Super Host Priority Listing - is it legit or just platitudes for hosts?

[Stephanie365]

It came up on a Facebook page that a fellow host was frustrated that her listing couldn't be found. She is a super host and yet her in-town listing is buried behind listings from out of town on the search engines.  Her bookings are almost non-existent as a result.

I am experiencing the same situation.  Last week, as I was updating my listing, I went looking for it.  It's on page 9.  I have never gone more than a week without a booking until this month. Now I know why I haven't had anyone here for weeks.

Now, if the 9 pages of listings ahead of me were all Super Hosts, I would not be complaining. We all have to fit in somewhere. But that isn't the case. There are listings for Dive Hotels with no ratings ahead of me. There are people with star ratings so low, they're on the verge of being de-listed. There are people even further away from town, in an entirely DIFFERENT COUNTY than I am appearing ahead of me in the searches. And nearly 1/3 of the people ahead of me are NOT Super Hosts. 

To me, the biggest perk of being a Super-Host is the so called "priority placement" in the search engines we hosts are promised.  But I am not receiving this promised perk and that's a problem.  

However, there is a bigger problem, in my opinion. The deceptive data manipulation through cookies that AirBNB seems to be engaging in to make us THINK we are receiving priority placement.

Just an hour ago, I pulled up my listing on my computer.... without clearing cookies. 
Lo and behold, there I am! Placed prominently on the first page you come to for my area. Top row, on the end. It sure does look like I'm receiving the promised Priority Placement that a Super Host deserves!

But then I decided to try an experiment. I went incognito. And 2 minutes later, here is the same page.... And while most of the same listings are prominently displayed on this lead page, my listing is not.  Furthermore, one cannot help but notice that 3 of the 8 properties listed are NOT SUPER HOSTS, yet they are receiving priority placement!

My listing isn't on page 2.
Or page 3.
Or page 4.
It's at the bottom of Page 5.
Last week, it was at the bottom of page 9.



But AirBNB sure wants me to believe that my listing is receiving priority placement by using cookies to make me believe it is.  "My listing" even showed up as an ad for AirBNB while I was reading an article on line. If I didn't know any better, I would think anyone reading that article would see "My Listing". But alas, it was only for me to see so I would *think* my listing was being given prominent attention.

And that deception by AirBNB pisses me right off.  And quite frankly, I question the legality of this deceptive practice by AirBNB, telling us (in writing!) that we will receive priority placements, when in fact, we are being placed behind people  with 4.5* ratings.

Yep, here's a listing with 4.55* and they're on page 4. Ahead of me, a Super Host with a 4.94* rating.


What say you AirBNB?  Prove me wrong.

[Stephanie365]

Yes, I see that is the case as to how it is. But I have emails from AirBNB congratulating me on being a Super Host and discussing increased visibility, prominent placement in search results and more. It even says so on their own website.


Yet aside from the little badge next to my name, none of the other so-called benefits of being a Super Host actually exist. I'm not "featured in search results" except when I search for my own property. I am featured only to me.

Deliberately manipulating cookies and data so it *appears* to a host that their listing is prominently displayed, when in reality it is not, is rather deceptive in my opinion. And I question the legality of it.

[Betsy13]

@Stephanie365 I'm in Virginia too and I'm usually booked every weekend but have not a single booking until mid-March right now. 

About your question on their promise of Superhost benefits - that promised benefit of being "featured to guests in search results" could be interpreted simply to mean that you are "featured" because you have the term "Superhost" next to your name.  They don't actually promise that your listing will be placed before others (i.e. page 1 as opposed to page 9).  They did say that Superhosts "often benefit from a significant increase in earnings."  But of course, they were careful not to outright promise increased earnings.

What angers me, and I'm sure others, is that Airbnb KNOWS FULL WELL that all of us thought that becoming Superhost meant that our listing would get priority over others.   And how exactly would we get a "significant increase in earnings" if our listing is on page 9, when the newby listings are on page 1?  So, maybe not breach of contract.  But deceptive?  MOST DEFINITELY.  

[Stephanie365]

Then why would they use cookies to manipulate the data to make it appear we are receiving priority placement if it's only about getting a badge? 😉

The one I love the best is when an ad for AirBNB pops up on my screen, it looks like MY place is the featured home. Yes, that's my guest bed.