Clarity about the recent Superhost criteria change

[Airbnb]

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.

[Dee51]

I completely agree w/ these other comments. I have over 200 ratings with mostly beyond thrilled guests so imagine my surprise when I saw the notice that my status was at risk. Like others I went back & checked the details of my guest ratings and I have like 3 "bad" ones and 2 of those were upset about number of beds, location or something else that was CLEARLY listed in the ad they chose not to read. Even then, I bend over backwards, perform tricks that razz & dazz them to try to compensate for their mistake. My all time favorite being a request for a grill that was definitely not on my amenity list but I dropped what I was doing & got one complete with spices, foil and the works... then he complained that it was only a small one and I didn't leave a lighter. Another bad review came from a group of guys who left actual feces in the bed covers, tub & toilet. Not kidding. And what they said actually took my rating down. Crazy. When you can manage to keep the majority of your guests happy, a 5 star kinda happy, one or two bad apples shouldn't be given the power to take out the entire crop. There is literally nothing else I can do to better myself, I have learned all the mistakes and have this down to a fine art. So if I get another jerk and you take my status I guess you take it. Your new system helps bad guests take advantage of great hosts & that's all it does. 

[Debbie338]

I don’t know what is going on but it would be helpful if the hosts had a list or saw the rating questions that are given to the guests. I started noticing some 4 stars in areas lately and wondered what as going on.  I felt HORRIBLE! What did I do wrong ? What am I not doing right? I message help on Airbnb and felt like I was just venting, I was almost in tears at what in the world would these guests dock me a star on ?  I then looked in the forum and VOILA !! It wasn’t ME ! It was this new ridiculous, absurd rating system that we as hosts do not even know or see what is being asked or reviewed.  Airbnb has been sooo much fun the last year! I LOVE hosting and meeting so many people.  But as of the last few reviews and now realizing WHY I got a 4 star here and there, all the fun and enjoyment has gone out of it..it’s no longer an ‘enjoyment’ ,,it’s a STRESS factor that I’ll get dinged a star for something and then get this warning from Airbnb ‘new recent low ratings’ ...how degrading !! We the hosts are a big part of what keeps Airbnb going and thriving.  I’m just appalled and embarrassed and upset all rolled into one over these idiotic star things. I really could care less if I am a Superhost or not, But what I do care about is that I get the HONEST stars I deserve.   Soon there will be more platforms similar to Airbnb and  I will not hesitate to change.  Whoever in your ‘team’ thought up this new rating system needs to rethink what the hosts , customers want...  

[Karl-And-Cyndi0]

Well hello. I am a new host and was thrilled to think that I was "well on my way" to being a superhost. Then one of my lovely guests very unknowingly gave me an overall rating of 4 stars which brought my 5 star rating to 4.9%. There are a couple of disturbing parts to this scenario. One is that the ONLY reason why she gave me that 4 star rating is because of the location of my house everything that I have controll over she gave 5 stars. She was very happy with her stay, according to her glowing comments. Secondly I have a huge problem seeing ratings for location and value when I have no control over either. The guest made the choice to stay where they did based on the known cost of lodging and other factors related to their own budget and their travel. It should be up to the guest to map out their own vacation and how they get from point A to point B during that trip. It should never be my fault that they made poor financial decisions which caused them to "go over budget" doing anything. I suggest very strongly that the 2 factors over which hosts have no control should be removed altogether. If Airbnb wants to track those types of statistics they must find another way which is not connected to the individual host, then when a guest decides to give a 4 star rating it will truly be on a service that was provided (or not provided) and not on a statistic that was gathered! 

Now I know this guest obviously didn't know that her 4 star rating (based on the statiscal question) would be detrimental to my endeavors or else she would not have backed it up with the very gracious remarks about how much she and her husband loved the visit. I am very sure that the next person who will do the same thing won't really know that they will then be keeping me from getting my hard earned "superhost" status because at this rate it will only take ONE more guest to achieve just that. I find that very discouraging as a new host. 

Lastly, I want to make this point very clear. I really enjoy being a host and I have intentions of making additions to what I provide for my guests because I want to do that not because I'm trying to become some superhost. This is my home I'm opening up to guests who I hope appreciate a clean, comfortable, and affordable place to stay where they will be treated like valued individuals. I am already bending over backwards by doing just that and I'm doing it because I want to and I see the value in making other people comfortable and happy. Shame on Airbnb when they can't see that value and dedication. I absolutely disagree with the superhost program. Anyone who puts the effort into hosting absolute strangers in their own home as we hosts do should be considered superhosts. Airbnb should be puting the pressure on those who get CONSISTENT bad reviews and only those that are truly bad reviews. As hosts we should all be valued as superhosts. 

[Serge12]

I could not have said it better. Hosts not guests are what made Airbnb what it is today. It should remember that .

[Iren3]

 I totally agree with almost everyone here. I cannot understand the reason for creating a system where a new guest or a non-reader could by leaving a poor star rating, potentially ruin the fantastic record of many of the Super Hosts on here, and likely cause a large number of them to lose their Super Host status. Maybe Airbnb wants to reduce the number of Super Hosts? If you think about a reward of $100 towards your next trip for Super Hosts, for example..and now they have too many of us?

But what bothers me even more than the Super Host criteria change is the new way guests are asked to rate us. Lots of guests are already comparing us with luxury hotels, not understanding this 5 star system. But there is more now to this problem. 

The system, in actual fact, now  first - making it difficult for guests to find time to review as the process is way too long  ( which will lead to lots of them not leaving us any reviews even if they were very happy) and, second-  is prompting them to give us less stars and not to value our services too highly.

Here is my yesterday's guest private note to me ( I asked her to write to me, if that is true, as I have read it somewhere here in Community before) : "Dear Iren, The format has changed a bit over the past 6 months approx. - 4 pages. Some of the questions are a bit ambiguous. Like one of the questions were: was there 1 pillow on each bed? Well, no there was more than 1 pillow on each bed! In the section about your expectations, it’s also a bit confusing as it asks “was the stay much better than expected?” Suddenly you’re thinking that perhaps that could be misinterpreted as one didn’t have high expectations, so it exceeded that..."

So why Airbnb is doing that?! If you provide everything you promise, apparently is not good any more.

[Iren3]

I also had a situation, a little bit "interesting" - my guest left me a wonderful review and rated EVERYTHING 5 stars except the "Overall experience" of her trip. Well, maybe it wasn't as good as she planed but, I guess, it was nothing to do with me..And I cannot even see in this case what can be improved. I don't think she knew how it's going to effect me.  Something is definitely wrong with this rating system. I belive guests shouldn't be able to give a host a lower rating for "Overall experience" if all other points were rated 5 star

[Peter124]

It has become increasingly clear that Airbnb knows guests do not understand the Star system, yei is unwilling to do anything to educate them or prevent us from being punished by their confusion.

My most recent guest wrote "We had a great stay and Peter was a fantastic host. Great location with plenty of local recommendations. Nice space both inside and out. Exactly what we hoped for. Just wished we could have stayed longer."

Then he gave me a 4-star review -- my first after 18 consecutive 5-star reviews.

This was my guest's first time at an Airbnb, and he clearly did not understand how the star system is supposed to work. And as usual, Airbnb favors guests over its Superhosts, who provide such memorable experiences for guests and are directly responsible for the company's multibillion-dollar revenues.

[Natalie425]

I hear you. I have had a few 4 star reviews, even when out of the 6 criteria only 1 or 2 items were given 4 stars. ABB average the overall rating to get the 4.8 rating. Currently I am at 4.7. This is from 7 reviews. If I look at all my reviews and average across all criteria I get 4.89. Some criteria should be not be included for super host. Eg value for money. My most recent stay rated this 4 stars despite 9 people staying (an extra from the booking) 8 people booked at $50 per person per night. I let them check in early and check out late. They complained because there was not enough coffee and tea, mind there were plenary left over. They claimed that had to buy more, but the ones I provide cannot be purchased in the shop. There complained that they couldn’t put ice in the bottles of water and that there were no menus for takeaway ( not many exist where my place is).   This all equaled a hit in value for money.  Now my rating is too low to get super host at 9.7, so I’ve already looked at moving to another platform.  

[Sean45]

This quarter I qualified for super host except I only had 4 reservations, instead of the prerequisite 10. I have rented my house out 175 nights in the last 7 months which averages out to 43 nights per reservation. Somehow I don't qualify, but someone who rents their house out for 1 night, 10 times does. Freaking ludicrous. 

Show results for

Oct 1, 2017 – Sep 30, 2018 

What to work on

Requirement

You

Target

Trips hosted

Superhost have experience providing great stays.

4

10

What you’re doing well

Overall rating

5.0 󰀄

4.8 󰀄

Response rate

100%

90%

Cancellations

0/yr

0/yr

Trips reviewed

50%

50%

[Serge12]

I totally agree with you.  Whoever thought this idiotic system at Airbnb ought to be sacked. I will have had 9 reservations by the 1st October , been super host continuously for several years with “5 stars” and all glowing reviews from all my guests but risk losing my super host status because not reaching the 10 guests requirement. Even though I total over 170 nights within the year. Welcome to BigBrother Airbnb

[Karin201]

All of us hosts know that some guests are impossible to please, no matter what we do. Here’s a suggestion for Aibnb to consider:  Allow superhosts to delete one review out of every 20 or 30.  Studies show that 5% of people are psychopaths. Allow hosts to throw out the anomalies. Airbnb can even require an explanation from hosts as to why it should be thrown out.

Also,  explain to airbnb members/guests when they join that this rating is not the same as a hotel rating, and that five star means it is exactly as described with an accommodating host.

[Rebecca251]

So true! And I think this is a great idea and seemingly very fair.

[Mark116]

This rating system is nonsense.  It's as if airbnb didn't do any research at all.

Not even $1,000 a night luxury hotels maintain a 4.8 rating, because, it's impossible to please everyone. 

I'm not sure if there is a 'real' reason why airbnbn made this change or if it's more of the same level of not understanding their own business model or the industry in which they operate. 

[Peter124]

What I find most objectionable is ABB waited more than 4 months to respond to hosts'  concerns about the ridiculously high criteria for Superhost status and the poor job of explaining the rating system to guests by ...

CHANGING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

[Robin114]

The simple repair would be 4 meets expectations.  5 is above  expectations and 4.5 qualifies for superhost.