How to get 5-star reviews on Airbnb without breaking the review policy
How Airbnb reviews work, what the review policy forbids, what moves each category rating, how to ask for a review the right way, and why a co-host should watch Guest favourite rather than Superhost.
Sources listed, last checked
Five-star reviews come from a stay that matches the listing, a clean place, an easy check-in and quick answers, followed by one simple, honest request after checkout. Airbnb’s Reviews Policy bans offering anything of value for a review and pressuring guests, so some tactics that circulate among hosts can get reviews removed and accounts restricted.2 Guests and hosts each have 14 days after checkout to leave a review.1
Key takeaways
- Both sides get 14 days after checkout, and a review goes live when both have submitted or the window closes.1
- No discounts, refunds or favours in exchange for a review, and no pressure.2
- Guests rate six categories next to the overall rating, and each one points to something you can fix.3
- Co-hosts are not evaluated for Superhost, so a manager should track the listing’s ratings and Guest favourite status instead.5
- A calm public reply to a bad review is written for the next guest, not for the one who left it.
In this guide
How Airbnb reviews work
After checkout, Airbnb prompts both the guest and the host to review each other. Both have 14 days. Reviews are published once both parties have submitted, or when the 14-day period ends, whichever comes first.1 Neither side sees the other’s review before then, so a guest cannot wait to see what you wrote about them.
A few mechanics matter for managers:
- No review for early cancellations. If a reservation is cancelled before the day of check-in, neither side can leave a review.1
- Public and private parts. Anyone can read the written review and the overall star rating. Each guest’s individual category ratings and any note to the host are only visible to the host and Airbnb.1 The average for each category is public, shown alongside the reviews.3
- The listing rating appears after three reviews. It is the average of the overall ratings, shown next to the title once a home has at least three reviews.1
- The overall rating is its own question. It is not an average of the category ratings, so a guest can give 5 for every category and 4 overall.3
- No moderation before publication. Airbnb does not check reviews before they go live, but it can remove them afterwards if they break the policy.1
- The author can take it back. A guest can remove a review they wrote within 30 days of publication.1
You can find the category ratings and private feedback under Insights, then Reviews (or Performance, then Quality, with professional hosting tools).3 Read the private notes as well as the stars, because they can hold feedback a guest chose not to write in public.
What the review policy forbids
Airbnb’s Reviews Policy says hosts and guests may not coordinate with, manipulate, extort, incentivise or pressure another person to influence a review. Reviews may not be provided or withheld in exchange for something of value, such as a discount, a refund or a reciprocal positive review, or for a promise not to take negative action against the reviewer.2 Airbnb also says its policy is informed by consumer laws that apply to online reviews, and that it may apply the policy differently where local law requires.2
Watch out: These break the Reviews Policy
- Offering a discount on a next stay, a late checkout or a bottle of wine in return for a 5-star review.2
- Offering a partial refund if the guest removes or changes a negative review.2
- Hinting that you will review the guest badly unless they review you well, or promising a glowing guest review in return for theirs.2
- Threatening a negative review to get compensation, which the policy names specifically.2
- Reviewing a listing you are affiliated with or one you compete with, for example from a friend’s account.2
A review that breaks the policy can be removed with its ratings, and Airbnb may also restrict, suspend or remove the listing or account.2
The temptation usually arrives when a guest complains about something real and asks for money back, and a refund with “maybe you could update your review” attached feels fair. It is not allowed. Solve the problem, refund what it is worth, and leave the review to the guest. If you need to recover costs, that is a separate process covered in guest damage and insurance, and it should never be linked to a review.
What drives each category rating
Guests rate homes on an overall rating and six categories. When they give a 4 or 5 in a category they can pick what stood out, and when they rate low they can pick what went wrong, such as “Hard to locate” or “Unclear instructions” for check-in.3 Those picks show up in your ratings, which makes the categories the most practical to-do list you will get.
Airbnb’s rating categories and what a manager controls in each (category questions from Airbnb, ratings for homes)
| Category | What Airbnb asks the guest | What you control |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanliness | Did the home meet Airbnb’s standards, free of health hazards like mould and pests, and of extensive dust, pet dander and dirty dishes? | The turnover checklist, the cleaner’s time per stay, a photo check before each arrival |
| Accuracy | Was it represented with up-to-date photos and information, and was everything in good working order? | Photos that match the place today, honest descriptions, a quick fix for anything broken |
| Check-in | Was it easy? | Clear instructions sent in advance, a tested lock or key handover, a photo of the door |
| Communication | Did the host respond to messages promptly? | Response time, message templates, a named person on call during stays |
| Location | Was the guest told about safety, transport, points of interest and things like noise? | Telling guests about noise, parking and stairs before they book, not after |
| Value | Was it worth the price? | The price against what the stay delivered, and no surprises on arrival |
Source for the category questions: Airbnb.3
Location looks like something you cannot change, but the category asks whether the guest was made aware of the situation.3 A listing that mentions the tram outside the bedroom window sets a different expectation from one that hides it. Accuracy and value work the same way: they measure the stay against what the listing promised. If your listing needs work, start with a listing that gets booked.
Cleanliness is the category where a single slip, like hair in the shower, is visible to every guest, and no message can make up for it. A written turnover system with photo checks, like the one in Airbnb turnover cleaning, is how you protect it. Airbnb’s own suggestions for keeping 5-star reviews coming include asking guests a few days before check-in, in a scheduled message, whether there is anything that would make their stay more comfortable, and enabling self check-in.8
How to ask for a review the right way
Earn the review first, then ask for it once. Asking is allowed; the policy is about what you offer or threaten around the request.2 Airbnb already prompts guests to review after checkout, so your message is a reminder with a human voice, not the only nudge they get.1
Timing that works within the 14-day window:
- During the stay, ask about problems. A short check-in message on the first evening gives the guest a private way to tell you about the wobbly shelf before it becomes a public complaint.
- On the day of checkout, thank them. Keep it short, mention something specific about their stay if you can, and say that a review helps future guests.
- Review the guest promptly. Reviews are published once both of you have submitted, so sitting on yours only delays both.1
- Do not chase repeatedly. In our reading, one reminder is fine, while a string of messages starts to look like the pressure the policy bans.2
Wording for a review request, what is fine and what breaks Airbnb’s Reviews Policy
| Fine to send | Breaks the policy or risks it |
|---|---|
| “Thanks for staying with us. If you have a minute, an honest review helps the next guests know what to expect.” | “Leave us 5 stars and we’ll give you 10% off your next stay.” |
| “If anything wasn’t right, please tell us directly so we can fix it for the next guest.” | “We’ll refund the cleaning fee if you change your review.” |
| “We’ve left you a review. Yours will appear once you submit it.” | “We always give our guests 5 stars, and we hope you’ll do the same.” |
| “Anything we could improve? Reply here, we read every message.” | “Anything below 5 stars can cost us our status, so please rate us 5.” |
Airbnb publishes no approved script, so this table is our reading of the policy on incentives, reciprocal reviews and pressure, not official wording.2 The last example on the right is not named in the policy, but it is close enough to pressure to avoid.
A full automated sequence, from booking confirmation to the review reminder, is in Airbnb guest message templates.
Guest favourite and Superhost
Airbnb has two badges that come from reviews, and they reward different people. Guest favourite belongs to a listing. Superhost belongs to a host account, and only to listing owners.45
Guest favourite and Superhost compared (Airbnb Help Centre, checked 15 September 2026)
| Guest favourite | Superhost | |
|---|---|---|
| Who or what earns it | A home listing | The listing owner’s account |
| How often it is checked | Every day | Every 3 months, looking back over 12 months |
| Minimum activity | 5 reviews in the past 4 years, at least 1 in the past 2 years | 10 reservations, or 3 reservations totalling at least 100 nights |
| Rating threshold | Not published; homes are compared with other homes | 4.8 or higher overall |
| Other factors | Category ratings, review text, messages, host cancellation rate, review removal rate, quality incidents | 90% of new messages answered within 24 hours, cancellation rate below 1% |
| Relevant to co-hosts | Yes, the badge belongs to the listing | No, co-hosted listings do not count |
Sources: Guest favourite criteria4; Superhost criteria5.
Guest favourite criteria
Airbnb evaluates eligible homes every day and compares them with other homes globally, within their country, or both. On top of the factors in the table, it counts quality-related incidents reported to its customer service, and it says additional factors may apply.4 Most of these come down to daily operations: cleaning, messages, and not cancelling on guests.
Eligible homes can also get a percentile label. The top 1%, 5% and 10% get a gold trophy icon, a gold badge, a highlight at the top of the listing and a label above the reviews. The bottom 10% get a label above their reviews, but only once Airbnb has sent the host a prior quality-related communication.4 That second label is a reason to act on any quality message from Airbnb straight away.
Superhost criteria and the quarterly assessment dates
Beyond the table, the host must be the listing owner with an account in good standing. The 24-hour rule covers accepting or declining new reservation requests as well as messages, and cancellations for major disruptive events and other valid reasons do not count against the 1%. Airbnb may suspend or withhold the status for high review removal rates or high host-initiated cancellation rates.5
There is no application. Each quarterly assessment is a 7-day period beginning on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October, and the badge can take up to a week to appear. A review counts once both sides have submitted or the 14-day window has closed, and a rating for a stay during the assessment that is published after it ends counts towards the next period.5 Airbnb describes the benefits as more visibility, earning potential and access to exclusive rewards, without publishing figures.9
Why co-hosts are excluded, and what to track instead
Listings where you are a co-host do not count towards Superhost, even if you manage them as the primary host; a listing you own yourself does.5 Guest ratings from listings you co-host also do not appear on your public profile or in your host rating. When you are viewed inside the Co-Host Network, the host rating shown does include stays you managed with full access, messaging and calendar access, or as team owner.1 For what that means for a co-host business model, see how to start an Airbnb co-hosting business.
Because Superhost is judged on the owner’s account over all of that account’s listings, a well-run listing can help the owner qualify, while the badge never carries over to you.5 So report on what you can influence and what the owner can see:
- The listing’s overall rating and each category rating, month by month.3
- Guest favourite status and any percentile label.4
- Response time and host cancellations, which feed both badges.45
- Review removal requests you made, and how many succeeded, because the removal rate counts too.4
If you write these into your owner reports, agree in the management agreement who handles guest messages, cancellations and review replies, because each one affects the owner’s account.
Worked example
Worked example: A listing one review short of 4.8 (illustration)
An owner’s account has 24 reviews in the 12 months before the 1 October assessment. The overall ratings are: 20 reviews of 5 stars, 3 of 4 stars and 1 of 3 stars.
- Total stars: 20 × 5 + 3 × 4 + 1 × 3 = 100 + 12 + 3 = 115.
- Average: 115 ÷ 24 = 4.79, below the 4.8 needed for Superhost.5
- One more 5-star review: 120 ÷ 25 = 4.80, which meets the threshold.
- One more 4-star review instead: 119 ÷ 25 = 4.76, still short.
Timing matters too. The assessment is the 7 days starting on 1 October. A guest who stays during that week and checks out on 5 October has until 19 October to review. If the review is published after the assessment has ended, Airbnb counts that rating towards the next period, not this one.15
The lesson is not to chase that one review. The 3-star stay pulled the average down more than a single 5-star review can add back, so the real fix is finding out what went wrong in that stay and making sure it does not happen again. The numbers here are an illustration, not data from a real listing.
Responding to a bad review
You can post a public response to a review you received, as long as the response follows the Reviews Policy.1 Airbnb generally does not mediate disputes about whether a review is accurate; the public response is the tool it gives you instead.2 Write it for future guests, not for the guest who has already left.
A reply that works has four parts: thank the guest, acknowledge the specific point, say what you changed, and stop. Leave out the guest’s personal details and the argument about who was right.
Tip: A reply template
“Thank you for staying with us and for the honest feedback. You’re right that the shower drained slowly during your stay. We’ve had it repaired and added a check to our cleaning list so it’s tested before every arrival. We hope to welcome you back.”
When Airbnb removes a review
Airbnb can remove a review that is irrelevant (for example from a guest who never arrived), fake, based on bias, deception, extortion, incentives or pressure, used to harm competition, retaliatory, or in breach of the Content Policy.2 A review counts as retaliatory only if the reviewer broke a policy, was notified of it, and then left a biased review because the violation was reported.2
These do not qualify for removal, according to Airbnb:2
- Disagreement with the star rating, such as “Nice home and great stay” with 3 stars.
- Comments about things outside your control that may still matter to future guests, such as a noisy neighbourhood.
- Subjective opinions, such as a kitchen the guest found small.
You can ask for a review you received to be removed at any time, if you are the listing owner, a full access co-host, a team owner or in one of the other roles Airbnb lists. Airbnb usually emails its decision within 48 hours, and you can submit a removal request for the same review at most twice.6
Watch out: Removals have a cost
Guest favourite takes the review removal rate into account, and Airbnb may suspend or withhold Superhost status for hosts with high review removal rates.45 Airbnb does not say exactly how either works. Keep removal requests for reviews that clearly break the policy, and use a public reply for the rest.
Reviews on Booking.com
If you also list on Booking.com, its review system works differently, which matters when you run both platforms.
Airbnb and Booking.com reviews side by side (Airbnb Help Centre and Booking.com for Partners, checked 15 September 2026)
| Airbnb | Booking.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to review after checkout | 14 days | 90 days |
| Scale | Stars out of 5 overall, plus six categories | 1 to 10 overall; other scores optional |
| What the headline score uses | Average of overall ratings | Overall scores from the last three years, weighted by recency since January 2025 |
| Category scores in the headline | No, the overall rating is its own question | No, optional scores do not count |
| When the score appears | After 3 reviews | After the first review |
| How long reviews stay visible | No set period; they stay unless removed | 36 months, then archived and the score recalculated |
Sources: Airbnb13; Booking.com7.
Booking.com emails guests after checkout, and the only required question is the overall score. Since January 2025 each new review weighs more than older ones in the overall Guest Review Score.7 Our reading: a bad month now shows in the score faster, and so does an improvement. Booking.com also says that, by law, it must let all guests who stay leave a review, and that some guests who booked but did not stay have that right too.7
In practice, a Booking.com guest can still review weeks after the stay. The same habits protect both scores: an accurate listing, a clean place, clear arrival instructions and fast answers.
Questions people ask
How do I get more 5-star reviews on Airbnb?
Make the stay match the listing, keep the place spotless, make check-in easy and answer messages fast. Those are the things guests rate: Airbnb asks for an overall rating plus cleanliness, accuracy, check-in, communication, location and value.3 After checkout, send one short, friendly message that asks for an honest review, and never offer anything in return.2
Can I ask guests to leave a 5-star review?
You can ask for a review. You cannot offer a discount, refund or anything else of value for one, or pressure a guest to influence it, and a review must not be given or withheld in exchange for a positive review back.2 Airbnb does not publish an exact list of acceptable wording, so asking for an honest review rather than a particular score is the safer choice.
How long do guests have to leave a review?
Can a co-host become a Superhost?
Not through co-hosting. Superhost is only evaluated for the listing owner, and listings where you are a co-host do not count, even if you run them as the primary host.5 A co-host who also owns a listing can be evaluated on that listing. For a manager, the listing’s Guest favourite status and ratings are the better thing to track.4
Can Airbnb remove a bad review?
Only if it breaks the Reviews Policy, for example because it is fake, irrelevant, retaliatory or given in exchange for something. A low star rating you disagree with, a comment about something outside your control, or a subjective opinion does not qualify.2 Airbnb usually emails a decision within 48 hours, and you can ask for the same review to be removed at most twice.6
Sources
All sources checked .
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Reviews for homes”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Authentic and trustworthy reviews (Reviews Policy)”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Ratings for homes”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Guest favorites and highlights”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “What's required to be a Superhost”
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Remove or dispute a review”
- Booking.com for Partners, “Everything you need to know about Guest Review Scores”
- Airbnb Resource Center, “Get more 5-star reviews”, Published 31 August 2026
- Airbnb Help Centre, “Understand the Superhost program”
We check every figure against the sources above. Spotted something out of date? Email systemen@hostproacademy.com with the guide title.
About HostPro Academy
The team behind this guide
These guides are written by the team behind HostPro Academy, a training programme for building a short-term rental management business. The guests and reviews part of that programme is covered in levels 10 and 12.