Guide to Airbnb Review Policies: How to Remove/Report Airbnb Reviews (With Examples)

Reviews are the cornerstone of trust in the Airbnb community. They help guests make informed booking decisions and provide hosts with valuable feedback for improvement. 

At its core, Airbnb's review system is designed to ensure all reviews are authentic, trustworthy, and beneficial to the community.

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Understanding Airbnb's Review System

1. Reviews Must Be Unbiased

The integrity of reviews relies on honest, unmanipulated feedback. Here's what's strictly prohibited:

• Coercion or threats to influence reviews
• Trading reviews for compensation or discounts
• Using reviews as retaliation tools
• Creating fake bookings for review purposes
• Using multiple accounts for self-reviews
• Manipulating reviews for competitive advantage

2. Reviews Must Be Relevant

Quality reviews help the community make better decisions. This means:

• Sharing specific details about the actual stay
• Including helpful information for future guests and hosts
• Focusing on experiences directly related to the booking

Note: Reviews from guests who never arrived or canceled due to unrelated circumstances may be removed.

3. Reviews Must Follow Content Policy

All reviews must adhere to Airbnb's content policy, avoiding:

• Discriminatory language
• Explicit content
• Harmful messages
• Fraudulent claims
• Personal information
• Content violating local laws

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Example of Reviews You Can Report On Airbnb

"1 star - Host is terrible because they reported me to Airbnb when I broke their stupid 'no parties' rule. Don't stay here!"

(Can likely report - it's retaliatory for enforcing legitimate Airbnb policies)

Remember: The key is whether the review violates Airbnb's review policies, not whether it criticizes your property policies.

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"Too many rules! Host is clearly [discriminatory language] with their strict policies about [cultural practice]. Stay away!"

(Can report: Why: Contains discriminatory content)

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Guest in the message exchange: "...I will rate this based on how this is refund is handled…" 

(Can report: this would likely qualify as evidence of a retaliatory review.)

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Review Removal Process

How to Report A Review For Removal: 

1. Report the review through your Host page under messaging: Airbnb's messaging > Airbnb Support. 
2. You can start with. “Hello, we'd like to report a review and need assistance removing the review because…..”
3. Provide clear evidence of policy violation. Airbnb’s reviews policy or content policy
4. Wait for Airbnb's assessment and receive notification of the decision

Remember: Airbnb only removes reviews with clear policy violations.

Best Practices

• Document Everything, maintain records of all interactions
• Save evidence of policy violations,
• Focus in specific aspect that violates Airbnb reviews policy or content policy
• Focus on factual information
• Use Official Channels, report through Airbnb's system

Unable to report the review? Each review and response is read by many future guests when they are evaluating their booking options. It’s very important that you respond to reviews and share YOUR perspective. 

Respond professionally and promptly, as you only have a limited amount of time to reply to the review.

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Why Quickly Responding to Airbnb Guest Reviews Matters

Quick responses (especially to negative reviews) can turn potential booking hesitation into confidence. When future guests see you actively engaging with feedback, addressing concerns, and appreciating positive comments, they're more likely to trust you with their stay. Plus, Airbnb's algorithm tends to favor active, responsive hosts, which means better visibility for your property.

Remember: in the competitive world of short-term rentals, your response time isn't just about courtesy - it's about converting browsers into bookers. The faster and more professionally you handle reviews, the more likely you are to stand out from the crowd and win those bookings.

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Why Smart Property Managers Never Delay Review Responses

It's simple business sense: responsive hosts tend to rank higher in search results, attract more bookings, and can often command better rates. Plus, when you respond quickly to reviews (especially the not-so-great ones), you're controlling the narrative around your property. Instead of letting a negative review speak for itself, your thoughtful response shows potential guests how you handle challenges.

Managing Airbnb reviews doesn't have to be overwhelming. GuestTouch transforms how you handle guest feedback with AI-powered, personalized responses that sound authentically you - never robotic or templated.

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How to Respond to Airbnb Reviews with GuestTouch guestAI? 

Unlike basic template tools, GuestTouch learns your brand voice and crafts unique responses for each review. Our platform:

• Simply, to GuestTouch Reviews Dashboard > Reviews, generate the response based on your brand voice that you’ve set and > Respond!
• Creates naturally personalized responses that reference specific guest experiences
• Adapts tone and content based on your property type and guest feedback
• Helps maintain high ratings with timely, thoughtful responses
• Saves you hours of manual review management

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The Impact on Your Property

Property managers using GuestTouch see real results:

• Higher response rates without sacrificing quality
• Better overall ratings across properties
• Manage your entire portfolio in a single dashboard 
• Portfolio reporting and sentiment analysis to understand issues and trends
• More time to focus on guest experience
• Consistent brand voice across all communications

Imagine turning a week's worth of review management into minutes, while actually improving your response quality. That's what GuestTouch delivers - professional, personal responses that help grow your business.