How Smart Kiraya keeps reviews honest (double-blind, fraud-checked)
By Smart Kiraya Team · Updated
Quick answer
Only guests who completed a real booking can review. Guest and host write their reviews double-blind — neither sees the other's until both publish or the window closes — which removes retaliation and tit-for-tat inflation. Automated fraud detection then screens for coordinated or fake review patterns.
Why ratings on most platforms drift upward
When two parties can see each other's reviews before writing their own, both inflate: guests fear a bad guest-rating, hosts fear retaliation. The result is the familiar wall of five stars that tells you nothing. Double-blind submission is the fix — it's why our ratings spread out and actually rank properties.
The rules, in order
- Booking-gated — A review can only be written against a completed booking. No purchase, no voice.
- Double-blind window — After checkout, both sides review independently. Reviews reveal together when both are in, or when the window closes.
- Category ratings — Cleanliness, location, value, communication, amenities and check-in are rated separately — so a 4.2 tells you why.
- Edit window — Authors get a short window to fix typos; substantive edits after reveal are locked.
- Host replies — Hosts can respond publicly to any review — context, not deletion.
What the fraud systems catch
- Clusters of accounts sharing devices or networks that review each other — flagged automatically for moderation.
- Toxic or abusive content — screened by machine-learning moderation before it publishes.
- Suspicious review velocity on a listing (a sudden burst of praise is a signal, not a coincidence).
Frequently asked questions
Can a host delete a bad review?
No. Hosts can reply publicly, and can report a review for a policy violation — a human moderator decides. Ratings can't be paid away.
Do guests get reviewed too?
Yes — hosts rate guests the same double-blind way. Good guests build a visible track record that makes future bookings smoother.
Reviews are in my language?
Reviews auto-translate across major Indian languages, so a review written in Hindi is readable in Tamil and vice versa.