Review Guidelines for Hosts

Guest reviews play an essential role in helping future guests choose the right property. This guide explains how reviews work on Holidu and what you need to know as a host to manage them effectively.

Reviews vs. Replies: What's the Difference?

Understanding the distinction between reviews and replies is crucial for managing your property's reputation:

• Reviewing a guest: You write feedback about the guest (available on Airbnb and Vrbo)
• Replying to a guest review: You respond publicly to what a guest wrote about your property (available on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Holidu)

How the Holidu Rating System Works

Holidu uses a straightforward rating system designed to help guests evaluate properties accurately. Guests rate their stay on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), and your property's overall rating is calculated as the average of all scores received.

Guests can provide subscores in the following categories:

• Location
• Cleanliness
• Description accuracy
• Value for money

Guests may also leave written feedback with additional details about their stay.

Who Can Submit a Review?

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

Related: How does Booking.com calculate the review score?

Related: Why didn't my guest leave a comment?

Manual Bookings and Review Eligibility

Manual bookings are bookings entered directly by a host or property manager, rather than through Holidu or a connected channel. An important point to note: guests cannot leave reviews for manual bookings.

What Kind of Reviews Are Displayed?

Reviews shown on Holidu may include reviews from Holidu guests and reviews from connected channels such as Booking.com, Airbnb, and Vrbo. They may appear as a single review from one guest, an aggregated rating score from multiple reviews, or additional details such as reviewer country and group type.

How Reviews Are Sorted

Holidu uses a specific sorting system to display reviews most effectively:

• Reviews are primarily sorted by booking date
• Reviews with written content are prioritized
• Negative reviews appear only if the property has at least two reviews

Where to Access Your Reviews

All reviews are visible in your Holidu Host account under the Reviews section. To view your reviews:

1. Log in to your Holidu Host account
2. Go to Properties
3. Open Configuration, then select Reviews

Please note that it can take up to 14 days for a guest review to appear on your property listing.

Viewing Reviews on Different Platforms

You can also see reviews on distribution channels, but keep in mind:

• On Holidu, the overall score is displayed
• The full text of the review is only visible if the booking was made directly on Holidu
• On partner channels, only reviews from bookings made through that specific channel are shown

Review Compliance Standards

Holidu displays all legitimate reviews—positive or negative—as long as they comply with our community standards. We take content moderation seriously to maintain a trustworthy platform for all users.

What Reviews Are Not Allowed

The following content is not permitted in reviews:

• References to illegal activity
• Politically or religiously sensitive content
• Promotional material or external links
• Personal details such as names, contacts, or payment information
• Profanity, hate speech, threats, or sexual content
• Spam, fake reviews, or impersonation

Requirements for Valid Reviews

Valid reviews must meet the following criteria:

• Be truthful and travel-related
• Be helpful to other guests
• Be written by the actual guest who stayed at the property

Responding to Guest Reviews

Depending on the booking channel, you may respond to guest reviews on Booking.com, Airbnb, and Holidu. Your responses are an excellent opportunity to provide context for future guests and express appreciation for positive feedback.

Related: How to write a review response (with examples and FAQs)

Reporting Inappropriate Reviews

If you believe a review violates our guidelines, please contact our Customer Service Team. Our local teams can assist you in your language and help address any concerns.

Related: Can I delete a review left by a guest? My guest left a bad review—what can I do?

Editing or Deleting Reviews

The rules about editing reviews depend entirely on the booking channel. Holidu does not control whether or how guests can edit reviews on external platforms.

• Holidu: Reviews cannot be modified. If a guest wants to change their review, our team will delete it and send them a new link
• Booking.com: Guests can edit their review anytime from their account until it is deleted automatically after 2 years. Guests must contact Booking.com directly
• Airbnb: Guests can edit their review only before it is published. Guests must contact Airbnb
• Vrbo: Guests must contact Vrbo directly to edit or delete their review

Related: Can I delete a guest review?

Improving Your Property Reviews

Looking to enhance your property's rating and attract more guests? We have resources to help you improve your review score:

Related: How to get good reviews—a guide for Holidu hosts

Related: Why are reviews important?

Important Information About Translations

Some reviews may be automatically translated using DeepL. Holidu and DeepL do not guarantee translation accuracy. If you notice translation issues, please contact our support team.

Legal Disclaimer

• Guest reviews reflect the opinions of guests, not those of Holidu
• Holidu acts as a distributor, not a publisher, and accepts no liability for review content
• Hosts and partners may not post reviews on behalf of guests or offer incentives for leaving reviews