Handling 1st Unfavorable Guest Review

[Erica Calella]

This week I received my first negative review from a guest.

I understand that this is part of the business, but I'm just wondering what coping mechanisms does everyone revert to when this happens? Do the airbnb review descriptions really matter? I'm just starting out with my first STR so I'm really relying on good reviews and guest experiences to get more exposure on the listing platforms!

Edit: I'm removing details regarding my opinion of the guest/ review from my original post. 

[Leora Merrell]

Without knowing the review details, I can’t give you any specific direction. I’ve had a few myself (it happens, especially when you get a crazy). Luckily, most of the time their review says a lot more about the guest than it ever would about any of my properties. I usually say something like, “we encourage future potential guests to read all other guest reviews of our property for an honest assessment of what to expect.” Or something like that. Simple yet effective. 
If something truly was wrong that you could have prevented or handled a lot better, thank them for leaving a review, apologize, own up to the mistake you made, and explain how it’s fixed so it won’t happen to future guest. This response needs to be clear but brief. Do not write up an essay. No one will read it and you’ll come across as the crazy one and as super defensive. 
Hope that helps! Thankfully, these are few and far between if you’re a good host and take care of your property. Don’t sweat it. It’s not worth it.