Writing your review of a guest: what to say and when to post it

After checkout, Airbnb asks you to review your guest. Many hosts skip it or leave a two-word "Great guest!" That's a missed opportunity. Your review helps other hosts decide whether to accept this person, and posting one promptly often reminds the guest to review you back.

Review quickly

Both host and guest have a limited window after checkout to leave a review. Reviews stay hidden until both of you have submitted, or until the window closes. That means posting yours early does two useful things: the guest gets a notification that you've reviewed them, which nudges them to do theirs while the stay is fresh, and you're not relying on memory a fortnight later.

Many hosts write their review the same day, once the cleaner has confirmed how the place was left. If you use a post-checkout walkthrough, that's the natural moment.

Write for the next host

A good guest review answers the questions another host would ask:

• Did they communicate clearly and reply to messages?
• Did they follow the house rules, including check-in and checkout times?
• How did they leave the place?
• Would you host them again?

Two or three sentences is enough:

Sarah and her partner were easy guests. Clear communication before arrival, checked out on time and left the flat tidy. Welcome back any time.

That's more useful to another host than a string of exclamation marks, and it reads well to the guest too.

When the stay went badly

If a guest broke rules, left a mess or caused damage, be honest, but stick to facts. Other hosts need to know, and a vague review doesn't help them.

The guests brought extra people without asking and the flat needed an additional two hours of cleaning after checkout. I wouldn't host this group again.

What to leave out:

• Insults or speculation about the guest's character.
• Personal details about the guest.
• Anything you can't back up.

Remember the guest can respond publicly to your review. A calm, factual review holds up; an angry one makes you look worse than the guest. If damage was involved, deal with the claim separately through Airbnb's process, as covered in our post on when a guest breaks something. The review isn't the place to argue about money.

Rate the categories honestly

Besides the written review, Airbnb asks you to rate the guest on things like cleanliness, communication and following house rules. Be honest here too. A guest who left the place tidy deserves full marks for cleanliness, even if they were slow to reply to messages. Marking everything down because one thing annoyed you makes the ratings meaningless for other hosts.

Use private feedback for the small stuff

Alongside the public review, Airbnb lets you leave private feedback that only the guest sees. This is where minor things go: "Just a heads-up for future stays, the bins need to go out on Tuesday". It's helpful to the guest without putting it on their public record.

Small issues that don't really affect future hosts, like leaving dishes in the sink or a towel on the floor, belong here rather than in the public text.

Don't trade reviews

Never offer a guest a good review in exchange for one from them, and never threaten a bad review to get something. Airbnb treats review manipulation seriously, and it undermines the system you rely on to judge your own guests.

Should you always review?

Yes, with very few exceptions. Reviewing every guest keeps your review count rising on both sides and builds the habit. It also matters when a guest reviews you badly. If you've been consistently fair in your own reviews, you're in a much better position when you respond. Our post on responding to a bad review covers that side, and our review response templates give you a starting point for the replies.