Feedback on Superhost criteria

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Feedback on Superhost criteria

Superhost 1.pngHello everyone,

 

As you know I share a lot of your feedback with Airbnb teams.

 

The Superhost team is currently evaluating the Superhost criteria. They’ve been hearing a lot of feedback from hosts both here in the Community Center and during research sessions. Here are some of the things they’re considering:

 

  1. Number of trips: 10 trips OR 150 nights in the past 365 days, instead of 10 trips currently
  2. Number of cancellations: 0 cancellations in the past 25 reservations (with a max of 1 cancellation per year), instead of 0 cancellations in the past 365 days currently
  3. Average overall rating: Exclude one outlier low-review in the past 365 days from the evaluation

 

They would like to hear directly from you on these potential changes:

 

  • What do you think about these changes?
  • Are these changes easy to understand?
  • Do these changes seem more fair to you as a host?
  • Do they motivate you to continue to work to become or remain a Superhost?

 

I will share the feedback you submit on THIS topic specifically with the Superhost team. These are not the only things the team is currently looking into, but they wanted to run these ideas by you first.

 

Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Lizzie

 

Legal disclaimer: By selecting "Post", you agree to share your ideas publicly and without any expectation of confidentiality or compensation of any kind. While Airbnb welcomes your contributions, Airbnb may be working independently on similar policies, products, or features, and may choose to review and/or implement your ideas in its sole discretion. You also agree that the https://www.airbnb.com/terms and https://www.airbnb.com/terms/privacy_policy apply to your use of this and all Community Center pages.

 

 


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138 Replies 138

  1. Number of trips: 10 trips OR 150 nights in the past 365 days, instead of 10 trips currently

I like the option of 10 trips OR 150 nights. I’ve had a long term rental (2.5 months) that counted for one stay. 

 

  1. Number of cancellations: 0 cancellations in the past 25 reservations (with a max of 1 cancellation per year), instead of 0 cancellations in the past 365 days currently

This could use some clarification. The “past 25 reservations” could potentially span across two years, hence the, “...max of 1 cancellation per year,” clarification?

 

  1. Average overall rating: Exclude one outlier low-review in the past 365 days from the evaluation

I like this one! There’s always one...  Clearly to earn Superhost, 5 should be the bar. Everyone doesn’t get a prize just for hosting. That being said, some education on the front end from Airbnb when people book, explaining the significance of leaving a 5 star review, would be much appreciated. 

Anna1721
Level 2
Indianapolis, IN

Hi @Lizzie!

 

Thank you for bringing your team's questions to the forum! Given that it's been a while since this conversation was active, I was wondering if you could provide an update? I'm wondering if the Superhost Team is closer to making any changes to the criteria and what the timeline might be? 

 

I'm relatively new to Airbnb and had to cancel my first booking because I was just trying to learn how the application worked, and the guest was reluctant to cancel himself. I always try to go above and beyond for my guests, and I think my consistently high reviews show that, but since that first booking and only cancellation, I'm not eligibile for SH. I have, however, made my peace with the fact that I will likely have to wait 6 more months before achieving SH status - - it would just be a huge delighter if anything were to change ahead of the busy season! 

 

Thanks so much, @Lizzie!! Great to see the Airbnb teams running ideas by the hosts. 🙂 

 

-Anna

Gordon-and-Shelley0
Level 2
Edmonton, Canada

Overall agree with other comements on suggested changes so won't restate them. I think 1 cancelation a year makes more sence than in last 25 (or the current zero). We were Superhosts and take a lot of pride providing a spotless home and excellent service. We had a familiy issue and cancelled one 3 day booking about 4 months ahead. So all of a sudden we were no longer Superhosts for over a year. Alowing one a year is a positive move. 

Liz140
Level 4
Danville, IN

For most hosts, there is no significant advantage to making these changes.

What I would like to see, is for Airbnb to have policies for guest behavior that is standardized, throughout the US. Nothing subjective, no ifs, no exceptions. This would make it much easier for both hosts and guests. Hosts would be happier if they had fewer uncomfortable situatuions to deal with & guests would rise to the occasion, if they want to use the service. It might be a bit tough for a short while but in the end, so worth it. If everyone was on the same page, Airbnb could reduce its operating expenses dramatically.

Yes @Liz93 

 

Positive conduct needs to be clearly defined.  I take that on myself in my listing and house rules, and, it would be wonderful if this platform offered some specific behavioral expectations for guests surrounding conduct, communication, and expectations.

 

I love that the sentence “remember you’re staying in someone’s home” is visible, and, given that many people will respond differently to that, more specifics about what’s ok, what’s not,  and what happens if that’s not respected might solve a lot of disputes before they start, with multilevel benefits all around.

 

 

 

Susan1028
Level 10
Oregon, US

Well said. Thank you James.

 

 

Susan1028
Level 10
Oregon, US

Hi @Lizzie1 

 

Thank you for asking and turning this community into a place that has a voice and can make a difference.

 

I love that we have a forum in which to share wisdom, humor, support, and brainstorm improvements.

 

I LOVE hosting, and I’ve earned my “superhost” moniker...such as it is for that  .1 % point difference, lol. I concur that it needs to be reorganized along with the ratings to be useful, fair and inspire respect.  

 

I worked hard to achieve my own standard and vision and I still look for ways to improve my Service and guest experience every day, and it’s because of this effort that the quality of experience I intend manifests, and the feedback from my guests reflects it. If what I offer isn’t suited to another guests objective it’s through no fault of my own, and if they choose to stay here anyway and are less than pleased with themselves for not choosing the Ritz Carlton or Love Shack on the beach, that’s also not my doing.  

 

It needs to be clear to guests that they’re rating whether the listing matches what was provided first, with personal impressions reserved for narrative commentary, where the host can also reply.

 

I’ve already commented on some wonderful posts by others.  There are multilevel themes here that ring true and are worth acting upon by management to attract harmonious new guests and retain excellent hosts who continue to care, not just because it’s a business, but because it’s a passion. Many of us do care beyond the income. We’re the ones that maintain that “personal touch” that distinguishes between a “stay,” a good stay, and a consistently great experience...for all involved.

 

Semantics, tone, and intention matter.  The words we choose in our listings and share in messaging set the stage for the experience  of all parties going forward. They also matter in everything airbnb publishes from carefully crafted press releases to every sentence in the help section and every word and intonation of those on the front lines in CS.

 

Therd will be guests that read what we share and others who don’t and that’s often where the friction arises.

 

As someone who’s been professionally making people happy for decades, I look at details as well as the larger picture and diversity as a benefit.

 

Airbnb has gotten huge fast.  The voracious  ambition of the leadership is palpable.  

 

It’s not uncommon to have issues with rapid growth, and what really matters is whether the leadership remains true to its core values despite less contact with the bones of daily operations and whether the light of success to enlightens or create various levels of blindness even as they blaze new trails.

 

When growth outpaces the ability to attend to the relationships that fostered it and customer service training and consistency can’t keep up, we get where we are and can choose to use it as “teaching moments” or allow damage.

 

The ratings system needs overhauling, for everyone’s benefit.  Many great suggestions have already been offered. Simplicity, transparency, and consistency of implementation and oversight are key, as is an established, reliable appeals process everyone has access to with criteria which are fair to all parties and include specific protocol implemented by qualified management to keep things fair and monitor areas needing more love.

 

The “support” department has thier hands full fielding every problem imaginable.  No one can be an expert in everything. A reliable referral protocol to specialty staff that are actually available when needed would help tremendously. The current system isn’t consistent, and decisions that hurt hosts despite supporting evidence is harmful to the whole community, and there’s no established policy for appeal unfairly damaged hosts suffer and often move on.  That isn’t an investment in quality, it’s a loss on all fronts.

 

How many stories of that singular “bad guest/bad review that ruined my business” do we need to hear before polivmcy is created to fairly address it?  Worried about associated labor costs?  Its far more expensive to allow abuse/bad guests to play the system financially and in terms of morale and reputation.

 

When one disingenuous guest can literally ruin a host’s business, the system needs to change.  It’s not about more loyalty to guest or host, it’s about integrity in running the show.  

 

Airbnb is becoming known as one of the cheapest ways to throw a party or run an illegal business with little or no scrutiny.  

 

With the introduction of “Plus” it’s clear that Airbnb wants to contend in the 5-star ring, but the only way to put out the “entitlement” and “illegal operations” fires is with foresight, clear boundaries, documentation, clearly stated consequences, and consistent support when things go awry.  Same for abusive hosts.

 

The customer isn’t always “right.” No one is, and as social media and the “review culture” have grown, so have the snark and unfounded shallow attack and harassment factors.

 

Rather than establishing strong policy, Airbnb has become known as a pushover where other platforms and hotel chains have banned bad guests and delisted hosts many of whom end up here because “everyone is welcome.”   Is that meant as an affirmation of hospitality or that “everyone’s money is green?”

 

Clear policy about bad behavior has nothing to do with race or ethnicity and everything to do with character and entitlement/victim culture.  Clear well written and fairly implemented consistent policy actually creates the welcome that appeals to integrity and succeeds in encouraging more. Someone has to be the “grown up” to keep things sane and positively functional.

 

There are so many help categories and I celebrate it...and I see where more clarity, clear guidelines, and better education all around from guest registrations/orientation to Support staff training and consistency to be incredibly timely if this platform wants to continue to include everyone and avoid additional dysfunction as it enters the 5-star hotel arena.

 

I suggest a “help section” that’s also repeated in guest registrations that clearly states objectives, what’s expected, what’s not allowed, and clear consequences (which are enforced consistently) if there’s abuse.  That means better CS training and built in accountability so that if someone’s having a bad day or was sick on one of the training days it doesn’t alienate a guest that has a legitimately bad experience or ignore evidence and ruin a host’s business.  

 

It means regular QC within “support” beyond “this call is being recorded...” including periodic case/call audits, with possible surveys that are designed to bypass revenge tactics and a clear appeals process that does the same and addresses real evidence.

 

Now that Airbnb is playing with the “big boys” it means matching industry standards by doing ID/background checks for all registered guest profiles and requiring identifiable full facial photos in profiles that match their legal government issued IDs.  Rather m than being discriminatory, protects everyone legally and otherwise and dovetails with the QC and safety protocols suggested above.

 

Playing in the big leagues also means making sure platform changes are vetted within the whole landscape and are functional, with bugs and side effects addressed for pc, iphone, android, and tablet functionality before rollout.

 

All of the above is good PR and an investment in the future of everyone’s success here.

 

What guests and hosts pay for and want from a booking service is pleasant smooth operations, safety, clarity, consistency, professionalism, and reliable functionality so guests can have a great experience and hosts can run thier businesses.

 

All 3 areas queried in this thread (amongst others) need work well if Airbnb wants to maintain professional integrity and goodwill inside and out, and continue to grow market share.

 

Thank you for reading through all of this.  I could use an editor myself, but I’ve given this a lot of thought because I’ve seen a lot, I do care, and I love the spirit of innovation, community, and home sharing that made Airbnb great.

 

We all need to be building positive healthy community and services in this rapidly changing world.  Airbnb can continue innovative leadership with win-win choices that include a wise balance of head and heart.

Patricia55
Level 10
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Wow@Susan1028  - you've hit a lot of nails on the head here! Well said.

 

Question, and hopefully not a redundant one.

If a guests review is indeed below a certain level of expectation or satisfaction, can there not be a notice that pops up letting the reviewer know that "You (Airbnb), notice the guests low review" and to give them a chance to change it if it is an "unintended low review", and then to have an "accept" button if it is indeed how they truly felt.  Perhaps by clicking "Accept" they are also accepting that because of the low rating, it will be put under review before just being posted straight away to the hosts listing...?  Basically a multi-step process for them to leave such a review.  Because if they truly had a bad experience, they will certainly continue regardless.  Whereas if it is a "revenge" review this might deter them a bit more by taking some of thier instant-impact power away.

I just became a Superhost and it was hard work! then the next week a guest gave me a 3* because no bar soap was in the bathroom! but liquid soap was there! this dropped me to a 4.2..thereabout, can look now to say exactly where its at. But how can you end up with such a drastic drop because of such basic requirement. There must be a better and fairer system to evaluate the quality of what guests value as 5* and what we know we put into the property! The rates vary due to the AirBnB facility! I could be renting a tree top as a property and be rated as 5* so guests need to know and be shown at the point of booking some practical and fair rating methods and scales so that hosts are not forever on this stressful treadmill of keeping Superhost Status or being delisted by AirBnB due to some vindictive, or ignorance on the part of the guest.  We must give quality and value for money, but AirBnB needs to assist us in educating guests. I am trying to actually ask guests what area did they think I could improve upon before their stay ends. Is anyone from AirBnB even reading these suggestions? 

I am very new to Airbnb...
Only my third guest in at the home now... we are away in Portugal while our home is in BC Canada.

 

firstly I think your team is very supportive.

 

since my first guest was a breeze i thought this is simple until my second guest.Then it got awful and I joined in the forum.

 

i think your suggested system of assessment is very fair. I so want to do well and become a super host.

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Lizzie,

I needed to review the current criteria to do a side by side comparison with the proposed changes, because you summations left out some details.

 

Debra300_0-1595826766504.png

 

  1. Number of trips: 10 trips OR 150 nights in the past 365 days, instead of 10 trips currently.  Does this mean that one long-term reservation for five months would fulfill this requirement?  If so, that means one guest's review can determine if a host achieves SuperHost status.
  2. Number of cancellations: 0 cancellations in the past 25 reservations (with a max of 1 cancellation per year), instead of 0 cancellations in the past 365 days currently  This is going in the right direction.  Will there be a  non-penalized way for hosts to cancel reservations made by guests who are not allowed entry into the destination country without a quarantine that is longer than the scheduled stay?
  3. Average overall rating: Exclude one outlier low-review in the past 365 days from the evaluation.  Yes, I think this is quite fair.  Also, Value and Location should be excluded from reviews, because they are totally subjective, and can cloud the guests review of the host and overall experience.  

 

Jane2799
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

I think the whole superhost criteria are unfair. Fair to hosts AND travelers would be to award superhost to the ‘best in category’. I always miss superhost as there are specific stars for value. I’m not perceived as value... in much the same way that someone wouldnt regard caviar as value. Or the Orient express over a regular train.  The house I Airbnb is with £2 million. It is in an 800 acre country park. The four poster bed was given by Prince Charles. The garden designed by capability brown. And since my mortgage is huge, the over night stay price is also high. Any lower and it wouldn’t be a viable business. It is quirky and unusual properties that put Airbnb on the map. But not fair to compare us against one another with criteria that are compared across the board. A country house our farm house will never match up against criteria that all for an assessment for’bugs’; spiders etc feature heavily in old properties and country ones and are almost unheard of in second storey apartments in london. I know because I own both those types of property. Equally am organisers of a group of 16 or more feels under pressure to please everyone and will probably star rate according to the general feeling of the group... and there’s always one (more displeased, more inclined to be vocal)

I feel that properties should be grouped. A generic two bed two Bath house should only be compared like four like. That way genuinely good hosts off two bed properties will shine in their category. Owners of large houses, 16 plus guests should be compared  against one another. Owners of houses which are particularly expensive should be compared and so forth. It’s simply not fair to have one set of comparable for several sets of property types. 
If you were exhibiting at a country show you wouldn’t expect your goats to be judged alongside chickens. Or a victoria sandwich alongside ‘biggest marrow’. Please be fair to hosts and offer more meaningful superhost awards by recognising our differences and comparing like with like. 

Faruk38
Level 2
Gold Coast, Australia

I agree. When user reaches to Airbnb website they should either;
 1. See totally random mix of properties ...or
 2. As in #1 with a slider for pricing ...or
 2. Pricing property category.. I know this depends on the size, room etc but nevertheless at any given time this price hierarchy still do exists on the platform at any given date or time..

So wheather If Im looking for luxury 10 bedroom or 1 bedroom budget room can be fiitered out immidiateley.
What is your idea?


Jane2799
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

I think the whole superhost criteria are unfair. Fairer to both hosts AND travelers would be to award superhost to the ‘best in category’. I always miss superhost as there are specific stars for value. I’m not perceived as value... in much the same way that someone wouldnt regard caviar as value. Or the Orient express s value when compared with a regular train.  I can’t offer value for money.  The house I Airbnb is worth £2 million and has a huge mortgage to match.  It is in an 800 acre country park. The four poster bed was given by Prince Charles. The garden designed by capability brown. And since my mortgage is huge, the over night stay price is also high. Any lower and it wouldn’t be a viable business.
It is quirky and unusual properties that put Airbnb on the map. But not fair to compare us against one another with criteria that are the same across the board, but which are more achievable  for certain properties than others . A country house or farm house will never match up against criteria that call for an assessment of ‘bugs’’; spiders etc feature heavily in old properties and country ones and are almost unheard of in second storey apartments in london. I know because I own both those types of property.
Equally an organiser of a group of 16 or more feels under pressure to please everyone and will probably star rate according to the general feeling of the group... and there’s always one (more displeased, more inclined to be vocal) A couple who visit a one bed are only pleasing themselves and will review differently. 

I feel that properties should be grouped. A generic two bed two bath house should only be compared like for like with other two beds two bath properties. That way genuinely good hosts of two bed properties will shine in their category. Owners of large houses, 16 plus guests should be compared  against one another. Owners of houses which are particularly expensive should be compared and so forth. It’s simply not fair to have one set of comparable for several sets of property types. If I am looking for a holiday in a shepherds hut, then I would like to see the best ones as defined by their superhost status. 
If you were exhibiting at a country show you wouldn’t expect your goats to be judged alongside chickens. Or a victoria sandwich alongside ‘biggest marrow’. Please be fair to hosts and offer more meaningful superhost awards by recognising our differences and comparing like with like.