1. Dealing with a negative review
You have to be prepared for a bad review. There are some people who simply will not give a five-star review unless they were blown away. There are other people who are just hunting for a refund.
We had a guest who complained about our neighbors having a backyard party...On July 4th...In the center of Washington D.C.
If you get a less-than-glowing review, recognize whether it is a legitimate complaint or simply a fussy guest. If the complaint is legitimate, take all possible, immediate steps to address it, and make sure to leave a public response to the negative review where you politely explain that you have fixed the problem and apologize for their inconvenience. If the complaint is not legitimate, ignore it. In my personal experience, calling Airbnb and asking them to change a customer review is futile.
Either way, take the criticism, fix it if possible, and move on. If it was really not your fault, your reviews will soon reflect this as your rating goes back up. Everyone gets a bad review and a low rating at sometimes. It’s not the end of the world as long as it does not continue to happen.
It is important to diligently keep an eye on your reviews. Read every single review as soon as you can.
It can be very difficult to get ratings back up if you let something slide and the negative ratings start to pile up.
Close for a couple of days, if necessary, and fix the problem once and for all. If you already have guests coming, make sure you let them know the problem, offer to reimburse them in full if they cancel (NEVER cancel yourself), offer to refund a portion of their stay, or offer to pay for a nice dinner while they’re in town.