I had started to write this early on in our travels because the reviews and ratings that users were posting on AirBnb did not make sense. They would rate an accommodation 5 Stars but their review was less then glowing. So why a 5 Star rating?
Before I had completely written my post, we stayed at a place that had a sign that said what the rating system means. Apparently, the rating system is not the same as other rating systems and anything less than 5 stars is not good. If the accommodation is as expected then an overall 5 star rating is what you are supposed to give. Which makes a mockery of the whole system as how can you distinguish the superb from the ordinary? It also makes the number rating system meaningless if every rating is 5.
Of course I did some internet searching and came up with a subreddit – which was eye-opening (not related to ratings). There are claims, and at no point has anyone provided evidence, that anything below an average 4.3 rating gets your property removed from AirBnb. And yet there are many people who save their 5 stars for top notch properties which seems fair as why should a no-frills place be the same rating as a luxury home with top of the line amenities and a fantastic location?
What this means when searching for somewhere to stay, is that the number rating is meaningless. Are previous guests 5 star raters for everything or 4 star raters for everything except for the best of the best? And you have to hope that the written reviews are honest.
We stayed in some amazing places and some basic places, and I would reflect this in our reviews.