Review Guidelines for Hosts

Guest reviews are essential for helping potential guests choose the right property. Understanding how reviews work on Holidu and what to expect as a host will help you manage your reputation effectively. This guide covers everything you need to know about reviews in under 3 minutes.

Reviews vs. Replies: What's the Difference?

It's important to understand these two distinct actions:

• 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 showcase your property fairly:

• Guests rate stays 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 subscores in specific categories including Location, Cleanliness, Description accuracy, and 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 under each channel's specific rules

Related articles: How does Booking.com calculate the review score? | Why didn't my guest leave a comment?

Manual Bookings and Reviews

Manual bookings are entries created directly by you or your property manager, rather than through Holidu or a connected channel. Important: Guests cannot leave reviews for manual bookings.

What Reviews Are Displayed?

Reviews shown on Holidu include submissions from direct Holidu guests and reviews from connected channels such as Booking.com, Airbnb, and Vrbo. They appear as:

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

How Reviews Are Sorted

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

Where to Find Your Reviews

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

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

Processing time: It can take up to 14 days for a guest review to appear on your property listing.

Reviews Across Different Channels

Keep in mind that review visibility varies by platform:

• On Holidu, the overall score is displayed prominently
• Full review text 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—both positive and negative—as long as they comply with our community standards.

Not Allowed in Reviews

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

Valid Reviews Must Be

• Truthful and travel-related
• Helpful to other guests
• Written by the actual guest who stayed at your property

How to Respond to Reviews

Depending on the channel, you may respond publicly to guest reviews on Booking.com, Airbnb, Holidu, and Vrbo. Thoughtful responses allow you to:

• Provide context and clarification for future guests
• Show appreciation for positive feedback
• Address concerns constructively

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

Reporting Inappropriate Reviews

If you believe a review violates these guidelines, contact our Customer Service Team. Our local teams can assist in your language and help evaluate whether the review meets our compliance standards.

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

Editing or Deleting Reviews

Review modification policies depend entirely on the booking channel. Holidu does not control how guests can edit reviews on external platforms:

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

Want to boost your property rating? Learn proven strategies for earning positive reviews.

Related articles: How to get good reviews—a guide for Holidu hosts | Why are reviews important?

Translation Disclaimer

Some reviews may be automatically translated using DeepL. Holidu and DeepL do not guarantee translation accuracy. If you notice a significant translation error, please report it to our support team.

Important Notes

• Guest reviews reflect the opinions of individual guests and do not represent Holidu's views
• 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