> You can reply to her comment telling your story.
It becomes a debate, or a he said she said. Pages worth. What better way to scare off a guest looking for a relaxing holiday?
This is how Airbnb plays hosts off against each other. Any host that tries to stand up for themselves loses out to a more compliant host.
> One bad review shouldn't impact you in the long term.
The last review (1/5 stars) goes to the top of the list. It's the first thing new guests see. It dragged the average down half a star, which was enough to lose my super host status, which requires 4.8 average.
I have to get 10 new guests to rate 5 stars just to restore the average to what it was.
How do I get 1 new guest when the first review says HORRIFIC. HEALTH HAZARD. BLACK MOULD. STAY AWAY.
It would be fairer if Airbnb, which is an accomodation company, had the resources to independently rate properties. They wouldn't even have to do it all the time - just to resolve disputes. But they don't have the resources to do it ever. Nor the will. That's because they make more money by not actually managing their core business, and simply playing hosts and guests off against each other.