Airbnb Superhost Status—Is It Really Worth It?

[Sudsrung0]

Airbnb Superhost Status—Is It Really Worth It?

So bright, so crisp, so alluring.

We all want one (granted), but is it really worth the hassle?

Is achieving Superhost Status on Airbnb just a badge? Or is it more than that?

Can that little badge really make a difference to your end of year returns as a host?

I’ll be discussing all of that and more in this article to try and answer the question:

“Is achieving Airbnb Superhost status really worth it?”

http://bit.ly/3jqmHQv

[Huma0]

@Sudsrung0 

I've been a Superhost almost the entire time I've been a host. However, after a 5.5 year straight run, I lost it for one quarter earlier this year. 

I wish I could do a comparison and say that my bookings went down or that they didn't change at all, but it's impossible, as the bookings had already stopped after the Summer Release and when I regained Superhost status, there were still barely any bookings. Also, when I first started hosting in 2016, and before I got the badge, I was always fully booked. But, back then, hardly any guests knew what Superhost was and I think that has changed as guests mention it fairly often now.

I don't have data to back it up, but my gut feeling is that it doesn't really make a big difference to bookings. If you are offering something people want, for a price they can afford, and you present it well on the listing, then that is way more important. I do think though having high star ratings and glowing reviews goes a long way too... but most guests will regard a 4.5 or 4.6* as very good. They don't know how high Airbnb sets the bar for us.

I have also concluded, personally, that Superhost for me is not so easy to sustain any more. As I only host long term guests now, one low rating can really tank my score and tank it for a long time and, no matter how much you try to vet guests before they book, a difficult one is going to slip through the net every few months. So, I try (but don't always succeed) not to stress about it too much.

[Rick4645]

The "Superhost" hype is just that. Hype.

It's a carrot that AirBNB dangles in front of hosts so they will be afraid to kick a crappy guest out and risk losing SH over the accompanying retaliatory review.


Hosts need to stop clinging to the notion that SH provides any tangible benefits. It doesn't. The alleged priority placement is merely the AirBNB cookies manipulating data to make you think you're getting a great placement in the search engines. The truth is, there is no rhyme or reason to the search engine placement. Borrow someone's computer or do an "incognito" search on yours and you will likely find that your Top 10 placement is in fact somewhere on page 4 and that some mega-host or managed property with a 4.67* rating has a higher placement than you do. 

[Sudsrung0]

@Rick4645 

I have asked guest why they picked my apartment when there is identical units to mine on airbnb and they have said because I was a SH, and I sounded like a nice person 

I have tried your suggestion incognito mode in a different area on a different IP and my apartment came up No1, in the area.

So whatever they are doing keep it up, and we are full into March.

[Huma0]

@Sudsrung0 

I think it (and the reviews) can be a deciding factor if everything else is already what the guest is looking for, e.g. they have two similar listings, similar location, similar price, one is with a Superhost and the other is not. But, that's not to say it's the main reason, as the guest has already decided it fits the rest of their criteria.

I even had a guest tell me once that she chose me because she liked the responses I wrote to reviews! I believe her, but I reckon she's already getting quite close to booking by the time she is reading those...

[Sudsrung0]

@Huma0 

I think it's only airbnb make a big deal out of being a SH 

Other platforms have a similar program but I never see it mentioned, BDC have a Preferred Partner Program I'll never achieve that with them I didn't get one booking from them this year, 

My page views are well above average but no bookings I think mainly because my calendar is showing full all the time from airbnb.

[Huma0]

@Sudsrung0 

Maybe Airbnb guests book further in advance that BDC ones? I don't know as I've never tried the latter. 

The Superhost programme definitely benefits Airbnb more than it benefits hosts. It keeps us on our toes and in constant fear of any rating below 5*. 

I posted a thread on the topic of Superhost 'benefits' a few months ago, asking basically the same question. Is it worth it?

From the responses, it seemed to me that a lot of people appreciated the travel coupon. Sure, that's nice and all, and I have used some of them, but $100 a year in Airbnb credit to me is not that much incentive. If I raised the prices on my listings by a couple of dollars a night each, I would have an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted.

Others commented that it was more a sense of personal pride and achievement, and I guess that is the same for me. I don't really see much benefit from a business perspective. According to the article you linked, Superhosts get more bookings and earn more money, but they also charge less, so that would be a pretty straightforward explanation as to why they get more bookings!

[Huma0]

@Rick4645 

Again, I suspect you are right.

I have always been skeptical about whether SH status improved rankings in the searches.   @Sudsrung0 might be showing high in the searches, but that's probably due to other factors.

Actually, if you read the 'benefits' Airbnb lists, it doesn't actually say that Superhosts get higher placement at all. It says:

• Easy to find in search

  Guests can filter their searches for Superhosts.

  So, all that really means is that there is a Superhost filter that guests can choose to turn on, but how many actually do? The filter is not even very visible. Firstly, they have to click on the filter option and then scroll down almost to the bottom, i.e. apart from 'host language', it's the last filter on the list. 

  That being said, I have had a few guests tell me that my being a Superhost was one of the reasons why they booked. I very much doubt it was the main reason though... It's good to have as part of one's marketing, that's all.

  I believe that Airbnb words things very carefully and a lot of people make assumptions that are simply untrue. I keep reading comments from superhosts asking why they are showing lower than others that don't have the status. I keep reading hosts referring to the 'dedicated SH team' or similar at CS. I'm not aware that any such thing exists. To my knowledge, all the Superhost hotline does is get you to the next available operator. So, it's supposed to be FASTER, but that doesn't mean you get a higher quality of service or some sort of preferential treatment. 

  People need to start reading what the Airbnb blurb actually says (or doesn't say), not assume it means what they want it to! 

[Gillian166]

even the author knows it's dubious

our favourite modifying word: may

and that $100 annual bonus equates to $25 per quarter of hard work. if you lost SH for one quarter you go back to square one. Is it really worth the angst? $100 doesn't go very far. If they made it cumulative, so in Year 2 you earned $200 that might make it more worthwhile to strive for, if we were being rewarded for continued good service. OTHH I've seen some pretty dire listings with SH status, so does it mean much to guests?