Are Superhosts Getting More Attention from Guests?

[Huma0]

Just a theory...

So, many of us were disappointed, after the promises of increased focus on Superhosts, to find ourselves at the bottom of the homepage. The one change that I did appreciate though was that it was flagged on the listing that a guest would be staying with a Superhost.

I have not previously noticed any improvement to my bookings as a Superhost, nor any decline when I lost that status. None of the guests I ever mentioned it to had a clue what Superhost was, let alone opted to select the filter in the searches.

However, what I have noticed since the changes came into place and since Airbnb started flagging up Superhost status on listings (with a brief explanation of what it means) that guests are starting to mention it in their reviews, e.g. "Huma really is a Superhost!". Does this mean that they (unprompted) are starting to become more aware of the status?

Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just wishful thinking on my part?

[Rebecca181]

@Huma0, I did have one guest earlier this month write me privately to say that she now sees what a 'Super Host' home is all about. This is the first time this has happened, so....Maybe? Still think that much, much more education could be done by Airbnb on the standards a Super Host must keep. I am sure most guests leaving a well-meaning 4-star 'Overall Experience' (perhaps it rained during their stay, or the power went out, or something else that tainted their vacation time) have no idea that it can lower our average to the point of our losing our Super Host status (especially come July). Why they don't do more marketing and education around this to guests is something I have yet to decipher. 

[Huma0]

@Rebecca181

With the lack of marketing and education to guests about Superhost, it always seemed to me that the status was a bit pointless and, therefore, the search feature equally pointless. It's my own perfectionist nature that makes me strive for it, not any obvious benefit it produces, such as increased bookings.

I do agree totally with you that so much more needs to be done, but I'm not holding my breath, to be honest. I look foward to the free photo session reward, if that materialises, but otherwise, I haven't seen much else that's in the pipeline that peaks my interest.

However, maybe the softly, softly approach is still better than nothing. To put it into context, my guests never mentioned Superhost in their reviews, as they were simply not aware of it, but three out of the last five reviews mentions that I am a Superhost and deserve that status.

Interesting...

[Rebecca181]

@Huma0 I'm not sure I will ever understand why Super Host listings were leap-frogged over in favor of all things 'Plus' and 'Beyond' (not to mention 'Experiences', 'Concerts', and for all I know, 'Underwater Basket Weaving'). With proper education and marketing, the Super Host angle could have been developed and filled in, versus remaining a faint sketch. Regardless, I feel the same as you: I am not able to do less than I do, because it is in my nature to strive toward offering guests the best accommodations and the best experience possible while staying at my beach cottage. It is a matter of pride, I imagine - And, dare I say, even love.

[David126]

Has been a long time since anybody mentioned it to me.

[Alessandro479]

I did  book 99% of the time whit super host.

i  just book whit someone is not super host if super host are not available or the locations is very convenient.

 super host has always something special  and are doing a great job . 

I did one no  super host travel and all was good and nice but  missed the small datails like a bottle of water , soap ecc ecc .

when I travel I don’t like to gamble and try to always make a safe bet 🙂

[Huma0]

@Alessandro479

That's interesting to hear. So you have known about Superhosts for a long time? How did you first become aware of the scheme? Most guests I have mentioned it to have no idea what I'm talking about!

[Brett3]

You have put to voice something I have wondered for a long time @Huma0.

I have had the odd guest mention the Superhost program but that is a very small percentage, (less than 5% for me) and thats after many hundreds of guests over a few years.

I am pretty sure when the occasional guest does give a 4 star score, they have no idea how that affects the Superhosts status. Just as promted by the review page, they think they are giving you a score equating to 'Good' as opposed to 5 star being 'Excellent'. 

I agree that the guests should be better educated about the Superhost program, but really not sure how to make that happen. Maybe with pictorial representations so they don't have to read anything. 😉

[Huma0]

@Brett3

Yes, that is the question. How to inform guests without making them read anything! I have trouble getting guests to respond to three simple questions on my booking message. 

I think that Airbnb either needs to change the way they present the star system to guests during the review process, e.g. 5 stars = Were you happy with everything during your stay?/Was everything as described? and 4 stars = Were you happy overall, but saw some room for improvement? 

It would need to be something less wordy than that, but I'm not sure how to get it across. The 4 stars = good and 5 = excellent should be scrapped though if Airbnb is considers anything below 5 to be below par for hosts. It just does make any sense. I sometimes get 4 stars from guests that told me they were over the moon with everything. I am sure they have no idea that's a bad rating.

Mabye 5 star = very good, instead of excellent. Or, there should be an option for guests to give a 4.5?