How to Address a Low Value Rating in Your Next Guest Note
The value star is the hardest rating to control—and the easiest to tank with a single line item on your invoice.
The value star is the one rating you cannot fully control. A guest decides whether your nightly rate and cleaning fee justified what they got, and that calculation happens in their head before they ever leave a review. But you can influence it—and you can recover from a low one in your next guest note, if you know what actually tanks the value rating and when it's worth addressing at all.
Three things kill the value star: a cleaning fee that feels disproportionate to the nightly rate, house rules so strict they feel punitive, and surprise charges that appeared after booking. A guest who paid $150 a night and then saw a $75 cleaning fee on checkout is already doing math. A guest who discovered a $50 pet fee, a $25 key-replacement deposit, or a $15 "resort fee" equivalent after they committed is angry. A guest who could not use the hot tub, could not have friends over, and had to text for permission to move a chair is calculating whether the experience matched the price.
The value rating is not about whether your listing is expensive. It is about whether the guest felt the total cost was proportionate to what they actually received and experienced.
When to send a note about value
Do not send a note to every guest who left a three-star value rating. A note that reads like an explanation or a defense will make it worse. Send one only if you can identify a specific, fixable reason the guest felt nickeled-and-dimed—and only if you genuinely plan to fix it.
If the guest left a comment mentioning the cleaning fee, the house rules, or an unexpected charge, send a note. If they said nothing and the rating stands alone, leave it. A guest who felt overcharged and did not mention it is unlikely to be swayed by a note that amounts to "here's why we charged you that much."
If you are planning to lower your cleaning fee, adjust your house rules, or remove a surprise charge for future guests, a note makes sense. It signals that you heard them and that the next guest will have a different experience. If nothing is changing, a note is just noise.
What to say
The note should acknowledge the cost-to-experience ratio without being defensive about your pricing. You are not explaining why the fee was necessary. You are saying that you understand their perspective and that you value their feedback about whether the total cost felt right.
Here is a template:
"Thank you for staying with us. We noticed your feedback on value, and we want you to know we take that seriously. We've been reviewing our cleaning fee [or: our house rules / our pricing structure] to make sure guests feel they're getting a fair experience for what they pay. Your stay helped us see where we can do better, and we're making changes for our next guests. We'd love to have you back once we've made those adjustments."
This works because it:
- Acknowledges the specific rating without being defensive
- Names the thing you are actually changing (cleaning fee, rules, pricing)
- Does not apologize for the original price or explain why it was justified
- Signals that the next guest will have a different experience
- Leaves the door open for a return visit
Do not say "we're sorry you felt that way" or "our cleaning fee covers X, Y, and Z." Do not list the amenities they got for their money. Do not ask them to reconsider their rating. Do not offer a discount on a future stay (that reads as a bribe and violates the spirit of honest feedback).
The real fix
A note is not the fix. The fix is the change itself.
If your value rating is consistently low, audit your three biggest cost drivers: the cleaning fee relative to your nightly rate, the strictness of your house rules, and any fees guests do not see until after they book. A cleaning fee that is high compared with your nightly rate will drag your value rating. House rules that prohibit common guest behaviors (having friends over, using certain rooms, adjusting the thermostat) will drag it. Surprise fees will tank it.
You cannot control what a guest thinks your listing is worth. But you can control whether they feel blindsided by the total cost. That is where the value rating lives.
A note after the fact can acknowledge that you heard them. But the real message comes from what you change before the next guest arrives.
Send a note that shows you listened
A printed letter lands harder than a message on the platform.
Write a NoteFrequently Asked Questions
Should I send a thank-you note if the guest left a low value rating?
Only if you can identify a specific reason they felt overcharged (cleaning fee, house rules, surprise charges) and you plan to fix it. A defensive note will make it worse. If the rating stands alone with no comment, skip it.
What's the difference between a low value rating and a low cleanliness rating?
Cleanliness is about the condition of the listing. Value is about whether the total cost (nightly rate plus all fees) felt proportionate to what they received. You can have a spotless listing and still get a low value rating if guests feel the price is too high for the experience.
Can I ask a guest to change their value rating if I send them a note?
No. Asking a guest to reconsider or change their rating violates the review policies on most platforms and will damage your credibility. A note should acknowledge their feedback and signal what you are changing, not ask them to revise their review.
What's the most common reason guests leave a low value rating?
A cleaning fee that feels too high relative to the nightly rate. The second is house rules that feel restrictive. The third is a fee that appeared after booking (pet fee, key replacement, resort fee equivalent). Check your listing for all three.