Review Guidelines for Hosts

Guest reviews are essential to your success as a host. They help future guests choose your property and build trust in your listing. This guide explains how reviews work on Holidu, what you need to know, and how to manage them effectively.

Understanding Reviews vs. Replies

It's important to understand the difference between these two concepts:

• Reviewing a guest: You write feedback about the guest who stayed at your property. This option is available on some platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo.
• Replying to a guest review: You respond publicly to feedback a guest left about your property. This is available on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Holidu.

How the Holidu Rating System Works

The rating system on Holidu is designed to be straightforward and transparent:

• Guests rate their stay on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
• Your overall property rating is calculated as the average of all scores received.
• Guests can provide detailed ratings in specific categories, including:
  • Location
  • Cleanliness
  • Description accuracy
  • Value for money
• Guests may also leave written comments providing additional details about their experience.

Who Can Submit a Review?

Reviews can come from two sources:

• Holidu guests: Guests who booked directly through Holidu can leave a review once their stay is complete.
• Partner channel guests: Guests who booked via Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, or other distribution channels can also leave reviews, managed according to each channel's policies.

For more information, see our articles on how Booking.com calculates review scores and why your guest may not have left a comment.

Manual Bookings and Reviews

Manual bookings are reservations you enter directly into your system rather than bookings that come through Holidu or connected booking channels.

Important: Guests cannot leave reviews for manual bookings. Only bookings made through active booking channels generate review opportunities.

Which Reviews Are Displayed on Your Listing?

Reviews shown on your Holidu property listing may include:

• Reviews from guests who booked directly through Holidu
• Reviews from connected channels (Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo)

Reviews appear as:

• Individual reviews from single guests
• Aggregated rating scores from multiple reviews
• Additional details such as reviewer location and group type

How Reviews Are Sorted

Reviews on your listing follow these sorting rules:

• Reviews are primarily sorted by booking date (most recent first).
• Reviews with written comments are prioritized over ratings-only reviews.
• Negative reviews only appear if your property has at least two reviews total.

Where to View Your Reviews

All guest reviews for your properties are visible in your Holidu Host account:

1. Log in to your Holidu Host account.
2. Go to Properties.
3. Select Configuration → Reviews.

Please note that it can take up to 14 days for a new guest review to appear in your account.

Reviews Across Different Platforms

You can also view reviews on individual distribution channels. Keep in mind:

• On Holidu, your overall rating score is displayed prominently.
• The full text of reviews is only visible on Holidu if the guest booked directly through the platform.
• Partner channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo) only show reviews from bookings made through that specific channel.

Review Compliance Standards

We display all legitimate reviews—positive and negative—that comply with our community standards. This transparency helps build trust with future guests.

What Reviews Are Not Allowed

Reviews cannot contain:

• References to illegal activities
• Politically or religiously sensitive content
• Promotional material or external links
• Personal information (guest names, contact details, payment information)
• Profanity, hate speech, threats, or sexual content
• Spam, fake reviews, or impersonation

Review Quality Requirements

All reviews must be:

• Truthful and related to the guest's actual travel experience
• Helpful and relevant to other potential guests
• Written by the actual guest who stayed at the property

How to Respond to Guest Reviews

Depending on the booking channel, you can respond publicly to guest reviews (Booking.com, Airbnb, Holidu). Your response is an important opportunity to:

• Provide context for future guests about your property and policies
• Show genuine appreciation for positive feedback
• Address concerns raised in negative reviews professionally and constructively

Learn more about how to write effective review responses with examples and frequently asked questions.

Reporting Reviews That Violate Guidelines

If you believe a review violates our community standards or contains false information, please contact our Customer Service Team. Our local support teams can assist you in your language and investigate the issue.

For more details, see our article on how to handle bad reviews and when reviews can be deleted.

Guest Options for Editing or Deleting Reviews

The ability for guests to modify reviews depends entirely on the booking platform. Holidu does not control edit or delete functions on external platforms.

• Holidu: Reviews cannot be modified once published. If a guest requests a change, our team can delete the review and send a new review link.
• Booking.com: Guests can edit their review anytime from their account until it's automatically deleted after 2 years. Guests must contact Booking.com support directly.
• Airbnb: Guests can edit reviews, but only before they are published. Once published, they must contact Airbnb support to make changes.
• Vrbo: Guests must contact Vrbo directly to request edits or deletions.

For more information, see our guide on deleting guest reviews.

Strategies for Improving Your Property Reviews

Building a strong review profile takes time and attention. Your review score directly impacts your visibility and booking rates, so focus on delivering excellent guest experiences consistently.

For actionable strategies, explore our comprehensive guide on how to get good reviews as a Holidu host and discover why reviews are so important to your success.

Review Translation and Accuracy

Some guest reviews may be automatically translated into different languages using DeepL translation technology. Please note that neither Holidu nor DeepL can guarantee 100% translation accuracy. If you notice a significant translation error, please contact our support team.

Important Legal Information

• Guest reviews reflect the personal opinions of guests and do not represent the views or endorsement of Holidu.
• Holidu functions as a distributor of reviews, not a publisher, and accepts no liability for the content of guest reviews.
• Hosts and property managers are not permitted to post reviews on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for positive reviews. This violates our terms of service and platform policies.

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