I’ve booked several full rentals myself and have seen what I consider glaringly obvious flaws that need addressing in those properties. These have been on both the Airbnb and VRBO platforms and are no wrongdoings of the platforms themselves, but of the hosts operating the rentals.
There are some really small and simple things that can encourage low ratings in your Airbnb. And most are things that can cause lower ratings in your rental without you realising
I’ve stayed in properties as both vacation rentals and for business locations. When staying in a property as a host, you scrutinise with a different set of eyes whilst experiencing it as a guest would.
Think back to first-hand experience, the first time you walk into a new or unfamiliar room, your senses are running on overtime without you realising. When stepping into a hotel room for example, you are scanning and taking in the space.
This means subconsciously analysing it for safety and suitability for you to rest and relax. Whether that be the possibility of intruder danger, cleanliness or comfort, all of this will be firing around your thoughts at such speed we often don’t realise we’re thinking about it.
First impressions count
This initial 24 hours is the acutely sensitive part of your guests stay. In this stage, glaring faults are going to be picked up and assessed by guests as they gradually settle into and use the features of your home.
We know and love our holiday homes and rental spaces like the back of our hands. But it’s for this reason that you should be extra vigilant to things we as owners get used to.
When we’re used to living in our spaces for a time, the little quirks of our homes we have adjusted to, whether consciously or subconsciously, can stick out as glaring faults to our guests and may not be seen as charming.
These quirks can in fact encourage guests to leave notes mentioning them in their Airbnb review.
Unless you have the fussiest guest ever, most minor issues will be noticed but overlooked. However the culmination of several issues can flag up in a guests mind come review time and dull the possibility of a 5 star rating or potentially lead to lower reviews than you’d hoped for.
Here are some points I think are worth looking into and the reasons for this.
Mismatched bed linen & towels
I know I do bang on about keeping bedding crisp, white and uniform, but if you absolutely can’t offer this, don’t offer a mismatched set of bed linen or mismatched colour towels.
Not only does this look like you’ve just grabbed anything and don’t care. It also looks unprofessional and subconsciously this is going to remind a guest that the towels and bed linen have been used by someone else.
I know this sounds really silly as any white linens or towels would also have been used by someone else in a rental too, but white gives the impression of cleanliness.
If this can’t be done then a uniform set of bed linen or towels is much better than mis-matched or different coloured sets.
Take into account the colour of the bed linen specifically. A bright garish coloured set of bed linen is not calming when it comes to winding down for sleep and is quite harsh on the eye.
That’s not to say your other textile colours around the house can’t be to your own taste but white or neutrals would always be my preference in a guest room as it looks clean and the most inviting to sleep on.
The sole purpose of the bed is to give the guest a good nights sleep which is the fundamental part of a stay. A bad nights sleep means bad reviews so making the bedroom relaxing is crucial.
Broken light bulbs
A broken main single light bulb in a high traffic area is overwhelmingly noticeable. But in spaces where there are other sources of light to make do, this can often be overlooked.
Broken light bulbs or non-working lamps really cheapen a space and draws significant attention to the fact that things that should work for the guest, don’t work.
If a light bulb blows, replace it there and then. For example, Even if a single bulb has blown on a ceiling lamp with 3 other bulbs that still work and are compensating for it.
If you have two bed side table lamps and one bulb blows but the other lamp still works it’s true that the guest could make do with the one bedside lamp. However, replace the broken bulb when you spot it so both lamps can be used.
In the bathroom, where the lamp on the mirror has blown, but the guest could still use the main overhead bathroom light – fix the mirror light.
There is nothing more frustrating and disappointing than when you go to turn on a bathroom mirror light and it doesn’t work. I’ve experienced this first hand and it was memorable to my experience.
The little faulty bulbs are going to be noticed immediately when a guest tries to use them for the first time. Instead of getting the result the guest wanted, they will experience a small but instant dissapointment and will then have to be inconvenienced by finding another source of light.
We moved out of caves a long time ago, we shouldn’t be have trouble getting a light source in this day and age, particularly when we are paying to stay in accommodation.
Don’t let your guests feel like a caveman (even if it’s only for a second or two!)
In fact, broken anything.
Following on from the above, any objects the guest will come into contact with that have been broken, should be removed.
Sometimes this isn’t always possible, for example with broken handles or cupboard doors. Damaged items should be replaced as soon as possible.
If an item is damaged and it’s noticeable or affects it’s functionality, consider moving it out of the property or replacing it.
Rentals are prone to breakages and these things happen, but if a guest notices or tries to use something that is broken or damaged, it can cheapen their experience.
Subconsciously it gives the impression of a poorly kept and grubby place and it shows that you don’t care about your property – not a good sign to put across to a guest.
Limited Flexibility
It often can’t be helped by having very strict arrival times to allow guests to check in can have a big impact on a guests experience.
It might not be possible for you to meet a guest to let them in all hours of the day which is understandable. But not having flexibility to adjust to each guests travelling and arrival schedule can make the experience a bit difficult for your guests.
If you need to hand over keys, using a lockbox or a local key safe service like KeyNest can help make you as a host as accomodating as possible.
No mattress or Pillow protector
I’ve stayed in a full Airbnb rental flat in London and the yellow and beige-stained metal spring-mattress (which I didn’t end up sleeping on) had a thin, single cotton rectangular sheet neatly tucked around it. No mattress protector or no pillow protectors between myself or the mattress – Gross!
Rentals homes, like hotels, house a number of different bodies in very short spaces of time which will be perspiring onto this shared bedding.
There is no excuse for not covering these with materials that can be washed to protect the main asset (the mattress & pillows).
Pillows that aren’t protected are essentially sponges for bacteria, drool, sweat, dead skin, dust and dander. In fact, the weight of a pillow will increase over it’s life time as it collects all of this matter and loses it’s plushness.
These types of covers and protectors can be purchased very affordably and are required investments in my eyes.
I actually cover my rental pillows with 2 pillow protectors on each pillow. These zip close and are machine washable and more often than not I only need to wash the top one.
This doesn’t need doing after every booking as clean sheets are thick enough for a one night stay but I make sure these protectors are washed regularly.
For me, it just makes sense – if you are going to invest in better and more comfortable bedding, it will increase the lifespan and longevity as well as the quality of the bedding. It also keeps the whole bedding area smelling fresher for your guests.
Don’t be one of those hosts that offers gross or unhygienic sleeping arrangements!
Lighting temperature
Continuing on from the above, take a look at the colour temperature of your lightbulbs. This is measured using a Kelvin colour temperature chart. Bulbs can be classed as warm or cool, warm often being 2700K and the coolest being 10,000k.
Bulbs that are too warm can make rooms seem gloomy and dim in the evening. Likewise the cooler bulbs can make the room appear too bright and stark with a blue tone which can make the room feel too cold.
Consider the style of decor and the feel of your room and compliment this with the colour of bulb that you choose. Changing the bulbs to a different temperature colour can be as effective as redecorating.
Poor furniture placement in relation to sockets
Another thing that is often overlooked is the functionality of a room or a lack of thinking about guest behaviour in the space.
One particular example is that layout of your room in relation to plug sockets.
I’ve been in spaces where a plug socket is nowhere near the mirror in the room. Or worse, tucked down the side of a bed.
Guests wanting to dry or style their hair will want a plug socket within good reach of a dressing table or mirror so that they can style their hair without difficulty and without struggling with a taut cable cord.
Sometimes a furniture or decor reshuffle can transform a room to make more sense from a functional point of view.
At home, we often keep the furniture as it is because it’s how it’s always been and it’s what we’ve become used to. Reshuffling can often provide better layouts for guests to settle into.
No full length mirror
Another thing I’ve spoken about before is no full length mirror in a guests room – a small face or upper body mirror just won’t cut it. Guests will want to review their outfit before going out and they can’t do this in a face-height bathroom mirror.
Guests looking to go to work for the day will want to asses their outfits as will guests getting ready to head out. They’ll want to do this within the privacy of their own room rather than leaving it to use a full length mirror elsewhere in the property, such as a hallway.
Supplying a full length mirror in the room is an important piece of furniture for guest accommodation.
Giving Chores
I’ve seen lots of humorous posts online about guests having to do chores. The same posts discuss how Airbnb’s have snowballed into the complete opposite of friendly, hospitable accommodation. The cause? – demanding hosts.
Don’t be the host that leaves a list of chores for a guest to do before they leave. You’ll often find that guests won’t do them anyway.
Lack of information or poor communication
I know I really shouldn’t say it…but guests can be stupid. It’s just to be expected.
To be fair, they don’t know how things work and may be greeted with new devices or appliances. Because of this, it’s understandable that they might have questions.
If you notice that you keep getting the same questions raised by guests, adding simple signs in the property can help your visitors from having to message you. As a result, this will save you from more work during a booking and means you can be less hands on.
Likewise if a guest has to ask lots of questions and you don’t get back to them promptly, this can affect your communication ratings.
Leaving a welcome folder in your rental with some basics FAQ’s and local information can make a huge difference to a guests trip. You’ll also find that for most guests it will help them have more of an independent stay.
This is a big plus for you as a host as it can help reduce guest messages.
The simple fact is, guests don’t want to rely on hosts and want to be able to get on and enjoy their stay without needing host support.
If guests are new to the area – particularly if they’ve booked a holiday or vacation rental – boredom can set in after a while.
Providing your guests with local attraction information or details of things to do in the local area will ensure the guests are more likely to have a more enjoyable trip. Plus it will get guests out of your rental.
By keeping guests occupied, they’ll be more likely to give glowing reviews. Bored guests cooped up inside will be more likely to scrutinise aspects of your property.
Summary
And finally, if a guest notices something, let it be a positive, intentional action. It’s better to be something you as a host has intended to be seen, rather than something overlooked by accident!
Pay careful attention to the finer details that may dampen a guest’s experience. Your Airbnb ratings (and the effect on subsequent bookings) will thank you for it!