A 4-star review is not a failure. It's the most useful piece of feedback you'll receive all year — if you respond to it correctly.
Your instinct will be to write a gracious public response immediately. Resist it. Airbnb shows potential guests both the review and your reply — and a reply written within 20 minutes of receiving a 4-star review often reads as defensive or rehearsed, even when it isn't.
Wait at least two hours. Read the review again when you're not reacting to it. Then write your response with the next guest in mind, not the current reviewer.
Most 4-star reviews aren't about one thing. They're about a gap between expectation and experience — usually something small that the guest didn't feel was worth mentioning directly, but that registered enough to cost you a point.
Read for the specific. "The location was perfect and the bed was comfortable" gives you nothing actionable. "The coffee machine wasn't explained and we couldn't figure it out" gives you an exact fix: add a card with coffee instructions.
The most common sources of a 4th star instead of 5th: check-in friction (unclear instructions, hard-to-find lockbox), something that didn't work (a lightbulb, a shower head setting, the TV input), a missing amenity the guest assumed was present, or something about cleanliness that wasn't obvious on arrival.
"We were having a brilliant stay until we realised the hairdryer didn't work. Small thing but it dampened the mood."
Your public response should do three things: thank the guest, acknowledge the specific concern without being defensive, and signal to future guests that the issue has been addressed.
What to say: "Thank you for your kind words about the location and the bed. You're right that the coffee instructions weren't clear — we've since added a laminated guide in the kitchen. We hope to welcome you back."
What not to say: anything that starts with "However," anything that explains why the issue happened, anything that challenges the guest's perception.
Always follow up with a private message to the guest. Keep it short: thank them again, acknowledge the specific gap, and ask (if appropriate) whether there's anything else they'd suggest. Most guests are surprised to receive a follow-up and respond warmly. A small percentage become repeat guests.
Every Aluna property has a running "4-star log" — a list of every specific issue raised in sub-five-star reviews. We address each one before the next guest checks in. Over 18 months, this system has raised our portfolio average from 4.6 to 4.87. Not because we fixed big problems. Because we fixed a long series of small, findable ones.
The 4-star review isn't a verdict on your property. It's a map to a 5-star one.
Published 2026 · Hosting · ← Back to Journal