Want To Become An Airbnb Superhost? Do These 5 Things
It’s the pinnacle of Airbnb hosting; the title that everyone hopes to achieve. It’s reserved only for the most deserving of hosts – and it’s called Superhost status. Reaching this prestigious pedigree on Airbnb not only comes with a shiny badge on your listings, but it will also give your listings priority in the booking channel’s search results – which will bring you more guests and ultimately more profit.
So, how can you become one of these trusted hosts? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you reach Superhost status on Airbnb:
Step 1: Host at Least 10 Guests In Your Rental(s) Annually
Simple enough, especially if you’re hosting multiple properties that are listed on Airbnb. If you’re struggling to meet this requirement, however, try updating your listings’ profiles with higher-quality photos of the properties that present them in the best light and conditions. Also consider running a limited-time promotional sale to boost bookings! Ideally, the extra bookings you’ll get will make up for the lower prices you’re offering.
Step 2: Respond Fast to Guest Inquiries
This is an important one, so don’t forget it! Always respond right away when guests message you, whether they are a current guest or one with an impending booking.
Once per year, Airbnb will analyze your activity and determine the average amount of time it takes you to respond to your new messages. To pass this test, you need to have a response rate of at least 90%. This can easily become one of the most difficult aspects of being an Airbnb host, but fortunately, there are plenty of automation tools out there to handle this for you. Rental management platforms like Guesty For Hosts are equipped to send your pre-written, automated messages to guests the moment you hear from them – saving you hours of time, and making it impossible to have a low response rate.
In any cases where a guest asks a question you might not have a response to, simply write back to them ASAP with a simple message saying you’ll get back to them as soon as you have an answer. Remember, Airbnb is only rating you based on your response time – not the details in your messages themselves.
Step 3: Don’t Cancel On Them
As a host, you have quite a few obligations to your guests – many of which start long before they even check-in. The first obligation you make, which happens the moment a guest books your listing, is your commitment to hosting them. After that reservation has been made, it’s important that you do not cancel on the guest. Exceptions to this rule should be made only for emergencies or unavoidable circumstances – in which cases, Airbnb has protocols in place to help guide you through the cancellation process.
To further avoid the need to cancel on a guest, it’s crucial to make sure you’re preventing double bookings – meaning, when your rental gets booked on one channel, it’s important to ensure those dates are being marked off for the property on all the other channels it’s listed on, too. To do this the quickest and most effective way, rely on a platform with a centralized calendar that shows you all your reservations across all booking channels, like Guesty For Hosts.
Step 4: Receive 5-Star Reviews (At Least 80% of the Time)
What goes around comes around, and in this industry that translates from service to reviews.
Perhaps the number one rule of thumb in any hospitality role, but especially as an Airbnb host, is that when you provide 5-star service, you earn 5-star reviews.
Airbnb will remind your guests to leave a review once they’ve checked out, but you should know you can also make the request to guests yourself! Especially in instances when you know a guest had a particularly good experience, don’t hold back on asking them to quickly leave a 5-star review.
At the same time, don’t get too discouraged if you receive a few bad reviews here and there. Make improvements where you can & learn from your mistakes, but also remember you only need 80% of your reviews to be 5-star to reach Superhost status. Airbnb provides you with personal analytics of your ratings as well, and they even take progress into account – so look at any negative review as an opportunity to improve next time.
You’ve Got It! Now, Keep It
If you meet these first 4 requirements listed above, you should achieve your Airbnb Superhost status in no time. And then once you’ve earned this badge of honor, the only thing left to do is make sure you don’t lose it!
Step 5: Maintain At Least a 4.8 Rating To Remain A Superhost
Those same 4 steps required to become an Airbnb Superhost must also be followed after you’ve received the title. To retain your status as a Superhost, all you’ve got to do is continue to be a responsive and attentive host. Keep in mind: if your rating drops below 4.8, you’ll lose your Superhost status and have to start the process all over again – so be sure to make Steps 1-4 all routine parts of your hosting duties.