Airbnb Review Examples for Guests and Hosts

Last Updated on August 5, 2022 by travelingwithsunscreen

After you check out of your Airbnb vacation rental or say goodbye to your guest, there’s one more thing to do: write a review. Some people find this a bit intimidating, but it isn’t too difficult once you get going. Here are some Airbnb review examples and tips to help you get started.

Airbnb in Lima, Peru
Our lovely Airbnb in Lima, Peru!

Be HONEST

One of the major problems with Airbnb’s rating system is that hosts and guests tend to be rated a little higher than they might actually deserve. Why? Well, because often they’ve met face-to-face. It feels bad giving a poor rating to an actual person that you’ve met, even if you’d have no qualms about giving a bad review to chain hotels or restaurants. Personal apartments just feel different.

But Airbnb guest reviews are there for a REASON. Not only can they help future guests or hosts make good decisions for themselves, but they’re an opportunity to give constructive feedback. For example, if the Airbnb you stayed in was missing dining utensils, say it! Future guests who are hoping to cook will know to steer clear, and your review will give the host a clue that they should go buy some utensils to provide a better experience for future potential guests. If the host decides to do so, they can always leave a comment on your review to update future guests about the situation.

Does this mean that your tone should be bitter and derisive? Of course not. Be honest and to the point, and say what you liked along with what you didn’t. Even in a negative review, be sure to mention anything that was positive about your experience (even if it was just the location).

Be THOROUGH

Sure, it might be easy to shoot off a review in a couple of words and call it a day, but this doesn’t really help anyone.

Here are some things to think about when writing guest reviews:

  • How was the location? Was it near any major attractions or transit options? Was it too noisy? Was it safe? Were there supermarkets and restaurants in walking distance?
  • How was the sleeping situation? Could all of the guests comfortably fit?
  • How was the bathroom? Did the shower have sufficient hot water and water pressure?
  • Was the kitchen well-equipped? Were there cooking supplies, plates, and eating utensils? Were there extras, like a coffee pot or kettle?
  • How was the Internet? Was it speedy and easy to connect, or were there problems?
  • Did the host provide any little extras to improve your stay, like shampoo and shower gel, a hair dryer, or soap for the washing machine?
  • How did check-in go? Was the Airbnb ready on time and easy to access?
  • Was the place clean?
  • Did the Airbnb have any interesting or unique features? Was breakfast provided?
  • Based on your experience, would the apartment be best suited to short-term or long-term rentals?
  • Did any issues arise throughout your stay? If so, was the host responsive?
Airbnb cabin in Ontario, Canada
This Airbnb, for example, was gorgeous, and we’d HIGHLY recommend it, but potential guests should know that there is no running water – it’s more like glamping.

For an Airbnb host review, there’s no need to go into quite as much detail. If there were problems with the guest, or if they didn’t follow the house rules, you should explain exactly what happened so that future hosts can be warned. But, if you’re planning on writing a positive review, you can just leave a quick note that they were a great guest and you that enjoyed hosting them.

Hosts might want to leave generic or neutral Airbnb review to save time, especially if they have many properties. If you didn’t have much interaction with a guest, you can simply state that you didn’t have much interaction but that there weren’t any problems. If you’re looking for a simple generic review for Airbnb guests when there weren’t any problems, you could say “I would recommend this guest. The stay went smoothly!”

Remember, Airbnb host reviews are important for other Airbnb hosts who are trying to decide if a guest should be accepted for a stay. Be sure to state if the guest broke house rules, left a mess, or caused damage to your property!

Do NOT be influenced by hosts or guests asking for good reviews

They’re not supposed to do this. They know they’re not supposed to do this. If they’re doing this, it’s probably because they know something was lacking, and they don’t want to bother to fix it. In my experience, hosts of great Airbnbs NEVER explicitly ask for good reviews; they’re confident that your experience was good, and that your review will reflect that. If you didn’t enjoy your experience, it’s likely that future travelers also might not. Do them a favor and be honest.

The owner of this charming Airbnb in Portugal didn’t need to ask. She knew our review would be glowing!

Responding to Reviews

Both guests and hosts have the right to publicly respond to Airbnb reviews posted about them. You can respond to reviews by clicking here. In your response to a negative review, you should clearly lay out your side of the story. Stick to the facts, and be sure not to stoop to name-calling or other bad behavior that will likely just make you look worse. Many bad guest reviews come when guests do not carefully read the listing; if this is the case, be sure to point it out in a respectful way to show that you did not intend to mislead your guest.

Remember that you only have 30 days to respond to a review once it has been submitted (meaning you may have less than 30 days from the time when you first see the review). You cannot edit your review once it has been published, so take your time in your response. It may help to have a second set of eyes look it over to make sure that the tone is factual and calm.

If you want more specifics, we’ve found some Airbnb review samples for both guests and hosts, as well as Airbnb review response samples. Check them out!

Airbnb Guest Review Examples

This is a beautiful apartment in a lovely area right in central Strasbourg. Spacious and cozy, with a comfortable bed, nice little kitchen, and cozy sitting area. As other reviewers have mentioned, keep in mind that the shower is pretty open and visible, so the apartment is best for an individual or a couple. Definitely highly recommended!

Just as described, this is a small and simple apartment in a friendly residential neighborhood very near to Montmartre. The apartment is very small and basic, but it has all the necessities for a few nights for one or two people (bed, mini-fridge, hot shower, hair dryer, etc.) The neighborhood is nice, and easy walking distance to both Montmartre and Opera. We would recommend this apartment to those seeking a good value apartment in Paris!

Nice, comfortable, and affordable place to stay. Good location (walking distance to Waikiki, right near many restaurants and coffee shops). The two bedrooms are comfortable and the kitchen is very well-equipped. Sofa bed is a bit small but can fit two people in a pinch. Note that the apartment only comes with one key, but another is available for a larger group if you request in advance. We would stay here again!

The host was flexible in changing his time to meet us at the last minute. His apartment was clean and had all of the listed amenities. Note that the apartment is on a small, residential street. It is a very quick and easy walk to downtown, but the street itself is quiet and a bit dark at night. Along the street runs a train, which is a bit noisy, and directly across from the apartment is an outdoor bar, which played loud music late into the night. While we appreciated the host’s flexibility with check-in, we were a bit off-put when he asked us several times for a five star rating at check out. This apartment is convenient for a short stay at its low price.

Airbnb Host Review Examples

Wonderful young couple, very nice and polite. More than welcome to come back.

This guest was an absolute delight to host! Communicative, punctual and friendly from day one! Welcome back any time!

(guest name removed) stayed with us and everything was ok. Communication was ok but we were a little disappointed that they forgot to mention a broken plate, and we were not able to replace it for the guest that arrived after them in the apartment.

Airbnb Review Response Examples

Thank you for your review. We enjoyed staying at your property. You mentioned in your review that we did not tell you about a broken plate. The plate was already broken when we arrived, so we assumed that it had already been brought to your attention.

Thank you for your stay. I was sorry to hear that you were disappointed when there was not AC. The Airbnb listing does state that AC is not available, and we provide several fans for our guests to use.

I was sorry to read in your review that you were disappointed by the check-out process. The Airbnb listing states that check out is 11 AM. This is necessary to give our cleaning crew enough time to get the apartment ready for the next guest. You asked if you could check out late, and we said that you could not, but offered to store your luggage for you. The cleaning crew was surprised to discover you still in the apartment after noon. Our intention was not to make you feel rushed, but we do ask that guests are respectful of our time, as we are of theirs. We would hate to not be able to have the apartment ready on time for our next guest.

What do you look for in Airbnb reviews? Tell us about it in the comments.

You might also be interested in:
The Best Airbnb in the World: Plantagenet, Ontario
Ultimate Packing List (for anywhere in the world!)
How can I afford a trip to Paris – or anywhere?

6 comments

  1. Very true, everybody is very kind on Airbnb with their reviews, unlike Booking.com where you get smashed for no apparent reason. One thing important to note always; everything you write says a lot more about you than your guest, this is strictly from the Airbnb host perspective, so, always, be kind and polite in your response, address the issues your guest has mentioned and like it’s well mentioned in the article; do not get emotional whatever you do 🙂
    I made a video giving a few tips if anyone interested, happy to share:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z_Uch0PWEw&feature=youtu.be

    1. That’s great advice! It is true, it’s always a good sign to see a host respond calmly and reasonably to a complaint. It shows the guest that the host is responsive and wants to create a great experience!

      1. I am a Airbnb home owner and think it’s really sad when you get great people and then you get dishonest thief’s and complaining after as a host you do everything possible for them to have a great stay. Please read all reviews before you host because the complaints and thief’s no one needs at their home .

        1. I’m sorry to hear that! That definitely sounds frustrating. It’s true, the reviews can have really helpful information!

  2. I like to check first how a host responds to any negative reviews (if any). Are they polite, professional, and honest? And if the situation calls for it, do they seek to remedy the problem… e.i. add utinsils for the kitchen? These qualities are high in my list.

    You may not be able to control what a guest says, but you do control how you respond… and that says a lot about your character.

    1. Yes, that’s a great way to think about it! A very responsive host probably isn’t going to have the same problem twice.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *