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We’ve noticed a lot of discussion lately about the updated Superhost criteria, so we wanted to explain why we made this update.
The Superhost program recognizes the best and most iconic hosts on Airbnb. Since it began, in order to be a Superhost you had to meet several criteria. You had to host at least 10 stays per year, you had to have zero cancellations (except for extenuating circumstances), you had to respond to 90% of the messages you received within 24 hours, and 80% of your ratings had to be 5 stars.
The first 3 criteria are staying the same, but beginning in July, instead of needing 80% 5-star reviews, Superhosts will now need an average review score of 4.8.
There are several reasons why we decided to make this change. First and foremost, because it’s simpler and easier to understand. One of the top pieces of feedback we received about the old program criteria was that guests couldn’t intuitively understand what it took to be a Superhost. By making the change from 80% 5-star reviews to an overall rating of 4.8, guests can more easily understand what it means to be a Superhost. Additionally, switching to an overall rating of 4.8 stars also brings consistency across our new programs like Collections and Plus, which require a 4.8 overall rating as well as several other criteria.
In looking at recent data, we estimate that between 90% to 95% of our Superhosts are going to have no problem qualifying for the Superhost program under the new criteria. Ultimately, it’s our goal to have as many Superhosts as possible and have all hosts provide amazing guest experiences worthy of stellar reviews. Our plan is to continue to closely monitor how these standards impact the Superhost program and evolve them based on what’s working and what isn’t. We truly appreciate the feedback you’ve provided so far and we look forward to working with you to bring further clarity and consistency to the program.
Dear Airbnb,
This was posted 3 weeks ago? Never saw it. Thank you for featuring it so prominently as of yesterday - This is a critical discussion and I would imagine that feedback from us hosts will be appreciated by Corporate.
Toward that end, I am including a link to a recent post of mine entitled 'Review System Needs To Be Revised'. There are now 30 Thumbs Up and 14 pages of comments. Not one of those comments expresses positive feelings for the new, impossible-to-achieve-and-maintain review system. Review System Needs To Be Revised.
I admit to being terrible at math, so I rely on Ute and others here for the hard data that acts as evidence that maintaining a 4.8 average will be quite difficult indeed. I have hosted over 100 guests with Airbnb, and can count on one hand the guests that gave me less than 5 stars for 'Overall Experience'. I can also tell you that their reason for giving me and my property less than 5 stars was due to either ignorance of the review system (they were comparing me to a luxury hotel); or to a guest being deliberately malicious and retaliatory due to their own personal problems (yes, it happened to me once, long story, let's just say she did not believe in House Rules and did not want to read my listing); or for other issues (like the cocky young man who did not read my listing or listing photo descriptions and thought my Sun Room was a 'Tiny House' and felt he had been misled as he had to sleep in 'the big Cottage' and not the 'Tiny House' he had thought he rented - I mean, really, what is there to say? Especially since he did not share this when he checked in and did the mini-tour with me. If he had, I would have arranged for him to sleep in the Sun Room, or I would have offered a full refund so he could fulfill his Tiny House Dream elsewhere). Why should I be penalized for these sorts of anomolies and lose my hard-earned Super Host status when over 95 guests have given me 5 stars for the all-important 'Overall Experience' category and rave reviews? It simply makes no sense.
I don't know who came up with this new rating system for us hosts, but I would guess they do not know much about human psychology or what promotes a desire to excel. If they did, they would realize that this new rating system being rolled out in July is de-motivating, de-moralizing, and de-pressing for us hosts to have to work under.
As I said elsewhere, once I saw what this new review system REALLY means, I decided to release any attachment I have to being a Super Host, and just continue to do the best I can and enjoy hosting and enjoy my guests. It was becoming almost painful for me to be so concerned about the power guests have over my listing's well being, and the power they potentially have to destroy my business via a frivolous, unfair review. I wasn't enjoying hosting for Airbnb anymore, and given the changes that are coming, I also was not willing to play Sisyphus, eternally rolling a mammoth stone uphill.
I can only hope that Airbnb reads all of this feedback, both here, and in other posts, and changes this impending criteria. If it doesn't get changed, then I can only think that Airbnb is intentionally 'culling' out Super Hosts (perhaps ALL hosts); problem is, most every host is subject to unfair, inaccurate reviews at one time or another, so under this new system, there will be very few Super Hosts left. So why promote it as such a great thing to be? Because, under this new rating system, it won't be a great thing to be, no matter how many carrots on a stick get waved in front of us (our own URL, special perks, etc). Life is simply too short to work under that kind of stress. For me, it simply is not worth it.
