Bye Bye Superhost

[Robin4]

Ever since the start of 2017 I have been able to retrain my Superhost status with each assessment but, I think I am going to loose it come this next assessment due 30th June because I will fall slightly short of the 4.8 overall requirement.

Over the past 12 months I have had......

76 x 5 star reviews!

13 x 4 star reviews!

 3 x 3 star reviews ! 

It's not a big deal because Airbnb don't routinely display a hosts status on search pages any more but where it becomes just a touch unfair is, I will be penalised for doing nothing wrong.

Of those 13 x 4 star reviews some where just like this one......

What could I have done better there?

And what about this one......

If Airbnb are going to insist in their rating system of hosts that a less than 5 star incurs a penalty, then they must insist in that review system that the guest justify that penalty.

I know we have worn this topic out over the years and maybe guests have got a bit more critical since the onset of Covid 19 but I am not that chuffed about losing my Superhost status over nothing a guest has mentioned that I have done wrong!

Cheers.........Rob

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Robin4  you are not the only one, we will lose it too. Post Covid guests perceive themselves as critics-influencers 😛

[Melissa1869]

We received a 4 because the guest expected a snack upon arrival and a full length mirror.  What the actual f@ck??  

[Robin4]

@Melissa1869 

I am sorry about that Mel, that's my fault, they must have stayed here before they came to you because I provide both!

I have seen this coming though, my percentage of less than 5's has risen to around 15% over the past 12 months. The actual reviews don't reflect that dissatisfaction.......but the stats do.

For the same period last year 2020-2021 I had....

92 x 5 star reviews.

  4 x 4 star reviews.

  0 x 3 star reviews.

So that gave me an overall Superhost rating for that year of 4.95.

But this fall off in 5 star reviews started to occur when Airbnb introduced 'Insights' and made changes to the structure of the guest review process. Guests were suddenly told a 3 star overall rating met their expectations and a 4 star exceeded it.

So you can't really blame guests for doing what Airbnb prompts them to do!

I can't think of another company that tries to talk down it's product but, never mind, just something else we hosts have to deal with!

Cheers.......Rob

[Lenore22]

Those prompts are totally different from what they hold us to! 

Honestly. I just wish they did thumbs up-thumbs down... No stars. Just an "approval rating."

[Laurelle3]

@Robin4 with the questions for the review, I have to ask what are the people to give a score when they have never stayed before. Are their expectations from the pictures of accommodation? Or from other reviews? Or the weather was bad - no sun, rained all the stay? They arrived late and in the dark didn't know where they were going? I had an argument with my partner or had an accident whilst travelling. All these feelings and incidents can affect one's (guests) personal review for the number system on Airbnb's review.

[Katja202]

@Robin4 WHAT???!!!!! NO!!!! Oh okay, this is good to know. I will now officially be not offended personaly anymore when a guest rates me lower than 5 stars. If the system says 3 stars is okayish then it isn’t my problem. This news is very good news for my mental health 😀

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

I have seen this multiple times in the past, but can't remember seeing it recently. Does it still exist?

Also, I'm confused, because it says that "Your host will only see answers that multiple guests have picked," yet I've never seen anywhere where I can see answers that multiple guests have picked. Where do we find that?

[Inna22]

@Robin4 I lost mine at some point during the pandemic. It affected nothing. Of course impossible to know for sure unless they were two parallel worlds and I was a superhost in one and not in the other with the same exact calendar, property etc. but I was perfectly happy with the performance of my properties.

Most guests look at the star rating. I remember there was an insurance company, maybe Geico?, whose entire advertising campaign revolved around bragging about 99.5 percent customer satisfaction rate. I am too lazy to do the numbers but assuming 4 stars and above is a satisfied  customer, we are all above and beyond that. I think any guest would look at any peppery with rating over 4.5 and would assume it is totally fine 

[Huma0]

@Inna22 I am sure you are right. 

Guests do not normally know that, not only do we need to maintain 4.8* and above to stay Superhosts, but in theory also 4.7* or above to meet basic standards/stay on the platform (although I know the latter isn't actually true as terrible hosts with low ratings are allowed to remain if they have enough listings and make enough profit for Airbnb). Guests are really shocked when you tell them this.

So, when a guest sees 4.5*, which would be a pretty good score on Tripadvisor, for example, they are not going to be put off at all.

[Suzanne302]

@Robin4 

The horror! As another host mentioned, if Rob can't maintain Superhost there is no hope for the rest of us. And it's another reminder why none of us should give a flying f**k about Superhost "status."

Cheers to you as one of the best hosts on the platform, whether or not the gods at Airbnb recognize it!

I lost Superhost during Covid because I shut down my listing. I can't be sure, but I don't think it affected my bookings in the slightest when I "reopened." Not only that, but I moved during Covid, so when I re-listed, it was a brand new listing.

Superhost is inconsequential, the only thing that is affecting our bookings right now is this train wreck of a summer release.

[Tony-And-Una0]

Same here. We will be losing ours after holding it since 2015

We did our aprtments up during lockdown. They have never looked better. Pricing and service remain the same. So make of that what you will.

To be honest it's almost a relief not to be obsessed with it.

[Huma0]

@Robin4 @Tony-And-Una0 @Branka-and-Silvia0 

I will be losing Superhost too at the end of this quarter. For a number of reasons, I have only had ten guests leave reviews in the past year (hosting long term, fewer guests due to the pandemic, several guests not leaving reviews and also several direct bookings from a regular customer).

Of these, one left 3*, one left 4* and the rest all left 5* (there's only one more review that might come in before the assessment). In the world outside of Airbnb, 8/10 reviews being 5* and none below 3* would be counted as pretty good going, but the rating for the year currently stands at 4.7*, which I think is the lowest I've ever had since I started hosting.

I've been a Superhost consecutively for the past 5.5 years and had a 5.0 rating consistently for the past 2.5 years. It had gotten to the point where I stopped stressing about it at all because guests seemed to be very happy. I do feels something has changed though and either people are getting pickier or I seem to be attracting the picky ones.

The reason I think this, rather than wondering if my hosting/listing standards have gone downhill, is that the any guests who have left less than 5* in the last couple of years, have also been the most demanding, asking for things not on the listing, complaining about things that are on the listing, and breaking house rules. The lesson learnt is to be more watchful for the red flags. Those guests also either had poor communication/clearly hadn't read the listing and house rules until repeatedly reminded, but they had good reviews so I let it slide.

Anyway, I am not stressing about losing it. As others have said above, it doesn't really make any difference to bookings. The only Airbnb related thing I'm stressing about these days is the Summer Release, but if Airbnb do not fix that mess, I will just have to find other ways to rent out my rooms.

[Lawrene0]

None of my guests, except the last one, since the first of January have left a review. They were, except for the last (who was wonderful), a messy, demanding, delusional bunch. I think they didn't leave a review assuming that would make it so I couldn't leave one for them. Oh how wrong they were.

Anyway, I see I am lucky, @Robin4 . I didn't have the annoyance of a three-star review on top of clearing out their trash. 

As the others have said, I think you won't find much of a difference without the badge. When I lost mine to that old trap "The guest wants you to cancel" years ago, it made no difference at all. 

I do look for superhosts when I book as a guest, but it is only because of the guarantee, so to speak, that they won't cancel on me. But one look at your place and your reviews, and I'd book with you for sure. 

[David8879]

Stop worrying - be happy! Normal people read host's reviews - they do not look at the "badge of honor"

[Robin4]

@David8879  @Huma0 @Anonymous  @Delphine348 

David and Andrew, It's not about the public perception of my rating status that I am concerned.....guests are far more interested in the review content than some statistical numbers. My record gives them plenty of complimentary reading!

What is concerning me, I have 2 advantages in retaining my Superhost status!

1/......Each anniversary of retaining my Superhost tag I get a $100 US coupon I can spend to offset my Airbnb travel expenses!

2/.....Every time I ring CS with an issue as soon as the system analizes my incoming phone number it recognises who I am, and  I am met with a 'Welcome Superhost, a team member will be with you shortly'!  And within a minute I am talking with a support person. I can sort out guest and potential guests issues far faster than they can sort them out themselves because, I have access to that rapid response.

It makes the whole operation just that bit more profitable and that much more efficient.  

I am no less a host than I was a year ago, in fact I am possibly more experienced and better, but this shambles of a review system where guests inadvertently get to penalise the host all because of these stupid statistics is going to see me lose that professional advantage that I had.

Like I have said before, I can't think of another company that actively penalises it's better performers......what they are doing is talking down their own product for God sake!

Who is more important to Airbnb, who do they want to take more notice of, a guest who uses it twice a year, marginally understands it, and has 3 reviews........or a 500+ review Superhost? 

You sure have to wonder where their priorities sit!

Cheers........Rob