Long time host, 89 reviews, 4.78 rating. Single active listing. Posting because I cannot believe this is the platform's actual workflow.
A guest stayed in April. During her stay she made an irrational demand: that my friend not be permitted to visit me in my own home and bedroom. I accommodated. She checked out early. After her checkout date had passed, she demanded a refund for the nights she chose not to stay. I declined and explained why. Airbnb investigated and sided with me.
She then filed a noise complaint. The gathering had been wound down by 11 PM, witnesses on hand if needed. Airbnb investigated and dismissed the complaint.
She then wrote a public review on my listing claiming Airbnb had upheld her claim against me. Airbnb did not. That is a verifiable false statement on the public record of my listing about Airbnb's own decision.
I disputed the review for being a verifiable false statement. Airbnb refused to remove it because "factual disputes do not meet the Content Policy threshold." Two rounds, denied both times.
Then I noticed a permanent "Review issues across your listings" notification that pops up on every page of the platform. Plus what appears to be a corresponding drop in search visibility. Functionally a shadowban, based on a single review Airbnb's own records show is retaliatory.
I escalated to Hosting Support. First two agents sent canned denial templates that did not acknowledge the asks. A third agent, senior case manager, partially addressed the account record questions but on the notification and ranking penalty, sent me a generic "tips for getting 5 star reviews" article and unilaterally closed the case.
To recap: a guest acting in bad faith got Airbnb to side against her on every substantive issue, then lied publicly about Airbnb's decision in retaliation, and the only piece of Airbnb's system still treating me as if I did something wrong is the part that controls my livelihood.
I emailed Brian Chesky and the executive team this morning. We will see if anything moves.
Has anyone else dealt with this exact pattern (verifiably retaliatory review plus the notification plus the ranking penalty)? Did anything actually fix it?