As a host, you can leave reviews for guests after their stay, and these reviews become visible on the guest’s public profile. Understanding the Airbnb review ecosystem is crucial for success.
Reviews help hosts assess future guests and can significantly impact a guest’s likelihood to book properties, especially those requiring Instant Book or with experienced guest requirements.
The formula is simple; the more 5-star reviews you have, the more bookings you’re likely to get on Airbnb. And if you are wondering, how to start earning more excellent reviews, we have the tips and tricks for that.
How do Airbnb reviews work?
After a guest’s stay ends, both the guest and the host have 14 days to leave a review for each other. Reviews are private until both parties submit them or the 14-day period expires. Once published, reviews are visible to future guests and help build trust and credibility.
Airbnb data has shown that 90% of Airbnb bookings are influenced by positive reviews and their overall score, showcasing the critical role reviews play in guest decision-making and booking conversions.
The platform encourages honest and respectful feedback, which influences the host’s reputation, search ranking, and potential to attract more bookings. Hosts can respond publicly to reviews to address any concerns or thank guests for positive feedback.
There are many ways to improve guest reviews, from performing regular property maintenance to offering upsells, cross-sells, premium welcome packs and more.
But a straightforward approach to increasing your average guest rating is to ensure your listings are accurate.
Rentals United data also shows that obtaining a higher proportion of 5-star guest reviews is proven to significantly increase ADR. One immediate actionable way to earn more excellent reviews is to improve your listing accuracy. An accurate listing means guests know exactly what to expect when they arrive, and managing expectations is a great way to boost guest satisfaction.
Discover how to automate your Airbnb reviews with this simple guide that shows you how to automate your reviews easily and start gaining more 5-star reviews.
Not only that, but we’ve summed up the highlights in this article – so keep reading to learn our top airbnb listing optimization tips.
Download our PDF guide: Earn big money by making simple changes to your listings.
How to earn 5-star reviews on Airbnb?
The data speaks for itself: higher review scores directly translate to higher earnings. Our Rentals United Elevate show that listings with higher Average Review Scores on Airbnb sold at a higher ADR, regardless of how many reviews the listings had.
We also learned that listings with higher Average Review Scores sold at a higher ADR, regardless of the number of bedrooms. So, with enough 5-star reviews, a 2-bedroom property could potentially charge more than a 3 or 4-bedroom property.
There are plenty more reasons to focus on improving your vacation rental reviews:
For larger properties, reviews had an even bigger impact on ADR.
Think about this for a moment. The single most effective way to boost your ADR is to get more 5-star reviews.
But that’s not all. There are plenty more reasons to focus on improving your vacation rental reviews:
- Be responsive: Respond quickly to booking inquiries and guest questions. Aim for under an hour. Automate communication using tools like Rentals United or smart messaging platforms. Offer early check-ins or welcome gifts to add a personal touch.
- Maintain spaces neat and clean: this is by far one of the most important review factors. Hire professional cleaners or create a thorough cleaning checklist. Do a walkthrough before each guest arrives to ensure everything is spotless.
- Get your listings accurate and real: Ensure your photos and descriptions reflect reality. Guests penalize misleading listings. Be honest about size, amenities, and surroundings.
- Focus on guest comfort: invest in quality mattresses, pillows, linens, and blackout curtains.
- Provide essential amenities: fast Wi-Fi, coffee/tea, toiletries, and kitchen basics. Consider adding local touches like guidebooks or snacks.
- Be proactive: During the Stay Check in with guests 24–48 hours after arrival to ask if everything is okay. Quickly resolve any issues that arise — even small gestures can turn around a negative experience.
- Get more visibility on OTAs — OTAs like Airbnb prioritize properties with high review scores in search results. Having plenty of good reviews is one way to improve your Airbnb SEO. Complement accuracy with Tips to Get More Airbnb Bookings.
- Increase your occupancy — 5-star reviews help increase your occupancy. Reviews are a critical decision-making factor for guests when booking a vacation rental.
- Build trust with your guests — Guests will instantly find you more trustworthy if you have many great reviews on your listing and a high overall score. Avoid deposits and aim for a guest screening and damage protection coverage.
- Identify your top-performing rentals — With a property analytics tool like Rentals United’s ElevateData Studio, you can see your top-rated rentals and identify the ones which are not performing as well.
- Automate reviews: Customize your follow-up message and automate it to thank them and gently prompt for feedback. Avoid offering incentives (which can violate Airbnb’s policy), but express how much their review helps your small business, and with an easy to set-up automated process.
- Respect booking details — Don’t change details after the booking, for example, changing the check-in process, raising the prices, or even substituting the property for a similar unit. Allow instant booking with Airbnb’s Request to Book Feature.
Conclusion
Rentals United lets you manage and optimize your listings across all OTAs from a single dashboard—no more toggling between platforms. You can easily create, update, and customize content, images, and rates for each channel in one place. That saves time and ensures consistency in your brand presentation.
Our Quality Checker scans your listing content against each channel’s best‑practice standards, identifying any missing details or visuals that could help to get you more bookings. Additionally, our Property Health Card highlights areas to fine‑tune, empowering you to make data‑informed adjustments that enhance your listing’s visibility and guest appeal.
You’ll not only save effort but also gain a competitive edge. By streamlining content management, improving listing quality, and tracking performance trends, you can drive higher conversion rates and earn more 5-star reviews—all with less hassle.
Our Channel Manager also allows you to set optimal rates with Airbnb Pricing Strategies, which work in combination with boosting your review scores to ensure satisfied guests and higher revenue potential.
Sounds good? Want to take the first steps towards boosting your occupancy rates and ADR?
Download our complete step-by-step guide, and improve your listing accuracy today.