A new study, published in the journal Marketing Science, shows how online safety reviews on Airbnb can influence booking and the different ways these concerns can be addressed. According to the research, reviews that mention a property’s neighbourhood safety issues can reduce bookings, lower prices, and influence whether a guest would return to Airbnb at all.
The scientists who authored the paper analysed 4.8 million guest reviews on the platform from five major US cities, namely Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and New York City. They examined data from 2015 to 2019, identifying two types of safety reviews.
New paper in the journal on the benefits and costs of Airbnb safety reviews co-authored by Aron Culotta, Ginger Zhe Jin, Yidan Sun and Liad Wagman. Details herehttps://t.co/BURWbRzy5x
— Marketing Science (@Mrktng_Science) October 21, 2025
The first type refers to listing safety reviews that mention problems within the property, such as broken locks or other unsafe conditions. The other type focuses on vicinity safety reviews, which address concerns about the neighbourhood, including feelings of insecurity or crime.
The team found that only 0.5 percent of the reviews flagged safety. Nearly half of them were vicinity safety reviews. “These numbers show that even rare safety reviews can shape guest behaviour and underscore the importance of decisions by digital platforms regarding their review systems,” said Liad Wagman, one of the co-authors of the study.
Following a safety review, a listed property’s performance suffered a hit. Occupancy fell by 1.5 to 2.4 percent while the average nightly prices decreased by 1.5 percent. Moreover, guests who experienced first-hand safety issues were 60 percent less likely to reserve through Airbnb.
Me: Can you confirm in writing that Airbnb doesn't consider an opioid pill found in a 4 yo bed a safety issue?
— wono (@wono_strategy) July 24, 2025
Airbnb: It is a safety issue, but we cannot cancel pic.twitter.com/e5eVn9Fb9D
To validate these claims, the researchers compared the Airbnb reviews to official crime statistics across the five cities. The findings showed that the reviews, even though subjective, aligned with actual crime patterns, particularly within low-income and minority neighbourhoods.
The results show that the priorities of the travellers and the priorities of the platforms are not aligned. “Our results suggest that Airbnb faces a dilemma,” said Ginger Zhe Jin, another of the co-authors of the paper. “Removing neighbourhood safety reviews can improve short-term revenues but at the expense of guest welfare. Highlighting safety reviews benefits guests but lowers revenues, creating a tension between consumer protection and platform profits.”
Even though I read all great reviews, the @airbnb we stayed in was robbed. I wrote this after we left. The house is still available for rent even though @Airbnb knows it has been robbed at least 3 times! They don’t care about your safety. The thief went through my kid clothes! pic.twitter.com/BTtRn1jSso
— Rosie 🇺🇸🇨🇴🇮🇹 (@RosieBL) October 18, 2023
The study concludes that transparency about neighbourhood safety could ease traveller concerns. Rather than hiding existing safety reviews, Airbnb should provide context about the area, which may include crime statistics or details on local safety measures. Additionally, according to the researchers, Airbnb could also implement safety measures on its platform. This could include marking potentially unsafe areas with visible warnings or providing additional tools that help guests assess local risks.
Such measures could help boost the platform’s trustworthiness without causing a major drop in bookings.
