Lost Superhost Status

[Lorna170]

Well, it has happened.  My property has been available for rent 365 days of the year, but I have had only 3 bookings this YEAR from AirBnB, so I have been denied my Superhost status.

I find this to be ridiculous.  History:  

2020 - 25 out of 54 rentals via AirBnB. 

2021 - 35 out of 60 rentals via AirBnB

2022 - 23 out of 57 rentals via AirBnB

2023 - 11 out of 55 rentals via AirBnB

2024 - 3 out of 20 rentals (to date) via AirBnB

My pricing has remained steady - no deep discounts, no steep upcharges.  My amenities have actually improved.  I have no issues attracting guests on other platforms.  I have good traffic on all other platforms.  

So what has AirBnB done to my listing?  

[Marie8425]

@Lorna170 

An idea 

Reading your reviews I notice it usually is a couple or a girls group.

Try setting up a second listing as a 1 bedroom, electronic bedroom lock to close second bedroom,.

Have different prices for 1 bedroom used and 2 bedroom use,We all look at things why am I paying the same price as a group if we are a couple only using one room?

Since crossing the ford to get to your cabin is mentioned take some pictures so guests can see not a big deal.  The unknown is scary. lol

[Ting396]

How much will losing your Superhost status affect you?

[Joan2709]

@Lorna170 

Just wondering if the hurricane damage has affected your area and potential bookings? Seems odd you are still getting bookings from other platforms if that was the case?

[Lorna170]

@Joan2709  Hi Joan!  I have been advertising my properties across multiple platforms for over 25 years.  I added AirBnB only after other OTAs were bought out and merged, reducing advertising scope.  I was able to reopen 4 months after Hurricane Helene in February 2025 as an STR, but bookings overall are down 50%.  AirBnB advertising is not converting to bookings whereas other OTAs are.  

2025 - 2 out of 24 bookings (to date) via AirBnB.

The hurricane damage has definitely affected bookings.  Local amenities have vanished or remained closed (local parks, hiking trails, scenic drives, fishing lakes, grocery stores and restaurants).  Many hosts have switched to LTR, and local realtors with STRs have reduced inventories as absentee hosts sell their properties or stop renting due to property loss.  Properties leaving the STR market and reduced inventories has contributed to my ability to successfully rent.

My final 2024 numbers - 49 Total Bookings - 37 completed rentals pre-Helene and 12 canceled and fully refunded after Hurricane Helene (9/27/24). Bookings from AirBnB - 5 out of 49.  Advertising descriptions, policies and rates are consistent across all platforms. 

[Joan2709]

@Lorna170 

Hmmmm...that is ODD. 

One thing I would try...I have seen a real difference in search rank based on quality of photos on Airbnb lately.  Depends on whether you want to spend the money for professional photos (which can use on ALL platforms, not just Airbnb).

Also, if you have more bookings on other platforms, then naturally your calendar availability is greatly reduced on Airbnb and that affects your search rank as well. 

Are you listed on other platforms that specialize in mid term rentals? That might be an option?

[Lorna170]

@Joan2709  I would love to add professional photos, but I like to retake and add different updated pictures to my advertisements and rotate them to keep my listings fresh.  (Have you ever had a guest check your metadata?)

i know that bookings from other advertisers drop me on Airbnb, but Airbnb doesn’t seem to move me to the first few pages when my calendar is wide open.  When I was able to reopen after the hurricane, with new pictures, updated amenities and addional text, Airbnb did not boost me.  Other platforms did, and after about a month, bookings started to roll in.  Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

[Joan2709]

@Lorna170 

I think the search algorithm has gotten alot more sophisticated. Not sure why Airbnb is not moving you up when your calendar is open. I have heard that recency of Airbnb bookings are a factor. If you don't have recent bookings on Airbnb (due to bookings from other platforms), that may factor in, but that is an unknown.

Metadata on listing photos...🤔. Never had anyone do that to my knowledge.

I understand you can remove the data from photos taken on your phone before uploading. Some professional photographers allow commercial use of their photos anywhere, but retain the copyright to them and use metadata to do that somehow. I believe Airbnb must use the metadata when doing listing address verifications and for other reasons, but no idea how that works. 

[Basha0]

This has happened to me. I’ve been with ABB since 2009 and lost Superhost status a couple years ago due to not enough bookings. After Covid I added VRBO which I got a lot of bookings from.
Never did I want to lose ABB business but due to lack of bookings, I am way down, like Page 15 of local listings.
Unless ABB wants to rotate the listings, there is no chance I will ever get back up in the listings.

oh well 

[Jason114]

That's really frustrating, Lorna.. and you're definitely not alone in noticing this trend. Airbnb's algorithm has shifted heavily toward dynamic ranking, prioritizing listings that get frequent bookings, new reviews, and recent activity. Even well-established Superhosts can see a sudden drop in visibility if bookings slow down on Airbnb's side, especially when guests are drawn to other platforms like Booking.com or VRBO.

It might help to refresh your listing.. update photos, tweak your title and first 200 characters, and enable 'early bird' or last-minute discounts to signal activity to the algorithm. Also, consider adjusting your minimum stay or experimenting with Airbnb's new pricing features for a few weeks. Sometimes a little engagement resets visibility and helps bring back traction.

[Greystone0]

Hi @Lorna170 ,

just came across this post and it totally resonates with our current situation. Our AIRBNB business has dwindled and the current result is that next quarter we won't make superhost status, which is extremely frustrating. 

Like your story we list the same photos/marketing etc across platforms. Dates are open across platforms and we book elsewhere but not on AIRBNB. I have had great bookings elsewhere in the last year but very quiet here. Dates that are slightly less cost don't rent via AIRBNB, we have promotions running and all the things.  

The AIRBNB inquiries that we have had are all mis-matched: guest wanted to conduct a 'small' party, guest has smokers and wanted to know where the smoking section is, guest wanted to have 18 guests (we are capped at 10) and so on.  We are only getting garbage requests - ones that we just wouldn't field, even if we put our most flexible hosting hat on. I would like to use this platform, it seems logical to maintain a presence here but given the results seems like a lesson in frustration. Just a little venting and commiserating.

Hope you business is booming!

[Joan2709]

@Greystone0 

First...wanted to say really enjoy reading your posts and always learn something!

Well...the rumblings are the algorithm had some big recent changes. Below are some of the things I have been hearing. Only Airbnb knows for sure what factors have changed recently:

Recency of Bookings

This has always been a data point, but it seems more emphasis has been put on that? If you have alot of bookings on other platforms, your availability is reduced on Airbnb.  Less availability means less bookings and less bookings means less recency. Since you don't have many bookings on Airbnb, your lack of bookings hurts you in search rank.

Trust & Risk Factor

Another new metric that has been mentioned is "Trust" factor. Even if the listing is a Guest Favorite with all 5-star reviews, if there is a history of resolution claims, refunds and cancellations, Airbnb sees that as a less favorable listing and lowers the search rank. They also look at how many times a guest leaves a review. If there is a high percentage that don't, that is considered a negative by Airbnb. If there are a high number of guests contacting CS about their stays at your property, that is also considered a negative.

New Listing Initial Boost

The new listing boost in search results has been greatly reduced. It used to be 3-4 weeks. Reports are saying it has been greatly reduced (even 50% shorter).

Amenities - More Emphasis

The algorithm is getting more targeted to specific amenities the guest filters for or listings they have booked in the past with specific amenities or amenities mentioned in a review. Hosts who don't list all their amenities, or don't add the amenities details indicated by the pencil icons may not appear at all in a guest search.

Conversion More Important Than Views

Airbnb is putting more emphasis on conversion than views. If the guest views your listing, but doesn't book it, take a look at what may be "blocking the funnel". What are the friction points? Do they not like the addl guest fees you have? Cancellation Policy? Poor quality photos (especially the 1st 5)? Failing to highlight key amenities quickly using Title, bullet points in description (don't use a wall of text)? No captions on photos making it difficult for guests to visualize what they are seeing in the photo and how it fits in the space/layout? Floor plans are probably a good idea to add to your photos.

[Greystone0]

Hi @Joan2709 ,

Great advice and spot on. We are living a self-fullfilling-prophecy. No bookings = no bookings = no booking forever and ever. It's so annoying.

And I'll adjust to say 'good bookings'.  We can't seem to put together two relevant 'good guest' inquiries in a row. Just a bunch of garbage guests. 

And thanks for the kind comment - totally learn from your posts. Joan University 101!

Our conversion is terrible - as mentioned above, these inquiries we wouldn't accept even with our most flexible host hat on. Smokers! Party people! Everyone and their brother is coming!

Meanwhile, on another planet, we have back-to-back-to-back-to-back reservations with so-far-so-good guests who seem normal, proper human beings who are not out to see what they can get away with in our home. It's night and day!  These reservations are for MORE per night and longer duration than what I can get from AIRBNB guests. The comparison is shocking.

We had 20 days available for rent in October 2025 on both AIRBN & VRBO and 19 days were booked, not a single day via AIRBNB, for example. The 'blocked' dates are for roof replacement.

Availability: in 2025 we had a remodel project and a blocked calendar March-April-May. And a roofing project for 3 weeks this fall.  We have a flooring project schedule in 2026 that will remove 3/4 weeks from our calendar plus not-yet-scheduled exterior house painting and a large landscaping project. Each will take a month off the calendar and none of these projects would it be possible to also 'rent' to a guest.

Our 'other' platform business  chugs along just fine. We need to do this work, how else does a listing manage otherwise?

This is all TMI but AIRBNB reads these posts and so giving some context to our situation. I've had AIRBNB customer service call me based on a previous post. It was weird. 

Thanks Joan! 

[Joan2709]

@Greystone0 

Hmmmm....me thinks the "points" system is over-weighting recency factors in the algorithm? Having to block multiple months is problematic for search results for sure.

It's weird that you get the garbage requests though. We have had to decline the same guest multiple times for a variety of concerns, yet they keep trying to book after we have told them NO. What? Then when we tried to use the new block a guest feature it didn't work and they sent another booking request!

Not sure what is going on? At least you are getting valid bookings on the other platform. 

[Greystone0]

Hi @Joan2709  - disappointed, but not really surprised, about the 'block' button.  Hopefully this guest in question goes away!

You are correct that the emphasis is poorly placed. It's like saying that only the listing that never gets taken offline for any maintenance, upkeep, owner occupancy, is somehow a better thing. I would argue that our maintenance, upkeep, owner occupancy make our listing better.

We take very good care of our guests, the experience is top notch, we offer loads of value, and so even if we don't offer 365 days of availability via AIRBNB (because we renovated this, replaced that) the days we do offer, we would be a very good option. It is extremely short sighted on the part of AIRBNB to penalize a listing in this way. Doesn't make good business sense. 

Thanks for excellent insight!