How do you measure your home's performance and success?

[Rebecca]

Hi everyone 👋

I hope you're all well! Reading so many great conversations here on the Community Center makes me see how differently hosts judge how well their homes are doing. So, this week, I wanted to ask: How do you measure your home's performance and success? 

Do you look at things like: 

• Occupancy
• Guest satisfaction
• Or something more personal, like how smoothly each stay runs? 

We all have our own markers for success, so I’d love to read about what works for you.

Looking forward to reading your insights and ideas!

[Andrea6532]

This is a great question to think about. I do think about occupancy, guest satisfaction, and how smoothly guest stays are going.

One interesting insight that I have noticed this year is that great Airbnb guests are good communicators. We do not need to be besties during your stay, but a guest that is transparent and communicates with a host is an indicator of how great of an experience they will have and I will have as a host.

My observation is that a guest that does not make an initial contact with me is usually not a preferred guest, can be a guest who is disrespectful of the property, and usually is grumpy about something. If guests do not communicate it is difficult for hosts to meet or exceed their experience expectations.

On the flip side of that what Airbnb has positively created is guests who know how to communicate with hosts. Airbnb  regular guests/clients understand this and over time have become better travelers and guests at Airbnbs.

In 2025, I have been measuring booking frequency to measure how well we are adjusting to guests price, balancing amenities and that this is a business so hosts need to be profitable.

Those are a few aspects I monitor at our homes to judge how successful we are for the month/year.

I hope this is helpful to someone. 😀

[Rebecca]

@Andrea6532 I also think that communication really does seem to make the whole process smoother for everyone involved. It’s good to hear guests are getting better at reaching out over time. 😊

You mentioned measuring booking frequency... have you noticed any trends in which times of year are busiest, or does it vary a lot?

[Erik2584]

Steady occupancy and guest satisfaction are my only measures. 

Simple and sincere communication with guests from booking confirmation through check-in ensures stress free arrivals. Anticipate guest concerns such as late arrival lighting needs. Reaffirm your availability to assist them upon arrival.

Don’t assume every guest reads/understands your house/room guide/rules and be prepared to provide kind and compassionate guidance or clarifications as needed. Keep explanations simple (e.g., create an FAQ library you can cut and paste from into Airbnb messages). 

Conduct all guest communications through the Airbnb app to protect yourself and guests from “misunderstandings” that might need Airbnb support.

Thank your guests for choosing to stay at your place at checkout.

[Casey464]

I am almost 11 months into my hosting journey and still learning.

There were a few slow months over the summer, but that could be seasonal. It will be interesting to perform year-over-year comparisons in 2026.

Still, I am measuring my success by the number of bookings I received and guest satisfaction. I host in my home and tell guests I am open to feedback. If a guest notices something that needs maintenance, I thank them for pointing it out and fix it before the next guest arrives.

I have also purchased new items based on guests' needs. For example,  I didn't have a tea kettle because I typically don't drink tea. Some guests were perfectly happy to heat a coffee cup of water in the microwave, but some international guests were boiling water in a pot! I went out and bought a tea kettle during their stay!

I never iron clothing either. While I do have an iron, I didn't have an ironing board. I recently purchased one of those as well, and now the iron and board are both located in the guest closet. Paying attention to guests' needs always increases satisfaction and the potential for great reviews.

Finally, a key indicator for me has been that I have been able to increase my nightly rate over time. At $15/night more than my initial rate, I am getting lots of bookings. I am now an established host with great reviews, and I continue to improve my hospitality to offer guests the best possible experience.

[Anan871]

For me it’s a mix of occupancy and smooth check-ins. If everything runs without stress, that’s my sign of success.

[John5097]

@Rebecca 

Mostly from the written reviews and any feed back from the guest. 

For me it's been a very validating experience. After 491 reviews with all five stars in every category, and guest rave reviews, guest stay at my house with me, and absolutely love it, means something. 

I have all the badges, top 1%, guest favorite, super host, etc, but those really don't mean much and most guest don't trust them for good reason as its just a marketing gimmick, and a host with only 5 stays can be a guest favorite and in the top 1%.

But yeah after they read the rave reviews 491 and it tracks with all the 5 stars it means something. 





The badges on any Airbnb forms and the host themselves are also very far removed from the guest experience and a platform that's based on reviews and customer experience. 

Everything else is just marketing and host trying to control the narrative. It's a bit like someone who is on social media ranting and raving about politics, when they don't even bother to vote. So in general host are better off just putting more effort into their own listings.

I've long had the highest rated listing in my state but never got recognition because of one 4 star in the cleanness category, so I much prefer the algorithms and any machine learning as at least its based on the guest reviews, and not superficial marketing gimmicks and badges that are about as useful as pop up adds. 

One of the most important aspects of hosting is to keep improving and adapting. 

It is very challenging as host are dealing with real people who are all unique,  and some of the changes to Airbnb policy make it more challenging for host. But for me it's all about the guest experience, and they choose to reward the most progressive and honest.