Most hosts send a review request that quietly fails. It's polite, it's generic, and it gets ignored. This guide gives you an Airbnb review request template that reads like a real person wrote it, plus the two things that decide whether guests actually reply: when you send it, and how you word it.

Here's the part nobody tells you. The message matters less than the moment you press send. Get the timing wrong and even a perfect template goes nowhere. Get it right and a plain two-line note pulls reviews all day.

Let me show you what works, why it works, and exactly what to copy.

The template, first

You came here for the words, so here they are. Send this on checkout day, once you know the guest has left and the place is in decent shape.

Hi [First name], thanks so much for staying at [Property name]. I hope the trip was everything you wanted it to be. I've just left you a review on Airbnb. If you have a spare minute, I'd really appreciate a quick review back. It takes about a minute and it makes a genuine difference to a small host like me. Safe travels, and come back any time.

That's it. Short, warm, specific, and it names the one thing that quietly does the heavy lifting: "I've just left you a review." More on why that line works in a second.

If you host on multiple platforms or take direct bookings too, you'll want variations for different situations. I've included those further down. But if you only take one thing from this page, take the template above and the timing rule that comes next.

When to send it (this is the whole game)

The single highest-converting moment to ask for a review is the day the guest checks out, a few hours after they've gone. Not during the stay. Not four days later. Checkout day.

Why? The stay is still fresh. They're on the road home, phone in hand, feeling good about the trip (assuming you did your job). That's the window. Wait three days and the holiday glow fades. Ask mid-stay and you look needy, plus they haven't finished forming an opinion yet.

There's a second moment worth using: a single follow-up roughly 24 hours later, but only for guests who haven't reviewed yet. One nudge. Never two. A second reminder tips over from friendly into pushy, and pushy costs you the goodwill you spent the whole stay building.

So the rhythm is simple. Checkout day: the request. Next day: one gentle follow-up if needed. Then you stop.

If you want to see where this sits in the bigger picture of guest messaging, I've mapped out the complete timeline for guest communication from booking to post-stay, and the review request is the last real touchpoint that matters.

Leave your review first. Always.

This is the mechanic that changes everything, and most templates skip it entirely.

Airbnb's review system is blind. Neither you nor the guest can see what the other wrote until you've both submitted, or until the 14-day window closes. When you leave your review first and then mention it in your message, you do two useful things at once. You give the guest a small nudge of reciprocity, that natural human urge to return a favour. And you trigger a real notification on their end telling them a review is waiting.

So the line "I've just left you a review on Airbnb" isn't filler. It's the engine. It only works if it's true, which means you write the guest's review before you send the request. Takes a minute. Worth it every time.

One caveat that saves you grief: if a stay went badly and you're leaving an honest, less-than-glowing review, don't send a cheerful request afterwards asking them to review you back. You're just inviting a retaliation review. In that case, leave your factual review and say nothing.

Why the wording works

Look back at the template. Every line is doing a job.

"Thanks so much for staying at [Property name]." Gratitude first. You're not opening with a demand, you're opening with appreciation. It also personalises the message, which matters because generic blasts get ignored.

"I hope the trip was everything you wanted." This gives an unhappy guest a quiet opening to reply privately instead of venting in public. If something went wrong that you didn't hear about, this is where they'll tell you, and you get a chance to fix it before it becomes a star rating. That single sentence has saved more ratings than any apology ever will.

"I've just left you a review." The reciprocity trigger, covered above.

"It takes about a minute." You're removing friction. A review feels like a chore until someone tells you it's quick. Lowering the perceived effort is one of the biggest levers you have.

"A small host like me." People root for the little guy. Reminding a guest that you're a person, not a faceless brand, lifts response rates in a way corporate-speak never will.

Notice what's missing. No mention of "five stars." That's deliberate, and it's not just a tone choice. Airbnb's policy prohibits pressuring guests toward a specific rating, and asking outright for five stars can get your review privileges reviewed. Beyond the rules, it's counterproductive: people resist being told what to feel. Make the experience worth five stars and let them arrive at it themselves. If you want the full playbook on that, here's how to get more 5-star reviews on Airbnb from the experience side, which is where the real work happens.

Templates for different situations

One template won't fit every stay. Here are the variations I actually use.

The guest who clearly had a great time

Some guests tell you they loved it before they leave. Ride that momentum.

Hi [First name], so glad you enjoyed [Property name], it was a pleasure having you. I've left you a lovely review on Airbnb. If you've got a minute to share how your stay went, it would mean a lot. Reviews are how small hosts like me get found. Thanks again, and safe trip home.

The quiet guest you barely heard from

No news is usually good news, but you've got less to go on. Keep it simple and warm.

Hi [First name], thanks for choosing [Property name] for your trip. I hope you had a relaxing stay. I've popped a review over to you on Airbnb. If you're able to leave one in return, I'd be grateful, it genuinely helps. Take care, and you're welcome back any time.

The 24-hour follow-up

Only for guests who haven't reviewed yet. Light touch.

Hi [First name], just a quick note to say it was great hosting you. If you get a spare moment, a short review would really help me out, the link's sitting in your Airbnb inbox. No worries at all if you're busy. Hope to see you again down the line.

The direct booking guest

If a guest booked through your own site rather than an OTA, the review request is different but arguably more valuable, because a review on your own direct booking website is a trust signal you own outright, not one locked inside Airbnb's walls.

Hi [First name], thank you for booking [Property name] directly with me, it means a great deal. I hope you had a wonderful stay. When you have a moment, I'd love it if you'd leave a short review here: [review link]. It helps other travellers feel confident booking direct. Thanks so much, and safe travels.

Reviews on your own platform do double duty. They build the credibility that convinces the next visitor to book, and they belong to you forever. If you're building that side of your business, it pairs naturally with turning one-time guests into repeat bookers, since a happy reviewer is exactly the person most likely to come back.

Where to actually put the request

You've got options, and the best hosts use more than one.

The Airbnb message thread is the obvious home for the request, and it should be your primary channel because that's where the review link lives. But you can seed the idea earlier and more naturally by mentioning reviews in a warm checkout message, or even in the checkout instructions themselves. A soft line like "if you enjoyed your stay, a review afterwards would make my week" plants the thought without any pressure.

Your digital guidebook is another quiet workhorse here. A guest flicking through your guide near the end of their stay is already thinking warm thoughts about the place. A gentle prompt tucked into the closing section catches them at exactly the right moment. It's the kind of small, well-placed nudge that beats a formal message every time.

The mistakes that kill response rates

I've watched hosts undermine perfectly good templates in the same few ways. Avoid these.

Asking too early. A review request during the stay is premature and slightly annoying. Wait until they're gone.

Asking for stars. Covered above. Don't name a rating. It breaks Airbnb's rules and it backfires.

Sending it as a wall of text. Long messages get skimmed and abandoned. Keep it to three or four sentences. If your request needs a scroll bar, it's too long.

Nudging more than once. One follow-up. That's the ceiling. A third message reads as desperate and can sour an otherwise happy guest.

Requesting a review when the stay went sideways. If you had a genuinely rough guest, don't fish for a review. Leave your honest one and move on.

Sending the identical message to everyone forever. Guests can't see the reviews you send them, but a template that never changes starts to feel robotic even to you, and robotic writing leaks into tone. Rotate your phrasing.

Do the actual work first

Here's the uncomfortable truth underneath all of this. No template rescues a mediocre stay. The review request is the last five percent. The other ninety-five is the experience, and that's decided long before checkout day.

Clean place, clear self check-in instructions, a guidebook that answers questions before guests think to ask them, quick replies when something comes up. Do all that and the review nearly writes itself. Skip it, and no amount of clever wording will squeeze a five-star out of a three-star stay.

The hosts who consistently rack up reviews aren't better at asking. They're better at hosting, and the asking just harvests what they've already earned. If your goal is the Superhost badge, review volume and rating are both part of the maths, which is one more reason to get both the experience and the request right.

Frequently asked questions

When should I send an Airbnb review request?

Send it on checkout day, a few hours after the guest has left, while the stay is still fresh in their mind. Send one optional follow-up around 24 hours later if they haven't reviewed yet, then stop. Asking during the stay or several days after checkout both convert worse.

Should I leave my review before asking the guest for theirs?

Yes. Leave your review first, then mention it in your request. Airbnb's review system is blind until both parties submit, so leaving yours triggers a notification to the guest and creates a natural nudge to reciprocate. Just don't do this if you're leaving an honest negative review, as it can invite a retaliation review.

Can I ask guests for a five-star review?

No. Airbnb's policy prohibits pressuring guests toward a specific rating, and asking for five stars can get your review privileges flagged. It also tends to backfire, because people dislike being told how to feel. Focus on the experience and let the rating follow.

How many times should I ask for a review?

Once, with a single optional follow-up 24 hours later for guests who haven't reviewed. Never send a third message. One well-timed request plus one gentle nudge is the ceiling before you start annoying people.

Why aren't my guests leaving reviews?

Usually one of three reasons: you're asking at the wrong time, your message is too long or too formal, or the stay itself didn't earn a review. Fix the timing, shorten the message, and make sure the experience is genuinely worth writing about.

The short version

A good Airbnb review request template is short, warm, personal, and honest. Send it on checkout day. Leave your own review first and say so. Offer an unhappy guest a private way to reach you. Never ask for a specific star rating, and never nudge more than once.

But remember what the template can and can't do. It harvests goodwill, it doesn't manufacture it. Nail the stay, then send the message, and the reviews take care of themselves.

The Airbnb Review Request Template That Actually Gets Responses