Airbnb safety reviews can influence bookings, new study shows
Like many travel sites, Airbnb allows you to browse reviews before booking to help inform your decision. While many of these reviews can be generic, some occasionally flag safety concerns with the accommodation or the surrounding area that could cause you to change your mind about where you stay.
A new study, published in the journal Marketing Science, sheds light on how these online safety reviews can influence visitors’ bookings and what can be done to counteract their concerns.
A look at the numbers
The study authors analysed 4.8 million Airbnb guest reviews that spanned listings in five major US cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and New York City. They looked at data between 2015 and 2019.
In the study, they found two types of safety-related reviews. Some reviews (listing safety reviews) highlighted issues within a property, such as a broken lock or unsafe condition. The other types of reviews, vicinity safety reviews, expressed concerns about the surrounding neighbourhood.
Only 0.5 per cent of reviews flagged asafetyconcern, with nearly half of these highlighting those concerns about the vicinity, such as observing crime or other feelings of insecurity.
The study compared reviews with official crime statistics and found the reviews correlated with actual crime patterns in the cities.
Reviews shape guest behaviour
When a listing received any kind of safety review, the occupancy dropped anywhere from 1.5 to 2.4 per cent. The average nightly prices also declined by about 1.5 per cent. According to the study, travellers who personally experienced neighbourhood safety issues were 60 per cent less likely to book again on the platform.
“These numbers show that even rare safety reviews can shape guest behaviour, and underscore the importance of decisions by digital platforms regarding their review systems,” co-author Liad Wagman of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute said in a press release.
The study authors highlight that while these safety reviews can be a “turnoff,” being transparent about the location–– by not removing neighbourhood safety reviews and providing more context about the area––can help users feel more comfortable with using the platform.
Airbnb under fire
Airbnb is no stranger to controversy. While the accommodations can be a more “homey” alternative to hotels, they can also negatively impact cities where affordable housing is already lacking. Earlier this year, Spain cracked down on more than 65,000 Airbnb rentals that were said to violate regulations. Other governments are said to follow suit.
The authors see safety reviews as another thing the platform must now reckon with.
“Our results suggest that Airbnb faces a dilemma,” said co-author Ginger Zhe Jin of the University of Maryland and the National Bureau of Economic Research in a press release.
“Removing neighbourhood safety reviews can improve short-term revenues but at the expense of guest welfare. Highlighting safety reviews benefits guests but lowers revenues, creating a tension between consumer protection and platform profits.”
Personal experience can also overrule reviews.
“Over time, consumers will learn from their own experience as well as word-of-mouth through other channels, even if the platform lacks transparency on safety reviews,” said Jin.
Euronews Green has reached out to Airbnb for comment, but did not hear back with comment by the time of publication.
