Airbnb Superhosts – Flying Over the Competition

When you try to go and do a search on Airbnb, you’d most often find “Superhosts” at the top of the list. So why does this highly-coveted title even exist in the first place?

Because more and more hosts started to join Airbnb, the experience from guests started to become inconsistent. You might get an experienced host on the first booking but get an “okay” experience with a novice on the next. So Airbnb started identifying who the best hosts were and gave them more attention to prevent this from happening.

This ensures a better experience for those looking for that consistency and keeps everyone in love with the platform. That’s where the Superhost program came from.

In this article, we’ll be getting into what being a Superhost means and some tips and tricks on how to become a Superhost. Without further ado, let’s begin!

What do you get from Being a Superhost?

You can look at it sort of like a label of who gives Airbnb the most money! And that’s not as bad as it sounds because that means you’re likely getting more bookings than the rest of the competition. Why is that? The company essentially rewards you with higher exposure on the platform in exchange for being such a great host (which isn’t exactly an easy thing to do).

Superhosts are so unique that they even their own filter, proving that the platform indeed encourages people to book with them. Not only does Airbnb show Superhosts more on searches, but also on emails and other marketing material they send out! They also give an extra 20% on the bonus they give from referrals. And like a cherry on top, Airbnb also provides a $100 travel coupon every year as a Superhost!

How Do You Become a Superhost?

Before we get into the tips and tricks, it’s important to touch on what we’re really trying to achieve here. What do you need to become (and continue being) a Superhost? Here’s what Airbnb says:

A high overall rating average of 4.8 or higher. It’s a strict standard to meet but expected at the pinnacle of hospitality! Take note that this average is reviewed for the past year, so things can change if your current year isn’t as good.

At least 10 or more stays in the past year or 100 nights over at least 3 completed stays. Your reputation has to be at least verified by a significant number of people, right?

Under 1% cancellation rate. What kind of host denies their guests? That’s the direct opposite of what Airbnb wants! Obviously, there would be situations that would force you to cancel a booking. Airbnb does have a list of extenuating circumstances that won’t affect your cancellation rate.

A high response rate of 90%. We’ve mentioned this in our last article, but you should respond to messages within 24 hours! Don’t leave your guests hanging.

And while these criteria might sound attainable on their own, the fact that you have to meet all four (with one over the span of a year) is the reason why not a lot of hosts have the prestigious badge on their listings.

Earn that Superhost Badge!

Now that we know what to aim for, it’s time to get into how you can get there:

Pick up on what we’ve mentioned in the last article – create an experience for your guests! Make them think that they’d be missing out on an incredible experience! If needed, you could even put in welcome packs with goodies inside or welcome guides to provide helpful information for your guests (like great hiking spots, best places for dinner, etc.)

Fill up your listing/s with great photos, a captivating title, and a flavorful description! And speaking of descriptions, you could also update them to fit the current season. For example, “A WARM, quiet, hideout away from the city” could be tweaked in autumn or winter. Giving guests a good time already starts with the listing details.

If you seem to be having difficulty with getting enough bookings, try to adjust your price! If you set it lower, you’re likely going to get more bookings. Don’t worry – you’ll be earning more when you get that Superhost badge!

Get on top of messages as quickly as possible by hiring someone to do it for you or utilizing services to automate messaging. Of course, the speed of responding is critical, but don’t forget to be nice and polite!

Keep the place clean and organized. Ensure that the quality of your cleaners’ work is consistent! Don’t let a guest give you a low rating because of some hair left in the shower or a small stain on the beddings.

Update yourself with your calendar (to avoid cancellations). This is especially important if you have the same property listed on other platforms! One of the worst things on a trip is suddenly realizing that there’d be no place to stay for the night because the host booked three different guests for one unit!

Getting that Superhost level can definitely be a grind, but there are ways to make things easy for you. Work smart, not hard, right? (Well, you should still work hard, but you also should make it easier for you, if possible.) Hire an assistant, find a reliable cleaner/cleaning company, source an experienced handyman, or subscribe to services that help you do mundane tasks! Money doesn’t grow on trees, but you can make more money by investing it. That’s the reason why we’re investors! We hope our tips on becoming a Superhost bring you and your business to the next level.

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