4 min read · Oct 11, 2018
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As much as I like using Airbnb, it can be a gamble. No matter how carefully you review the images and reviews, you don’t know what a place is really like until you arrive. Sometimes it’s much better than expected, and sometimes it’s much worse.
My goal, however, is to take what I’ve learned living in Airbnbs full time to help you make it less of a gamble.
There’s a baseline of signs to look at, which obviously include reviews, that are no-brainers. However, in our trials and tribulations with Airbnb, we’ve found some tiny details that can be warning signs. Let’s just say hindsight is 20/20.
Sometimes you have to take negative reviews with a grain of salt. For example, if you look up a local business and see reviews that tell polar opposite stories. When someone goes out of their way to leave a Google review, chances are it’s because they either had a crazy good or crazy bad experience. Not as often is someone compelled to leave a review for an average or good experience.
However, I think that the rate of people who leave Airbnb reviews is fairly high. Airbnb sends email reminders and teases a host’s review of you in a way that incentivizes and simplifies the review process.
Why am I saying this? Since a greater percentage of people share their reviews, I’m more likely to believe negative ones. This is a totally unscientific opinion, but on a platform that seems to have a high response rate for reviews, I think there are more middle of the road comments than polar opposites alone.
Reviews that only mention the location
Beware of reviews that praise the location only.
As in, take note of reviews that talk about an apartment’s great location, but leave no mention of the apartment itself. There is one Airbnb in particular that made me want to write this, and this is the point that made me feel that hindsight is 20/20.
We chose an Airbnb for a weeklong stay that looked nice. It was a simple one bedroom, but it was around the budget and seemed to have a good location. Then we got to the apartment and realized that it was a sad, dark, rundown hole. The pictures no longer represented the apartment we were staying in. I started to wonder if I was just the world’s biggest drama queen or if everyone else was somehow blind to the poor state of the space. Then I reviewed the comments left by previous guests.
They all talked about the great location. Yet none of them talked about the great apartment.
Now it’s entirely possible that different people have different standards. In fact, I’m sure they do. What doesn’t work for me is just fine for others. But I noticed instead of calling out negative aspects of the apartment, past reviews mostly didn’t acknowledge the apartment at all.
It’s such a subtle warning sign that I didn’t pick up on before we went, but avoiding that place would’ve saved a lot of hassle.
Star ratings that don’t align with text ratings
When you look at an Airbnb that has reviews you’ll see both star and text ratings.
Star ratings look at things such as value, accuracy, check in, and communication. If all of the text reviews are glowing yet there’s a star or two missing from the “accuracy,” it’s something worth considering. It doesn’t automatically mean you should avoid the listing, but it may signal that guests have left some complaints unsaid.
Poor reviews on a host’s other listing
Sometimes you’ll come across a host that has a few (or a lot) of listings on Airbnb. If you want to be extra thorough, you can read the reviews left on the host’s other locations.
While you should keep in mind that hosts might have different types of listings (i.e., some nicer than others), looking at more reviews just gives you more insight into what they’re like as a host. Did guests at other locations have issues, and if so were they resolved? What is the star rating for each category on the other listings? Hosts and listings can improve over time, but it never hurts to investigate.
Photos that don’t include an important area/ amenity
This tip isn’t as much of a warning sign as it is a call to clarify with the host. For example, if you don’t see photos of an amenity you really want that is listed in the description, just ask the host.
For example, if it says there’s a work-friendly laptop space you need to work from yet no photo, ask for additional photos. It’s always better to ask and be prepared than to assume and be disappointed.
Plus, when you ask about certain amenities you’re helping the host learn what’s important.
What do you look for on an Airbnb listing?
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