How to Leave a Review Airbnb: A Guide for Business Owners

Are you a business owner looking to enhance your Airbnb presence? This guide will show you how to leave a review on Airbnb and encourage guests to sign in, find their reservation details, and post their feedback. By the end, you’ll be equipped to guide confirmed guests in leaving reviews that help inform other users and benefit other hosts. Whether guests had a great stay or a bad experience, timely reviews ensure transparency and trust within the Airbnb community.

You’ll also learn how to encourage guests to leave private feedback, offering valuable insights for improvement. From check-in to check-out, every interaction matters—so don’t wait too long to send a message or a gentle reminder. A well-structured note with clear advice can make the review process smoother and more effective.

Key Takeaways

• Airbnb reviews enhance credibility and visibility: Positive reviews build trust within the Airbnb community, improve a listing’s ranking, and attract more bookings by showcasing past guest experiences.
• Hosts and guests have a 14-day review window: Airbnb’s double-blind review system ensures fairness, preventing either party from seeing feedback until both have submitted their reviews or the period expires.
• Encouraging and responding to reviews boosts reputation: Hosts can professionally request reviews post-checkout, personalize responses, and use automation tools to maintain a strong Airbnb presence.

Why Airbnb reviews matter for business owners

Airbnb reviews play a crucial role in a host’s success, influencing visibility, credibility, and guest trust. Whether you're looking to write a compelling review or encourage reviewers to share their experiences, understanding the importance of guest feedback can make a difference. Here are the key benefits of Airbnb reviews:

• Boosting credibility: Listings with more positive reviews enhance trust within the Airbnb community. A host's review serves as an example of what future guests can expect, helping them feel confident in their choices. When hosts and guests exchange reviews, it fosters transparency and reliability.
• Improving Airbnb ranking: The Airbnb review system prioritizes properties with high ratings, meaning that positive reviews help boost your listing’s visibility. A well-reviewed property receives a prompt ranking advantage, attracting more users who may hope for an exceptional stay.
• Attracting more bookings: Future travelers rely on past guest experiences when deciding where to book. A well-written review can showcase what makes a stay special, encouraging new visitors to choose your property. Highlighting a seamless check-in process or personalized touches in a review reassures potential guests.
• Enhancing guest satisfaction: Reviews offer valuable feedback, allowing guests and hosts to refine their experience. Addressing guest concerns and expressing appreciation in reviews can improve overall service. When hosts note guest preferences and make thoughtful improvements, it results in a better stay for future visitors—without the worry of unmet expectations.

By consistently collecting and responding to reviews, hosts can strengthen their Airbnb presence and create lasting impressions that drive more bookings.

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Understanding the Airbnb Review System: How does it work?

For hoteliers and business owners, the Airbnb review system is an essential tool for maintaining a strong online presence. This system is designed to facilitate honest and unbiased feedback between hosts and guests, playing a pivotal role in building trust and credibility within the Airbnb community. The host's review focuses on the guest who made the reservation and will be visible on the profiles of all confirmed guests associated with that booking.

A standout feature of the Airbnb review system is its double-blind setup. This ensures that neither the host nor the guest can view the other party’s review until both have been submitted or until the 14-day review period concludes. This approach encourages genuine and impartial reviews, fostering an environment where feedback is not influenced by the other party's comments.

Both hosts and guests have a 14-day window to leave reviews after a stay. This timeframe allows for a comprehensive assessment of the experience, whether it was seamless or encountered a few challenges. For confirmed guests, leaving a review involves logging into their Airbnb account, navigating to their trip details, and submitting their feedback.

The review system also offers the option for private feedback, which can be incredibly valuable for hoteliers and business owners aiming to refine their services. Guests can leave private feedback that only the host can see, providing specific advice or highlighting areas for improvement without impacting the public review.

By engaging with the Airbnb review system, hoteliers and business owners contribute to a transparent and trustworthy community. Honest reviews help future guests make informed decisions and enable hosts to continuously enhance their offerings, ensuring a superior experience for everyone involved.

What's the difference between host reviews and guest reviews?

Airbnb’s review system allows both guests and hosts to share feedback, fostering trust within the platform. With 371 million reviews left by guests, transparency plays a crucial role in helping users make informed decisions.

Guest reviews focus on their stay, highlighting aspects such as cleanliness, amenities, and hospitality. These reviews guide future travelers in choosing the right accommodations. In contrast, host reviews reflect the host's thoughts on a guest’s behavior, communication, and adherence to house rules, helping other hosts evaluate potential bookings. The host's review is directed towards the guest who made the reservation and will be visible on the profiles of all confirmed guests associated with the booking.

Both parties have a week to submit their reviews, and neither can see the other’s feedback until both are posted. To participate, reviewers must sign into their Airbnb account and follow the steps for leaving a review on Airbnb. Honest and constructive feedback strengthens the community and enhances the experience for everyone.

How can hosts leave reviews for guests on Airbnb?

How to leave a review, Airbnb style is a simple yet valuable step in maintaining a strong host rating, improving guest communication, and fostering trust within the Airbnb community. A well-written review enhances your Airbnb reputation, helping future hosts make informed decisions while reinforcing a positive guest experience.

1. Logging into your Airbnb account

To leave a review, sign into your Airbnb host account through a web browser or the Airbnb app. Then, navigate to your host dashboard, where you can access past guest interactions and initiate the review process. This ensures that your listing remains credible and attracts high-quality guests.

2. Locating the guest account

Find the guest you want to review by opening the Airbnb app and navigating to the “Messages” section. Locate the message thread with the person you are reviewing, which contains key details about their stay, including communication, behavior, and house rules adherence. Selecting the conversation will prompt you with an option to “Get started” or a similar prompt, allowing you to begin writing your feedback.

3. Writing and submitting the review

As a business owner, providing a well-crafted review is essential for maintaining a strong Airbnb host reputation and attracting high-quality guests. Ensure your review is clear, honest, and helpful, highlighting key factors such as cleanliness, communication, adherence to house rules, and overall guest behavior. Airbnb provides review prompts to streamline the process, allowing you to write structured and relevant feedback. If applicable, you may need to address a bad review professionally while maintaining warm hospitality in your response.

How can hosts leave reviews on the Airbnb app?

To write a review on the Airbnb app, go to “Messages,” select the guest’s conversation, and tap “Get started” to post your feedback. Rate the guest, highlight key aspects like communication and cleanliness, and then tap “Submit” to finalize the review. The process is similar on desktop, ensuring a seamless review experience across devices.

By taking a few minutes to provide thoughtful feedback, hosts contribute to a transparent system where reviewers help future hosts expect the best guests, whether the stay was special or presented challenges, and leaving a helpful and professional review ensures a positive impact on the Airbnb community.

Why can't business owners leave an Airbnb review?

Several reasons might prevent hosts from posting a review on Airbnb. If you're wondering how to leave a review on Airbnb, technical issues with the platform can sometimes prevent submission, even within the allowed time frame. Additionally, the review option may not appear until 48 hours after the person's stay, causing delays.

Hosts should also check the Airbnb review page to ensure they are following the correct process. If the option still isn’t available after a week, verifying your sign-in status and checking your account's location settings may help resolve the issue. In some cases, users in certain countries may experience regional restrictions when leaving reviews.

How can business owners edit or remove reviews on Airbnb?

Hosts cannot edit or remove a review once it has been submitted on Airbnb. All reviews are final to ensure transparency and fairness within the community.

However, if a review violates Airbnb’s Review Policy, such as including offensive language or irrelevant content, hosts can contact customer support to request Airbnb remove it.

To prevent mistakes, it’s best to double-check the review before submitting. Taking a moment to ensure accuracy helps maintain professionalism and credibility as a host.

Why should hosts respond to Airbnb guest reviews?

Responding to guest reviews is a professional and courteous way for hosts to engage with guests while reinforcing their reputation. Since hosts also leave reviews for guests, acknowledging feedback fosters mutual respect and demonstrates attentiveness. A well-crafted response shows appreciation for positive reviews and professionalism when addressing concerns. If you're wondering how to leave a review on Airbnb, responding to guest feedback is just as important as writing a review for them.

Timely responses are key. While Airbnb allows up to 30 days to reply, responding promptly—especially to critical feedback—indicates that the host values guest input and is committed to continuous improvement. Engaging with reviews on the Airbnb page also increases visibility, reassuring potential users about the quality of the stay.

For hosts in any city or country, maintaining a strong presence through thoughtful responses helps build trust. To streamline the process, hosts can leverage AI-powered tools like MARA AI, which helps craft personalized and professional replies, ensuring responses remain warm and engaging without taking up too much time.

Read: How to respond to Airbnb reviews to boost your credibility

How to respond to Airbnb guest reviews professionally?

Engaging with guest reviews thoughtfully can enhance your listing's reputation and encourage future bookings. Here’s how guests and hosts can handle reviews effectively:

Acknowledge and show appreciation

Express gratitude for every review, whether positive or negative. A simple “Thank you for your feedback!” sets a welcoming tone. For example, “We’re so glad you enjoyed your stay and hope to host you again soon!”

Address any concerns professionally

If a guest mentions an issue, acknowledge it politely and offer a solution. This shows future guests that you take feedback seriously. A response like, “We appreciate your input and will ensure this is improved for future stays,” is a sign of great hospitality.

Personalize your responses

Avoid generic replies—mention specific details about the guest’s experience to make your response more engaging. For example, “It was a pleasure hosting you, and we’re happy you loved the ocean-view balcony!”

Maintain a positive and professional tone

Even if a review is critical, respond with professionalism and gratitude. This helps maintain a strong reputation for your listing and assures future guests that you value their experience.

Encourage future bookings

End your response with a warm invitation to return. A friendly “We’d love to host you again for another amazing stay!” encourages repeat visits and strengthens relationships between guests and hosts.

How to encourage more guest reviews

For hoteliers and Airbnb property owners, guest reviews are essential for improving credibility, increasing bookings, and maintaining a strong listing. While guests and hosts both benefits from reviews, hotel, and short-term rental operators must follow best practices to request them professionally and in compliance with Airbnb’s policies.

Ask guests for a review without violating Airbnb policies

Airbnb prohibits incentivizing reviews, but you can still prompt guests in a compliant and professional way. Rather than requesting a “positive” review, encourage them to share their genuine experience. Keeping the message neutral ensures compliance while prompting guests to leave feedback. A great example of a compliant request is:

"We hope you had a fantastic stay! If you have a moment, we’d love to hear about your experience in a review—it helps us improve and assists future travelers in choosing the right accommodation."

Personalized follow-up messages after checkout

A well-crafted, personalized message after checkout can significantly increase the likelihood of receiving a review. Instead of a generic request, mention a memorable part of their stay to make it more engaging. This small sign of appreciation makes guests feel valued and more inclined to leave feedback. For instance: "

It was a pleasure hosting you at [Hotel/Airbnb Name]! We hope you enjoyed the rooftop lounge and found our local recommendations helpful. If you’d like to share your experience, your review would mean a lot to us and future guests."

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Providing an exceptional experience to naturally earn positive feedback

The easiest way to get more reviews is to create a stay worth reviewing. Ensure spotless cleanliness, outstanding customer service, and personalized touches such as a handwritten note or a complimentary amenity. When guests feel genuinely appreciated, they are more likely to leave a glowing review without needing a prompt.

Automating review requests through Airbnb tools or third-party integrations

Hotels and Airbnb property managers can save time by automating review requests using Airbnb’s built-in messaging system or external tools like Guesty or Lodgify. These tools send timely reminders, ensuring guests don’t forget to leave a review.

Achieve smarter Airbnb review responses with MARA

Managing Airbnb reviews efficiently is key to building a strong online reputation, and AI-powered tools like MARA AI make the process effortless. Instead of spending hours crafting personalized responses, MARA automates and enhances your Online Reputation Management, ensuring that each reply is professional, engaging, and tailored to guest feedback. Additionally, the host's review pertains to the guest who made the reservation and will be visible on the profiles of all confirmed guests associated with that booking.

AI-powered Review Inbox

One of the key features of this tool is the Review Inbox. Your review inbox makes responding to reviews as simple as hitting “Generate reply” and clicking “Send”. The Review Inbox connects to multiple review sources, including Google, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor, giving you a panoramic view of all your reviews. You can even configure review response automation: Why not allow MARA to automatically respond to simple reviews, like 5-star Google reviews with no text, ensuring you never miss a review? Daily notifications about new reviews keep you updated and in control.

Advanced Review Analytics

To help you understand and analyze the multitude of reviews, the Review Assistant also incorporates Review Analytics. This provides actionable, easy-to-understand insights that are tailored exclusively to your business. With MARA, you can quickly get the gist of all your reviews without needing to read each one. The analysis is so detailed that you can find out about specific issues like “water in the pool is too cold” or “lack of vegan breakfast option”. These insights help optimize guest experience without requiring you to be a data expert.

The most personal response AI

MARA’s AI isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about personalization, too. The Brand Voice feature allows the AI to adapt to your tone, making sure your responses sound authentically you. Plus, with Smart Snippets, you can “teach” the AI how to respond to recurring praises or complaints. Your AI then incorporates this information into its responses, but always with different words, providing more personalized, relevant replies.

This review response assistant has quickly become a game-changer for over 2000 customers. Its promising capacity to elevate your overall rating, amplify response rates, glean insights from customer feedback, and economize both time and money is the reason behind its growing popularity.

In conclusion, managing online reviews need not be an overwhelming task. With the appropriate software, not only can you streamline the process, but you can also personalize your responses and derive valuable insights from the reviews. So, why hesitate to give our AI Review Assistant, MARA, a try? It’s completely free for testing, doesn’t require a credit card, and can be fully operational in less than five minutes.

Final Thought

Guiding guests on how to leave a review on Airbnb is a powerful way to enhance your business’s reputation and contribute to the community. The Airbnb review system fosters mutual feedback, ensuring transparency and trust. By assisting guests in leaving a review and encouraging honest and detailed feedback, you can make a significant impact. The host's review pertains to the guest who made the reservation and will be visible on the profiles of all confirmed guests associated with that booking.

Responding to reviews is equally important for hosts, as it shows their commitment to service improvement and enhances guest loyalty. Understanding the policies around editing or removing reviews ensures that feedback remains fair and accurate. Leveraging reviews for better experiences can lead to higher visibility, increased bookings, and sustained success on the platform.

By encouraging guests to share their experiences through well-crafted reviews, you help build a more reliable and enjoyable Airbnb community. Their feedback benefits others and contributes to a system that values mutual respect and continuous improvement.

This article is part of our hero content “Optimize Your Hotel Listings to Increase Bookings - All You Need to Know".