I stay in vacation rental homes several times a year. I have favorites that I have booked multiple times and I make sure I reserve these early enough to have my dates available. Sometimes I make last minute travel decisions which necessitate finding new (to me) and different rentals.
My reservation routine is consistent. After I put in the location I want to visit, I add my dates and number of travelers followed by filters that are important to me for that stay. Filters such as beach front, heated pool, bed types, nearby activities and so on are useful for narrowing my choices and finding a good match.
Next, I scroll through the available properties and check the stars earned from guest reviews. I usually eliminate the ones that are less than 4.5 in ratings.
Why are guest reviews and stars important?
- Reviews build trust.
- I know there are scams, even on the top rated online travel agencies. Star ratings confirm the rental’s legitimacy and that others have stayed here.
- Reviews reflect satisfaction.
- 5 star ratings indicate the home, amenities, location and experience met or exceeded guests’ expectations. This is what vacation rentals are all about!
- Reviews speak to the details.
- Guests who have stayed at the property have the opportunity to highlight amenities and features they enjoyed as well as challenges they faced. Guests’ comments can convince me the rental is what I’m looking for, or not.
- Reviews support reliability.
- I check the dates of the reviews to ensure at least some of the 5 star ratings are from the past year’s reservations. Right or wrong, homes whose star ratings have dropped make me think the host has neglected maintaining the home, it has lost some of its sparkle, or upgrades are needed.
Do I believe all ratings and reviews? Of course not. I know there are guests who will only assign 3-4 stars to their guest experience because the weather was disappointing. Uncomfortable beds/pillows is another complaint which is tricky because defining comfortable is subjective. Rarely, there are guests who trash homes and then subtract stars because they anticipate penalties or poor comments on their own behaviors.
Most guests write honest reviews about the properties they stayed at. It’s a win-win for both potential guests and hosts. Guests are more confident in their vacation rental selection and are more likely to be happy with their choice. Homes with higher reviews get more exposure on vacation rental websites and secure more bookings. The feedback loop yields more reviews which in turn enhances the listing’s visibility and plausibility.
For all the above reasons, AZ Vacation Home Rentals strives for 5 star reviews. We encourage guests’ feedback both during and after their stay as a way to improve our properties and develop loyal clients. Happy guests drive 5 star reviews which convert to homes’ marketing power and higher income for hosts.
