We just got back from a great trip to St Augustine. America’s oldest city, it sits on the east coast of Florida just south of Jacksonville. We had a fantastic time and it was great to play with my son on the beach. We stayed in an Airbnb in a prime location:

Isn’t the location perfect?! Facing east, we got beautiful sunrises every morning, and woke to the sound of the waves crashing outside our front door. Kids are back in school and we were staying there mid week, so we practically had the beach to ourselves. The surf was great and the dolphins were the icing on the cake!

While the location was perfect, the Airbnb wasn’t – in fact it was quite run down. But we didn’t really care. Being so close to the ocean more than made up for it. This little guy especially loved it:

The Airbnb

We were the host’s first booking, so I am cutting them a bit of slack. But they got a lot wrong…

Such as:

• Cans of paint and junk were left in a closet with no door on it making the place look cluttered and messy (and a definite no-no with a toddler);
• The ceiling would drip a leak  when anyone took a shower;
• Not enough cups or glasses for both of us;
• A general lack of attention to making the place just right.

For many people, these would be deal breakers. The owner risks getting some seriously bad host  reviews all because they haven’t fixed a few issues that could be taken care of in a long weekend. But to be honest, while all of that should have been sorted, the view and location made up for it for us. In fact, the location was so great we are really keen to go back soon despite some (pretty big) failings!

Improvements

It would be so easy to improve this Airbnb, and have it be a really special place to stay. Here’s what I would do:

• Improve the listing – having a complete set of pictures would have helped us visualise the space better. Adding a floorpan would have also helped a lot. It was hard to tell from the listing what the space was like. For a small family this is important.
• Space – they need to have a really good tidy up. Anything that isn’t intended to help ensure your guests have a great time should go. There’s no reason to leave tins of paint lying around.
• Maintenance – give the place a good lick of paint (don’t just use up the paint that’s lying around), and sort the leak!
• Tableware – have enough for everyone, and label the draws so everything can easily be found.
• DVDs – in remote spots, having some entertainment after dark would be nice.
• Wi-Fi – the place had wi-fi, but it didn’t extend everywhere, and the main living space was a wi-fi dead spot.

All in all, not a huge list – but these small changes would have a dramatic effect and vastly improve the space.

Host Review

This leads me to the difficulty of what sort of review to give them. As a host myself, I’m well aware that a bad host review (especially when just starting out) can have a hugely negative impact on the success of the business. I don’t want to harm their chances.

But I also want to be honest, so that they can improve and so that other guests get what they are expecting. So I’ve given a bit of thought to my host review and feedback.

Public Feedback

Despite it’s failings, when you take a look at Airbnb’s feedback criteria, it’s hard not to give 5 stars to this place. Their communication WAS great – it was so quick and efficient, I think they must have automated their communication process like I do. The location really was perfect – I couldn’t imagine a better spot. The price was also great value since they were new and looking to attract bookings. So they got 5 stars on all three of these, despite having some serious flaws elsewhere.

But I needed to set future guests’ expectations too. The host had styled the place in the listing as a Couples Retreat, but the truth was it was more of a surf-shack. Great if your priority is instant access to the beach, not so great if you are expecting romantic luxury. So I hinted at that in the written portion of the host review.

Private Feedback

Airbnb allows you to also give private feedback to hosts, which I did. But I also want to go back to this Airbnb, so I wanted to make sure things stay amicable between myself and the host. So I made a point of saying how much we loved staying there, and how we wanted to return. But I also made sure to gently let them know what was holding their place back. We’d definitely visit more often if the problems listed above were sorted.

The Take Away

I guess the lesson I’ve learnt from this is that hosts should primarily focus on improving the aspects which Airbnb guests rate on – Cleanliness, Accuracy, Check-in (see here for my guide to ensuring a perfect guest Check-In), Communication, Location and Value. And remember, five stars don’t mean the same as in the hotel industry. Five stars simply means they’ve hit the nail on the head in each of the above categories.

Extra Special

Going through the review process as a guest has given me fresh perspective of my own space. Looking at these criteria above, there’s one thing I’ve not been doing. I think I DO offer outstanding hospitality. My amenities ARE amazing – we even have a sous vide and a pasta machine! My response is lightning fast, my space is stylish, the place is spotless, and I’ve got a guidebook full of local tips. But there is one thing missing in my Airbnb – Thoughtful Touches. I don’t leave gifts for guests as it makes automation that little bit harder. However, I may now give this some thought in the hope of checking this final block too.

If you haven’t stayed in an Airbnb before, give it a try! Use this link for a $20 discount* off your first say. If you fancy becoming a host yourself, you can sign up here*.

Would you give 5 stars if the above criteria was met, even if something else let the place down? If you host, think honestly and critically about your own Airbnb – is there anything you could improve? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.