3 Common Negative Reviews

Here at Airbnb Homesteads it's important to us that we meet the expectations of our guests in all facets. We do our absolute best to structure our rental program so that our guests having nothing to think about when they arrive but having fun on their vacation. We absolutely love seeing all the positive guest reviews about our properties and appreciate the constructive criticism as well. We won't sit here and say that we are perfect, and hopefully there isn't a vacation rental company out there that will because no one is.
 I'll be the first to admit that I've made mistakes in writing listings, clicked the wrong button to update a listing, sent an outdated check-in code, it all happens, it's what you do to fix the problem that really matters. Did I learn from my mistakes- you better believe it! Let's talk about 3 of the most common negative reviews that are seen in the vacation rental world.

1. The Furniture is Uncomfortable
Think about it, you love your furniture and beds at home right? It's hard to love someone else, so if you don't get a restful nights sleep you typically blame it on the mattress. I do the same thing. This is by far one of the most common negative reviews that we see in the U.S.

How do you fix this?
Keep your furniture and bedding up to date, really it's an easy fix. BE PROACTIVE. Sleep in your rentals bed at least twice a year, sit on the sofa when you go into clean so you know the comfort levels are at the highest quality possible for your guests. Secondly, LISTEN to your guests. If multiple guests are telling you that your bed or beds are uncomfortable its probably time for a change.

2. Your Property Was Missing X
It's always so interesting to me when guests book a property, knowing the location and the amenities it has or that it doesn't have and then either suggest you add the amenities that you don't have in the review or just give you a negative review because you don't have them. Have you ever done this? First, I don't book a place if it doesn't have all the amenities that I want for that particular vacation. Secondly, if a vacation rental is not advertising an amenity why should they receive a poor review? Either case, it happens.

How do you fix this?
Be very clear in your property listings and where you advertise, don't exaggerate and have updated photographs.  If you have multiple properties, they should all have clear standards. A list of every day essential items that your guests can count on from you at all of your properties. Things like; hair dryers, shampoo/conditioner, laundry detergent, hangers, extra blankets, etc.

3. Cleanliness
This is my least favorite, it's something that Gary and I take very personally and we work so hard on all of our properties to keep them guest ready at all times. But again, we aren't perfect. I wish we could say that we are, but we miss things and our guests are typically kind enough to tell us privately.

How to fix this?
Pay attention to the details, because we all know that your guests do. Again, BE PROACTIVE! Create quarterly deep clean lists, do whatever you need to do to stay on top of the big indoor and outdoor projects. We find that the cleaner the exterior of the home is the cleaner the interior of the home stays. This means sweeping the front porch and back deck so dirt and leaves are being brought inside, keeping up on pollen  removal, etc.

Do you relate to any of these? What are you doing to BE PROACTIVE? We are back on the blog train. Look for weekly blogs coming at you this Fall and Winter!