Feedback on Superhost criteria

[Lizzie]

Hello 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

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[Pete28]

The previous SH criteria were 80% 5* reviews. It's quite a gulf between that and 1 outlier review per year. The four seasons Seattle is currently averaging 4.5 on tripadvisor, but 81% 5*. 

[Lizzie]

Hello @Pete28,

Thanks for your comment here. Would you mind expanding a little more on this a little further? As a starting point, would you find excluding 1 outlier review useful? 

[Caitlin-Yvonne-Joel-Don0]

Excluding 1 outlier review (Malcolm Gladwell would agree lol) is a great idea.  Good job. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

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

This is great for hosts who have long term reservations.

- 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 NOT easy to understand. Why not "max 1 cancellation per year" ?  Who will count 25 reservations from the last cancellation? You? Algorythm?

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

That's great 🙂 .... and back to good old system of 80% 5 star reviews too.

[Lizzie]

Great feedback here @Branka-and-Silvia0, this is really helpful. I'm pleased to see you are liking many of things we are considering. 

For number of cancellations, so just to confirm you would suggest we simplify this a bit and basically just make it a max of 1 cancellation per year? Would you find this useful to you?

Thanks again,

Lizzie

[Penny75]

I like the 150 trips as our rules have changed and so we can only do longer term so that meant losing Superhost status. I also think excluding one outlier review is good. I don't understand the other one about the 25 reservations   It makes more sense to me to have the max 1 cancellation per year. 

Also not really related but how about some tips for first time Air bnb guests? For example the only check in problems I have had are with first timers. Despite explaining how it works they still seem to think it is like a hotel with a front desk clerk and that they don't need to tell you any changes to arrival time then are surprised if no one  is home when they arrive an hour early or else they don't communicate at all about the time so you have to wait at home all day and even late at night as I had to once. This affected the rating as they said it was not a good check in but it is very hard to be at home 100 per cent of the time so approximate arrival times as seasoned guests know is expected is very helpful! 

[Brian469]

We are looking forward to your arrival at "Beautiful Lake Merritt"

Check in is any time after 3:00pm.

Keep me posted as to your arrival time.

Contact me 15 to 20 minutes before you get to the property.

I will meet with you in front of the property, perform key exchange, and wish you well on your stay here.

Let me know if we can do anything to make your stay pleasant and comfortable.

Thank you,

[Helga0]

@Brian469, that’s not enough. That still means any time you like after 3pm, with 15 minutes notice. That means waiting from 3pm on. 

I ask for an appointment between 5 and 12 and ETA with the booking and that’s not enough. Some still believe thd “front desk” is open for 7 hours daily. 

[Susan1028]

I’m with you about first timers @Penney0. 

@Lizzie1 I concur about simplifying the text and stats surrounding superhost status.  I’m not ok with the loss on the ratings because it’s unfair to conscientious hosts who have no control over guests (mis)understandings about how they work.  I’ll explain below.

As @Penn1y mentioned, many of us spend tremdous amounts of time educating newbies about how to book and stay.  It’s a worthwhile investment but it would be really great if the airbnb registration process offered a basic tutorial for guests before they look and book. It would benefit guests, hosts, and reduce the airbnb customer service call volume.

Same with the after stay ratings and reviews.  It appears disingenuous for hosts to be telling a guest about how to review, however guests,  especially newbies, do not understand the star system.  It would be so much better if airbnb would simplify things and clearly explain it.

Guests often don't understand they can only rate and review actual experiences they had at my place as opposed to suggestions or comments that are fine to offer in a private message.  

For example, I’ve had guests ding me for things they didn’t bother to read in the listing, “what if’s” for subsequent guests,  and the “location” category has got to go.  The location is described in the listing, shown on the map, and shared before the stay, so they chose it from many others and we can’t exactly pick it up and move it. Giving that a category is confusing to the guest and serves no positive purpose for the host.

Offering the following in advance to newbies about how airbnb bookings work, and are different than a hotel would avoid some common repetitive misunderstandings.  Here are three: examples:

1- Welcome to an exciting new world of travel!  Please complete your profile including a good recent facial photo.  Just as you want to know who you’re staying with, your host wants to know who they’re welcoming. Puppies, kitties, cartoon characters, superheroes, and landscapes are nice, but they aren’t you.

2- As you begin searching our diverse accommodations, please remember each airbnb is unique so read the listings thoroughly and be sure to ask any questions.

3- These are Homes not hotels, so the check in/out may be different for each host in terms of timing and procedures.  Please read the listing, house rules, your booking confirmation, and any messages from your host to be sure any questions/details are clarified for all involved...

Im sure other hosts could add more, but those are the basics.

Thank  you.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Lizzie, it is good when Airbnb listens their hosts. 

Yes, rules have to be as simple as possible....  if you ask me 🙂

btw @Lizzie something is wrong in past few days, I can not reply to your comments.

[Lizzie]

Thanks again @Branka-and-Silvia0, I couldn't agree more! 🙂 

[Sorry about the reply to a reply function here in this board, I believe we have a slight glitch here which our tech team are looking into–the main 'Join the conversation' is working fine]

[Lisa723]

@Lizzie to me these are clear, and would be improvements.

[Lizzie]

Great to hear @Lisa723. Thanks for this taking the time to look over this. 🙂

[Mark116]

My main issue is that there is so little room between 'barely making it' at 4.7, 'minimum requirement' at 4.8 and superhost at 4.9.  I had a friend who was booking w/airbnb for the first time and he said 'I should filter for superhosts' and when I explained to him the 4.7, 4.8 4.9 he realized that it didn't matter, there was no significant difference between the listing that may be delisted at 4.7 and the listing that is 'super' at 4.9.  

So, I think the minimum requirement should be more like 4.3-4.5, where the listing is getting mostly 4 stars and a few 5s.  

You also need to do a MUCH better job explaining to guests that 4 stars is punitive, it is not 'good' as many of the people who have given us 4 stars tell us when we ask what we could have improved, either they don't answer or they answer nothing, it was good.

I agree, going back to 80% is much fairer if that is the only thing you are going to do.