 1 to 10, with six categories: staff, facilities, cleanliness, comfort, location and value for money. Several of these criteria depend directly on your welcome, not on your equipment.

Promise accurately

An honest listing, with recent photos and its flaws mentioned, protects your ratings: a guest warned about street noise won't hold it against you. An overly flattering listing will. Better a pleasant surprise on arrival than a disappointment.

A direct one: check-in and communication are rated separately, and the rest of the stay often comes down to small touches. A guest who found the place easily, got a quick reply and discovered somewhere thanks to you has real reasons to talk about it.

A smooth arrival

The first hour colours the whole stay. Clear instructions, sent at the right time, avoid the unpleasant surprise of a door that won't open or an entrance nobody can find. All the details are in our guide to self check-in.

Discoveries

What guests talk about after a stay is rarely the equipment: it's the places they wouldn't have found on their own. A selection of well-chosen local spots gives them material for a warm review, and shows you really know your area.

Check in once, early, and fix any problem before it becomes a complaint. An issue raised on the first evening and solved the next day often turns into a compliment; the same issue discovered in a review can't be undone.

• Send a short message the day after arrival: "Is everything going well? Is anything missing?"
• Answer questions quickly, even just to say "I'm looking into it and will get back to you".
• Fix what can be fixed straight away: a light bulb, an extra pillow, a code that doesn't work.
• For what can't, explain honestly what you're doing about it.

Don't overdo the messages though: one well-timed contact shows you're available, three make guests feel watched.

Once, right after departure, in a few personal sentences. A message sent too late loses its effect; a pushy reminder annoys. Asking often feels awkward for host and guest alike: the best way to make it natural is to have already given a good reason to leave a review.

The right moment

The day of departure or the day after, while the stay is still fresh. Platforms also send their own invitation: your message is there to make it personal, not to repeat it.

How to word the request

• Keep it short: two or three sentences.
• Mention something from their stay, not just "thanks for leaving a review".
• Say that their feedback helps you, without mentioning stars.
• Ask only once, without reminders.

In one sentence, in the description, without making it the main selling point. In a market where listings look alike, "a selection of our favourite local places awaits you" shows an attentive host before the first message.

• In the listing description, in one sentence.
• In the photos, if your QR code card has a polished look.
• In your replies to guests who ask questions before booking.

Check each platform's rules on external links: Airbnb, for example, restricts them in listings. Mention that the guide exists, and send the link once the booking is confirmed. And only mention it if it exists and is up to date: a promised but sloppy guide has the opposite effect when the guest discovers it. See also the Airbnb digital guidebook.

Briefly, politely and to everyone, especially to criticism. Your reply is aimed less at the reviewer than at the future guests who will read it.

• Say thank you, even for a mixed review.
• Acknowledge what's fair, without lengthy justifications.
• Say what you've changed, if you have.
• Never reply in the heat of the moment: wait until the next day.

A negative review is often a useful signal: a recommended place that has closed, a confusing arrival instruction, a photo that's out of date. Fix it at the source, and the same complaint won't come back.

By reading them like a logbook: anything that comes up twice deserves a fix, anything praised deserves to be kept. Reviews are the most direct feedback you'll get on your welcome.

• Note the remarks that keep coming back, positive and negative.
• Also read the private feedback some platforms pass on to hosts: it's often more candid.
• Fix things at the source: the listing, the arrival message, a place in the guide.
• Keep what gets praised: if a place keeps coming up in compliments, feature it.

An online guide lets you react right away: a criticised place can be removed in seconds, and the next guest won't stumble on it.

Offer something in exchange for a review, apply pressure, or explicitly ask for five stars. Airbnb prohibits reviews given or withheld in exchange for something of value, such as a discount or a refund, and Booking.com prohibits properties from offering incentives for reviews. Guests, for their part, can sense the pressure.

• Offering a discount or a gift in exchange for a review.
• Making a service or the return of a deposit conditional on a review.
• Sending several reminders.
• Asking friends or family to leave reviews.

The only lasting lever is the experience itself: a stay that matches the listing, a simple arrival, tips that help guests discover the area. To build that foundation, start by creating a digital welcome book.