Where to find reviews on an Airbnb listing
Reviews appear on every Airbnb listing page, below the photos and description. Scroll down past the house rules and amenities section, and you'll see a Reviews heading with a star rating and the total number of reviews that listing has received. Click on that section to expand the full review list.
On mobile, the reviews section works the same way — scroll to find it, tap to open it, and you can read through individual reviews one at a time. The star rating appears near the top of the listing page on both desktop and mobile, so you can see the overall score before you scroll.
Key Takeaways
- Reviews are displayed on every listing page below the photos, showing the overall star rating and total number of reviews received.
- You can filter reviews by rating (5-star, 4-star, and so on) to see what guests liked or disliked most about the property.
- Each review shows the guest's name, their stay date, and how long ago they posted the review, which helps you judge how current the information is.
- Photos attached to reviews show what guests actually saw during their stay, often revealing details the listing photos don't capture.
- Airbnb hides reviews that violate its policies, so what you see has been checked — but you should still read critically rather than assume all reviews are equally reliable.
Filtering reviews by star rating
Above the review list, you'll see filter buttons for 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, 2-star, and 1-star reviews. Click any of these to show only reviews at that rating level. This is useful if you want to see what specific complaints appear in lower-rated reviews, or what guests praised most in the 5-star ones.
Filtering by 1-star or 2-star reviews often reveals the real problems — things like noise, cleanliness issues, or missing amenities that the listing description glossed over. Reading a few of these alongside the 5-star reviews gives you a more balanced picture than reading them all mixed together.
What information each review contains
Every review shows the guest's first name and last initial, the dates they stayed, the star rating they gave, and when they posted the review. The date posted matters: a review from three months ago tells you about the listing as it was then, while a review from last week is more current. If you see a pattern of complaints appearing in recent reviews but not older ones, the problem may be recent.
The review text itself is limited to what the guest typed, so some reviews are detailed and others are just a sentence or two. Many reviews include photos the guest took during their stay — these often show the actual condition of the space, furniture, and cleanliness more honestly than the listing photos do.
Reading review photos and video
Click on any review to see the photos or video that guest attached. These images show the listing from a guest's perspective, not the host's — you'll see how the kitchen actually looked when they arrived, whether the bed was as comfortable as advertised, and whether the "ocean view" is really visible from the window. Guest photos often catch details the listing photos miss or downplay.
Video reviews are less common but extremely useful when they exist. A short video of the bedroom, bathroom, or common areas gives you a much clearer sense of the space than photos alone. If a listing has video reviews, watch at least one before booking.
Spotting patterns in reviews
Read at least five to ten reviews, not just the most recent one. Look for complaints that appear in multiple reviews — if three different guests mention that the shower pressure is weak, that's a real issue. If only one guest complains about something, it may have been a one-time problem or a misunderstanding.
Pay attention to the types of guests leaving reviews too. If the listing attracts families with children and you're traveling solo, or vice versa, their experience may not match yours. A guest who complained about noise from neighbors might have been sensitive to normal city sounds, or they might be warning you about a genuinely loud location — context matters.
Understanding the overall star rating
Airbnb shows the listing's average star rating prominently at the top. A 4.8 or 4.9 rating is very strong — most guests had a good experience. A 4.5 rating is still solid but suggests some guests encountered problems. Below 4.5, you should read the reviews carefully to understand what went wrong.
A listing with only a few reviews (under ten) may not have enough data to be reliable — one bad experience skews the average more. A listing with hundreds of reviews and a 4.7 rating is more trustworthy than one with three reviews and a 5.0 rating, because the larger sample size smooths out individual outliers.
What Airbnb removes from the review section
Airbnb moderates reviews and removes those that violate its policies — for example, reviews that contain profanity, personal attacks, or information unrelated to the stay. This means the reviews you see have passed a basic check, but it doesn't mean they're all equally fair or accurate. A guest might still leave a 1-star review for a reason that's not the host's fault, like a flight delay that made them arrive grumpy.
If a review seems extreme or unfair, read the host's response if they provided one. Hosts can reply to reviews, and their response sometimes clarifies what actually happened. A host's calm, detailed response to a complaint is often more informative than the complaint itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see reviews before I create an account?
Yes. You can view the listing page and read reviews without logging in. You only need an account to send a message to the host or complete a booking.
Why does a listing have a star rating but no individual reviews visible?
New listings sometimes show a rating based on the host's previous listings or a small number of reviews that haven't been posted yet. Refresh the page or check back later — reviews usually appear within a few days of a guest's checkout.
Can hosts delete bad reviews?
No. Hosts cannot remove reviews, though they can respond to them. Airbnb only removes reviews that break its policies, not reviews that are straightforward negative or critical.
Should I message the host to ask about a complaint I saw in a review?
You can, but the host's response to the review itself usually answers the question. If you want to ask about something specific — like whether a noise issue has been fixed — a polite message before booking is reasonable and often gets a detailed answer.
What if a listing has no reviews yet?
New listings are riskier because you have no guest feedback. Look at the host's other listings if they have them, read their host profile, and consider sending a message asking specific questions about the property before you book.