Building and Improving the Superhost Program

Airbnb
Official Account

Building and Improving the Superhost Program

Superhost Criteria.jpg

 

As our global host community grows and becomes increasingly diverse, Airbnb’s programmes and policies need to grow and adapt as well – both to ensure the success of people from all over the world, and to show our appreciation for hosts’ hard work and amazing hospitality. That’s why we’re updating the Superhost programme to make it more fair, inclusive, and valuable to hosts everywhere.

 

 

Review rates

Great reviews are essential to earning Superhost status. They also help create a community where trust and transparency is shared between guests and hosts. But, hosts can’t control whether or not their guests choose to leave a review. After examining global data and speaking with Superhosts in a number of countries, we discovered that review rates aren’t consistent worldwide – some travellers always leave reviews, while others rarely do. This discrepancy can put some hosts at a disadvantage when it comes to consideration for Superhost status. In order to make the evaluation process more fair for everyone in our global community, we’ll no longer require that hosts have at least a 50% review rate in order to become Superhosts (or retain their existing status).

 

 

Cancellation policy

As part of our effort to make sure Airbnb programmes are built to meet the needs of all hosts, we’re also updating our cancellation requirement. Previously, we required that Superhosts have zero cancellations, but for hosts with an extremely high volume of bookings across multiple listings, that standard is impractical. To make the programme more fair for high-volume hosts, we’re now allowing one cancellation per 100 trips booked over the past year, which means a cancellation rate of less than 1% across all of your listings. It’s important to note that we still take cancellation as seriously as ever. Over the past five years, the Superhost community has worked hard to earn the trust of their guests and we will continue to reward that trust by recognising the most reliable hosts with Superhost status.

 

Both the changes to our cancellation and review requirements will take effect on the 1 July quarterly Superhost assessment. We’ll also be updating hosting dashboards at this time to reflect this new criteria.

 

 

Stay tuned 

We’re committed to continually improving the Superhost programme so that it works for the entire host community. That includes using clear, fair qualification criteria and making it valuable for every Superhost. From the overall design of the programme to how it rewards the community, we’re looking at different ways to not only make your hosting experience more positive, but also help you be more successful. So, please stay tuned, there’s a lot of exciting news to come.

674 Replies 674
Lori278
Level 2
Lahaina, HI

I am going to make sure I read every review of every potential guest from now on and I will decline each and every one that rates all 6 categories 5 stars and then gives a 4 rating overall !!!! This is unacceptable and should NOT be allowed !!!  The overall rating should be based upon the 6 category rating ONLY.

 

airbnb has NO idea what they are doing when it come to “rating” the final overall rating by allowing the guest to choose anything lower than a 5 if they have chosen all categories 5 stars !!! 

I am speaking with an attorney as I was taken off superhost for this very reason - it doesn’t make any sense.   Every review that I was given 5 stars in all 6 categories should never be a 4 overall rating -   Ever !!!  This is craziness and I have been a superhost for 3 years -  with all other factors being almost perfect -  I resent this and it is hurting my listing -   

I am forwarding this letter to the “contact us” platform also. 

Joe2196
Level 2
Florida, United States

I wish you will hopefully look into a way to increase the level of security/reliability with guests that have no reviews. I've been hosting for over a year and have had several bad experiences all relating to guests with no reviews. This has forced me to take on an abrupt policy of turning all zero review requests away.  This does not put AirBnB in a positive light.  I am not the only host that turn zero reviews away and I fear this fact will eventually have a negative impact on how people perceive the AirBnb experience which in turn  will affect me in the long run.  Your team should seriously investigate a solution for this.  I suggest you consider the following solution: 

A.) Add a 1 - 5 star rating to your review feature

B.) Enable a configuration that would allow a host the ability to decide whether or not their listing is visible to the guest based on Stars. e.g. Only show my listing to 3 stars or higher. 

C.) Give back X$ to the host when they leave a review for a guest that has less than 3 reviews.

 

This solution would have multiple positive affects for your community. 

1.) It will improve the experience for your new guests, 100% of the listings they see are listings they qualify for. This will increase trust in your brand. 

2.) It increases the revenue potential and defines a new level of compensation and competition for hosts that are willing to show their listings to people with less stars/no reviews. e.g. a host can accept one star guests, but charge a higher rate.

3.)  It encourages guest to be good stewards

4.) It weeds out bad guests (the ones that threaten the growth of the AirBnB Host Community)

5.) Promotes growth in both the Host and Guest community. 

Reviews can be misleading - anyone can arrange for a friend to write them a review if they have an AIRBNB account and pay for a night somewhere.  I simply pay attention to whether the person introduces him or herself,  or whether they treat me like a motel, or don't bother to introduce themselves as well.  People who treat me like a motel or don't introduce themselves I don't rent to.    Also, read their profile, and insist on a profile in your listing.  That will tell you a lot about the person.

Beth44
Level 10
Flagstaff, AZ

It would be a great “professional/corporate courtesy if super hosts were offered a discount when staying in other superhost properties. I would be glad to extend the courtesy and build in this incentive. 

@Beth44 What would be appropriate is if Airbnb waived their booking fees for Superhosts, rather than hosts taking a loss on their normal rates, IMO. Just because someone else is a Superhost doesn't mean I would want to offer my room for less than my already budget-minded price.

Leonidas21
Level 2
Athens, Greece

I am afraid that Airbnb  focused more on rewarding Superhosting for their trust in the  last years, than  help the new Superhosts that actually need more supporting statisticaly since they have earned money only for the last year.  Every valuable member need  the same way supporting. This is not time for rewarding due Covid-19. This is time for democratic supporting to all Airbnb community members considering how good they are doing ther  job and not how much time they are members.

Tiffany202
Level 1
Pinehurst, NC

Anyone know how to speak with someone with authority at Airbnb?  

We are supposedly “valued and appreciated superhosts” yet I’ve been waiting almost a month to have customer support call me back about a problem we had with recent guests. I’ve sent numerous unanswered messages and called 5 times over the last 4 weeks.  I get the same answer “I can’t help you. All I can do is take notes and send it to the correct department... I’ll mark it PRIORITY/URGENT and someone will call you back as soon as possible”.    ....  again it’s been almost a month.  

meanwhile the disgruntled guests called and complained and made helped immediately. Someone emailed me the same day to schedule a phone call to INVESTIGATE US!  But the investigator couldn’t help with my concerns bc “that wasn’t her department”.    

In the past we always received good customer service.  But I’m at the point of taking my business elsewhere.   If no one has any ideas of how to get someone with authority on the phone, I think my next call will be the BBB. 

thanks in advance for any suggestions 

Lauren18
Level 5
Tucson, AZ

Some people are just complainers, and some people are mean...........after doing this for 10 years, I just accept it.  I have literally hundreds of great reviews, and get the few bad ones, which I make a point of responding to.  For example, a woman who complained because the wifi wasn't fast enough for her "conference call", and everything else,  after she rented a tiny house from me, with kitchen, at the height of the Gem Show for 33.00 a night (you can't get a hotell for less than $100.00 a niight during the Gem Show).  I have since raised my prices, and get rave reviews.  You can't please everyone, you can only do your best, and defend yourself if you get an unfair review.  

Lauren18
Level 5
Tucson, AZ

ps.........I guess I haven't been following for a while, I just noticed this "level" thing.  Oi........so now we are "superhosts" and "not superhosts" and we have levels too?  I don't like all this rating business that keeps proliferating everywhere.  

I hate the whole ratings game as well, but the levels here have nothing to do with Superhost or anything else. All they are is an indication of how active you are on the forum- how often you post, how many thumbs up your posts get. It's just a pointless social media thing. @Lauren18 

Oh, thanks!  I'm not much of a social media person.....................

Maria2492
Level 2
Hawaii, United States

Please consider the terrible impact Covid-19 has had on our cancellation rates. Given the mandatory quarantine situation here in Hawaii, and all that is happening with lock-downs and other measures globally, it's impossible to eliminate cancellations - especially given that guests can now cancel without losing any paid monies. 

Nonsense. A guest opened an illegal restaurant in one of my apartments and had to be thrown out by several police officers after refusing to leave, despite being told to do so by AirBnB. They posted a 1-star review, and AirBnB won't take it down. Fair Superhost program my ASS. 

 

Just this week another guest stole from us. AirBnB's resolution center paid us, the guest even admited to the theft! And yet AirBnB also allowed them to post a 1-star review. THEN they sent us an email threatening to shut down our listing! 

 

Again, this article is garbage. Just more lies, window dressing and CRAP being posted by a corporation that has no real interest in doing the right thing. 

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@William1246 

 

Hi William, 

 

I have followed your trail of anger along many posts The admins @Airbnb  have stated that they have sent your personal case to be looked at more closely in order to help you. 

 

Your aggressive language and use of profanities is appalling to say the least. I know you're angry and I'm not taking that away from you. You've offered no constructive feedback and continued to constantly berate at any given opportunity.  

 

I urge you to do some self reflection knowing that thousands of hosts have gone through what you've gone through (myself included). Change takes time, even if you think it should happen tomorrow. 

 

You're an experienced host. How many good experiences have you had vs bad? 

 

We get it, the whole community gets it. You're angry and you've been wronged. But the entire community doesn't need to be bombarded by your negativity. I saw the admin say that they are looking at your case.  You made your point. Life goes on. Changes will happen. But your negative and offensive attitude does nothing for the community,  

 

@Bez8 I have asked you REPEATEDLY to stop lecturing me, yet you continue to do so. ALL of your previous comments to me have been deleted and I have SPECIFICALLY ASKED YOU NOT TO TALK TO ME, yet here you are again, ignoring that request and lecturing me picking at sores so to speak and deliberately trying to start another fight. Surely this is not acceptable behavior on your part, continuing to harrass another member who has EXPLICITLY stated that they do not wish to be addressed by you?