The problem with the Airbnb review system is that very few people are willing to leave a candid review because (1) it seems like bad manners when renting from an individual (as opposed to a large corporation like Hilton), (2) future Airbnb hosts can see your reviews and they might decide that you're a troublemaker and not want to rent to you, (3) the host might leave a response to your review that makes you look petty, or demanding, or exaggerating, or just silly.

So what you get is a hundred 5-star reviews where "everything was lovely" and one 5-star review that sheepishly says that "everything was lovely though it was a little noisy at night but I brought my earplugs so it was no problem after all".

But as an upside, I think it's much harder to game or manipulate Airbnb reviews than Amazon reviews. It's just that hardly anyone will list all the negatives; every property has some negatives even if you loved your stay. Many negatives won't even matter to other renters: some might care about low ceilings, cluttered cabinets, low water pressure, or too few electrical outlets. Others couldn't care less. But at least you could make selections based on things that would matter to you.

I don't know what solution to propose. Maybe if Airbnb had unannounced professional reviewers stay a night at every property and do very comprehensive critiques? (I know, this would be costly.)