Why did I get four stars? The six categories explained

Four stars is not a disaster, but it is a signal

In my experience, most guests who give four stars liked the stay. They are not angry. They are telling you something was a little short of what they expected.

It still matters. Airbnb says the overall rating is "its own category (not an average of the other categories)" (help 1257). So a guest can give five stars for cleanliness and four overall, or the other way round. And the Superhost programme asks for a "4.8 or higher overall rating" (help 829).

The arithmetic is unkind. Four 5-star ratings and one 4-star average exactly 4.8. One more 4 and you are below it. That is why a single four can feel like a big deal, and why it is worth finding out what sat behind it.

Where to find your category ratings

Your ratings live in your hosting data, not just on the review itself. Airbnb's page on hosting data says you can track your overall rating, check each category over specific time frames, and "compare your rating to similar listings" (help 2653). It also shows your percentage of 5-star ratings.

Write down six numbers, one per category, plus your overall rating. Then put them into the free review category check. It shows your weakest category, the gap to 4.8, the usual causes and what to inspect first.

If you have already read Guest Favourites and your weakest category, this is the next step: working out what a specific low rating means.

The six categories and what guests usually mean

Airbnb asks the guest a short question for each category (help 1257). The right-hand column is my reading of what a four usually means, from hosting and from reading a lot of reviews. It is a starting list, not a diagnosis.

Notice that most of these are about expectations as much as the home. A guest who knew about the stairs rarely marks you down for them. A guest who found out on arrival often does.

Sort the cause into one of five issue types

Once you know the category, work out what kind of problem it is. I use five types. Each one has a different fix, so naming the type saves you fixing the wrong thing.

How to tell them apart

Ask three questions about each complaint.

1. Did something fail that normally works? Then it's operational.
2. Was it true, but a surprise? Then it's expectation-setting, or a listing problem if the listing says something different.
3. Has more than one guest mentioned it? If yes, it's a pattern, and probably an amenity gap or an expectation problem. If it's one guest and it's a matter of taste, it may be the last type.

Be honest with the last type. It is tempting to file everything there. Most fours are not bad luck. They are a small thing that can be fixed, said or shown.

How to reply to a four-star review

Future guests read your replies. Airbnb says your response is posted immediately, and future hosts and guests "can see it on your listing page, along with the original review" (help 32). So the reply is written for the next guest as much as this one.

Three rules I never break:

• Never argue. Even if the guest is wrong, a defensive reply costs you more than the rating did.
• Never offer anything. Airbnb's Reviews Policy says reviews may not be "provided or withheld in exchange for something of value" (help 2673). No discount, no refund, no free night tied to a review.
• Never ask for a change. The same policy says hosts and guests may not pressure another person to influence a review. In my view, asking for a review to be edited or taken down crosses that line, so don't.

A reply that works is short, warm and specific:

Thank you for staying, and for the kind words about the location. You're right that the shower pressure was weak. We've had a plumber in and it's been fixed. We hope you'll come back.

If the complaint was a misunderstanding, say what's true without blaming anyone:

Thanks for staying. The parking is on the street, and we've now made that clearer in the listing so the next guest knows before they book.

Notice what both do. They thank, they agree where it's fair, and they say what changed. The next guest reads that as a host who listens.

The mid-stay message: a real fix, not a rating request

The best time to deal with a four is before the review is written. A short message a day after check-in gives the guest an easy way to mention a problem while you can still fix it.

Airbnb's rebooking and refund policy says that, whenever feasible, a guest "must notify the host and try to resolve" a problem directly with the host first (help 2868). A friendly check-in makes that easy for them.

Something like:

Hi, I hope you've settled in well. Is there anything at all we can fix or bring to make the stay easier? Just reply here and I'll sort it.

You can set this up once as a scheduled quick reply. Airbnb's page says scheduled quick replies can be sent before or after events like check-in, and that they "aren't scheduled to be sent by default" (help 2897), so you have to turn it on.

The rule for this message: it must be a genuine offer to fix things. Don't mention reviews, stars or ratings. A message that hints at a rating is pressure, and it reads that way to guests. Then, if a guest does report something, fix it fast and quietly.

A 30-day plan after a four

1. Note the review and the category that was lowest for that stay, if you can see it.
2. Read your last 15 to 20 reviews for the same complaint. One mention is a data point. Three is a pattern.
3. Name the issue type using the five above.
4. Fix the cause where it lives. In the home for operational problems and amenity gaps. In the listing for listing and expectation problems.
5. Reply to the review calmly, saying what changed.
6. Turn on the mid-stay message if you don't already have it.
7. Check your category ratings again after a few more stays. They only move as new reviews arrive.

What won't help

• Offering money back after a four. Apart from breaking the Reviews Policy if it's tied to the review, it teaches nothing about the cause.
• Rewriting the listing when the problem is in the home. If the shower is weak, better words won't change the next rating.
• Ignoring a single four. One is not a crisis. But read it, and check whether it matches something an earlier guest said.