Airbnb · B&Bs and guesthouses

Airbnb review reply templates for B&Bs and guesthouses

B&Bs and guesthouses collect a specific set of review shapes, and Airbnb handles replies differently to every other platform you are on. This page pairs the two: the mechanics of replying on Airbnb, the complaints B&Bs and guesthouses actually receive, and six templates you can adapt in a couple of minutes.

By Elizabeth DavisLast reviewed

How replying on Airbnb actually works

  • Reviews are double-blind for 14 days and your public response window closes 30 days after the review posts.
  • The response appears under the review permanently and cannot be edited once submitted.
  • Category sub-ratings (cleanliness, accuracy, check-in, communication) drive Superhost status more than the headline number.

Policy line: Airbnb removes responses that reveal guest personal information or that read as retaliatory.

What b&bs and guesthouses get reviewed on

  • Breakfast timing and choice
  • Bathroom size versus the photos
  • Parking availability
  • Check-in flexibility
  • Thin walls between rooms

Tone notes

Personal and hosted. Guests choose a B&B for the host, so the reply should sound like the person who cooked breakfast. Host first name only — the platform's whole register is personal.

6 templates

1. Delighted guest

Review

"Felt like staying with friends. Breakfast was the best of the trip."

Reply

"Hi Priya — that is exactly the stay we set out to run, and the breakfast compliment goes straight to the kitchen. — Ellie, your host"

2. Photo mismatch

Review

"The bathroom is much smaller than it looks in the listing."

Reply

"Hi Alex — if the photos set an expectation the room does not meet, that is on our listing. I've reshot the bathroom with a wide reference in frame. If you will give us another go, reply here and I will look after it personally. — Ellie, your host"

3. Parking

Review

"Nowhere to park and no warning before arrival."

Reply

"Hi Nadia — arriving with a car and nowhere to put it is a stressful start. Our pre-arrival email now leads with the parking situation. — Ellie, your host"

4. Noise

Review

"Heard the room next door all night."

Reply

"Hi Chris — thin walls are a real limitation of a period building and we should have flagged it. We now offer the rear rooms to light sleepers. Please get in touch directly so we can close it out properly. — Ellie, your host"

5. Airbnb-specific: the mechanics reply

Review

"Great place overall, but a couple of things the listing did not mention."

Reply

"Hi Sam — thank you for coming back to this. Category sub-ratings (cleanliness, accuracy, check-in, communication) drive Superhost status more than the headline number. That is on us to use properly, and from this week every B&Bs and guesthouse review here gets a named reply. — Ellie, your host"

6. Escalation without a public argument

Review

"Worst experience I have had with any of the B&Bs and guesthouses around here. Avoid."

Reply

"Hi Jordan — a review this strong deserves a proper conversation rather than a paragraph in public. Please email me directly and I will go through it with you line by line. Whatever we find, I would rather fix it than debate it here. — Ellie, your host"

FAQ

How quickly should B&Bs and guesthouses reply to Airbnb reviews?
Within 24 hours for anything below four stars and within a few days for the rest. Category sub-ratings (cleanliness, accuracy, check-in, communication) drive Superhost status more than the headline number. Consistency matters more than speed alone — a visible response rate reassures the next reader as much as any single reply.
Can I get a bad Airbnb review removed?
Only if it breaks the platform's content policy — fake, off-topic, defamatory, or containing personal data. A review that is simply harsh is not removable, and the reply is the tool you actually have. Airbnb removes responses that reveal guest personal information or that read as retaliatory.
What should a B&Bs and guesthouse never put in a Airbnb reply?
Airbnb removes responses that reveal guest personal information or that read as retaliatory. Beyond policy, avoid re-litigating the facts in public: readers score the tone of the reply, not who was right.
Should the reply be signed by a person?
Host first name only — the platform's whole register is personal. An anonymous reply from "the team" reads as automated to the exact audience you are writing for, and it removes the accountability that makes a service-recovery reply work.

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