Airbnb safety reviews can turn off some travellers. Could increased transparency help?

EuronewsCenterEN 3 min read 100% complete October 24, 2025 at 02:00 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

A study published in Marketing Science analyzed 4.8 million Airbnb guest reviews from five major US cities between 2015 and 2019 to examine how safety-related reviews affect bookings. The research found that only 0.5% of reviews flagged safety concerns, with nearly half addressing neighborhood issues like crime. Listings receiving any type of safety review saw occupancy drop by 1.5 to 2.4%, and nightly prices decreased by about 1.5%. Travellers who experienced neighborhood safety issues were 60% less likely to book again on the platform. The study suggests that maintaining transparency, such as not removing neighborhood safety reviews and providing more context, could help users feel more comfortable using Airbnb.

Key Topics & Entities

Chicago 40% New Orleans 40% New York City 40% Atlanta 40% Los Angeles 40% Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 50% Liad Wagman 80%

Keywords

airbnb 100% safety reviews 90% occupancy drop 80% transparency 70% neighbourhood safety 60% review systems 50% crime patterns 50% digital platforms 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

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Source

Euronews

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Atlanta

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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airbnb safety reviews occupancy drop transparency neighbourhood safety review systems crime patterns digital platforms

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