As an Airbnb host, one of the most important factors that determine how much money you can make with your listing is how you are viewed by your past guests. Airbnb is a community built on trust and transparency. When a guest is trusting you with their vacation or business travel dollars, they must be able to obtain some level of trust that your listing offers a clean, safe, convenient location for them to spend a few days. Since Airbnb can’t (or doesn’t) send someone to check out each listing to ensure that it meets these criteria, they must trust past guests to leave reviews and enlighten other guests on the type of experience they will have when they stay at your place. Factors like ratings and response time become the gold standard of credibility because they are essentially the only standard. Thus, when you receive that coveted “Airbnb Superhost” badge, it is an objective measure that you are the type of host that future guests can trust with their stay. So how do you become a Superhost and what are the benefits of displaying this badge on your Airbnb listing? Well, I’m glad you asked…
What is an Airbnb Superhost?
Superhosts are hosts who rent their property with Airbnb and consistently receive positive feedback from their guests. This badge is displayed on your listings to let future guests know that you are a trusted, quality host.
Airbnb Superhost Requirements
To become an Airbnb Superhost, you have to meet a few requirements. These requirements are reveiwed each quarter and look at your previous year of hosting. This is not based on a calendar year, but the previous 12 months from the review date. For instance, if the review takes place in April, Airbnb will look from the past April through March 31st to see if you have met the criteria. The review process typically takes about 10 days and you will be notified if you achieve Superhost status. You do not need to do anything to initiate this review as Airbnb will automatically review all of their hosts each quarter. The criteria that they use are:
- Hosted 10 trips over the past year
- Maintained a response rate of 90% or higher: Response rate refers to whether you answer inquiries regarding your property before those inquiries expire in 24 hours. While you have 24 hours to respond, it is typically a best practice to respond faster, as guests may cancel their inquiry if they find another place before you respond.
- Receive 5-star reviews at least 80% of the time, as long as at least half of guests that stay with you leave a review.
- No host-initiated cancellations within the past 12 months.
Airbnb Superhost Benefits and Perks
In addition to displaying the badge on your profile and showing potential guests that you can be trusted as a Superhost, Airbnb offers a few other benefits:
- $100 travel voucher – if you have been a Superhost for at least one full year
- Invitations to exclusive Airbnb host events around the world
- Priority access to Airbnb host support
- Additional perks – from time to time, Airbnb will reach out to Superhosts with exclusive offers at random. For instance, I received a Kevo Smart Lock for free, so I can now provide my guests a code and allow them to enter our guest suite without having to pick up or hide a key.
Tips to become a Superhost
There are a few things that you can do as an Airbnb host to give yourself the best chance of receiving Superhost status.
Create a great guest experience
This is probably the most important thing that you can do as a host. By doing the little things and ensuring that your guests have a great stay, you will have a better chance of getting positive reviews. Sometimes, the difference between four stars and five stars is a simple, handwritten note or a list of restaurant recommendations on the table. Think about how you can make the experience as great as possible for your guests and you will naturally receive high rankings.
Make your listing accurate
One of the biggest factors in receiving five star reviews is meeting the expectations of your guests. The great thing about these expectations is that in most cases, you are the one setting them. If you accurately describe your listing, your guests will know what to expect when they arrive. When you meet or exceed those expectations, you will get a great review. Make sure that your listing is up to date and accurate and don’t oversell. Selling someone on luxury may earn you more listings or a higher price, but if you can’t deliver on that promise, you will only lose in the long run.
Communication throughout the stay
While prompt replies to inquiries are a key factor, the rest of the touch points that you have with guests and potential guests are just as important to your Superhost status. Make sure that provide clear directions on how to get there and where to park. Make them aware of check in and check out times, the wifi password, how to use the heating and air conditioning and all of those little things that won’t make or break a stay, but can leave a bad taste in the guest’s mouth if they aren’t properly communicated. Without being annoying, check in on the guests after they get settled and ask if there is anything else they need to make their stay great. Follow up with them on the day they leave to make sure that everything went well. By giving them chances to voice their feedback, you are much more likely to be able to understand and address problems rather than finding out about them in the reviews.
Plan ahead
Cancellations are a huge factor in achieving and maintaining Superhost status. Luckily, most of them can be avoided. Make sure that you keep your calendar up to date and plan for things like maintenance, vacations, cleaning time and the like beforehand. By keeping your own schedule organized, you will be far less likely to cancel on someone and lose your Superhost status.
That pretty much sums it up. If any other Superhosts out there want to share their experiences or tips, feel free to contact us or leave them in the comments below.