How to be a Superhost

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

If you’re new here, welcome to the Community Center! The Community Center is a place for our global community of hosts to connect and share ideas.

Join this discussion to learn about what it takes to be a Superhost. Superhosts go above and beyond for every guest and often share valuable tips for creating great stays. From thoughtful gestures like leaving chocolates on pillows to welcoming guests with a handwritten note, there are many ways to be an outstanding host.

Do you have a favorite hosting tip? Share what you do to go the extra mile below. Click “Join the Conversation” to participate.

We look forward to hearing your tips!

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Sarah977]

I love the "ugly old fridge is all yours".  Makes it clear that you're not trying to be something you're not, and adds a dash of humor. Very nice presentation, you've given me some ideas.

[Judy-And-Terry0]

Here's a best practice that I love...when using the Appreciative Inquiry method, I learned my two favorite questions: 

1. What are you enjoying most about your stay? Listen carefully and thoughtfully, and thank the guest for feedback. 

2. What ideas or suggestions do you have to make it even better? And again, listen thoughtfully and carefully, and appreciate the feedback.

I always try to ask this fairly early in the stay...but after they've slept one night. Guests have given me some great ideas! And once they feel they've been heard, guests behave as if they're on your team. Their "complains" are transformed into "ideas and suggestions". 

[Dan2]

I enjoy seeing a mention of the Appreciative Inquiry method. I've found it an simple and heart-opening way to help establish a connect with guests.

I'm curious; what do you enjoy most about your guest's responses when you ask them those questions?

[Lizzie]

Hello @Dan2, great question–do you use this when communicating with all your guests?

I'm just mentioning in @Judy-And-Terry0 so they receive a notification and will hopefully see your reply. 🙂

[Dan2]

Thanks for asking, @Lizzie. Oh, I've aspired to invite in open communication with my guests, whether using Appreciatiative Inquiry, Compassionate Communications (NVC), or some other method. The key is in the listening, and encouraging guests to speak knowing they're being heard.

As @Judy And Terry shared, it encourages guests to behave so that we're all on the same team, and looking together in the same direction.

It's a great way to support building a win-win.

[Lizzie]

This is a great philosophy @Dan2. I best your guests feel like they are in safe hands and could approach you if they need anything during their stay. 🙂

[Sandra890]

I have a challenging hosting situation because I live ten hours away from the house I host. Which means I have to hire a maid to clean it, and it also means I can’t double check her work right after. In the past she wasn’t doing the greatest job of cleaning it, and for the life of me, I couldn’t achieve superhost status. I was getting high marks on everything except cleanliness.

This was very frustrating because not only am I a neat freak perfectionist, but I’m a work horse, and if I lived closer to that 17-guest house, it would be spic and span after every guest, after I got done with it.

I fixed the problem by telling her she will get a 50 dollar bonus if we get superhost status, and everytime we stay superhost, she will get the bonus again. Because she wants the extra money, she is now motivated to clean better, and we’ve never fallen off superhost.

The other things I do to stay a great host are probably the same as everyone else on here; I’m very reachable, I’m very accommodating,  and if a guest calls me with a problem or complaint, I am extremely diplomatic no matter what. Irritation never enters my voice, no matter how ridiculous a guest might be being. 

I’ve been doing Airbnb a long time, and have had a few nightmare guests (straight up scam artists) but that’s for a different conversation. 

[Vinay7]

I have a private room within my home that we provide for Airbnb guests.

I have been hosting since 6 months and it has been a wonderful experience interacting with the guests.

I have made a checklist on Google Keep which includes the list of amenities I provide, ensuring the lenins are changed, drinking water is available, welcome chocolates are kept, etc. I ensure that each item on the list is ticked before a guest arrives. 

I check with guests their arrival plans and try to be there when they arrive, offer to help them with luggage, show them their room, explain the extras provided, inform them the food outlets and make them comfortable to let me know if they needed anything during thier stay. As most of the amenities have been provided, there are hardly any guests who come back with a request/demand.

If I am not around, I will inform my mom, who steps in and helps the guests with check-in.

If we have a guest during one of the festivals, we offer them our home made food, which is a cultural aspect that most guest like.

I also follow up with msgs to ensure the guests are comfortable, but not with so many msgs that they would feel annoyed.

Overall it's been a great experience being a Super Host.

[Rae26]

I think first impressions are really important. Guests are often a bit nervous coming into someone elses' space. I am friendly and very welcoming. I find this sets people at ease. I have babies and small children stay often and I make sure I reassure guests that I really like children and expect they will be noisy. I explain that from inside my home, I do not hear babies crying (even in the middle of the night). The relief on peoples faces is priceless. Peoples holidays are really important to them. Let them know you want them to relax and have a lovely stay. Whatever is unique about your place, share with your guests. For me it is my art and herbs from my garden. Even though I don't tend to engage with guests apart from welcome and goodbyes letting them see my art in the apartment and pick fresh herbs from the garden helps them feel a connection. Be kind, sometimes people arrive stressed and a bit grumpy. If you push through that edginess with kindness, it's surprising how often people let go and respond in kind.

[Mrs-Mac0]

This is going to be my sixth year of hosting.  When I joined there was no superhost stuff and things were a little free and easier.  That's not a complaint, and I am grateful for things like extra security when new travellers register (although sometimes they ask to hold the room whilst they are dealing with that and then they don't deal with it!   Ah well.......)  The room in question is my spare room - in a tiny house with a shared bathroom.  Because we are on a main road, lots of our guests are one-nighters, going from A to C with us as B!!  I always use 100% cotton bedding because that's what I like for myself and nice towels too (a large and  small each guest).   Always tea and coffee making facilities in the room, and a large bottle of drinking water too (Glass container.  Once you've bought it you can use and reuse and never add plastic to the world's oceans and rubbish dumps).  And we always offer to refill their drinking bottles as they leave.   Always greet guests with a smile and the offer of a drink before they  get shown the room - some take the offer, some not, but that's OK.  There's a TV in the room (always double check that it works before the next guest!), and a whole shelf of books I have finished with and guests are welcome to take a volume or two from).  We have wooden floors in the bedrooms, easy to mop clean with a bucket and mop.  We do offer a light breakfast because we have the time to do it and often guests are surprised by this..... but scrambled eggs on toast has been perfected over the years!   We always offer fresh coffee or a nice full pot of tea with breakfast.  And we do like to chat..... we soon suss out which guests would rather be left alone to eat breakfast and which ones  delight in putting the world to rights.  From our entire social group we are the only AirB&B people and we wonder why?  After all, you just put on a smile, open your door, and the whole world eventually turns up at your place!

[Lizzie]

Just wanted to wish you congratulations @Mrs-Mac0 on 6 years of hosting, this is fantastic! I bet you have met some wonderful guests during this time and it is lovely to hear your sentiment, "you just put on a smile, open your door, and the whole world eventually turns up at your place!" This put a smile on my face reading it. 🙂

Your light breakfast sound delicious and as a fellow Brit, I always approve of a good cup of tea to kick start the day! 

Have you found after your many years of hosting and as a superhost, your style of hosting has changed much?

[Mrs-Mac0]

Lizzie, you ask if my style of hosting has changed much, to which the answer is no.  I like people, Mr Mac also, and if someone wants to stay with us they will get what we advertise.  But I just want to impress on others..... it should be fun!  You should enjoy it!  You can even ask about your visitor's politics if they come from another country - they will always tell you and you get an entirely differing view than that in newspapers and broadcasts. We will keep on welcoming people into our home, and we will keep travelling with AirBnB too.  It's making the world smaller every day. 🐵

[Mrs-Mac0]

Lizzie - I never came back to you on this, so rude.  Your question about style of hosting?  Not really, I started as I meant to go on and people seem to like us as we often have returners.  But I have learnt how to turn that room round really fast!  I had a guest last night at the last minute and she booked and arrived in 35 minutes.  I wasn't really expecting guests for January (it's rare) so the bed had to be made up, the kettle filled, fresh water provided and all the usual stuff;  but I was able to get to front door before she did!!  Still enjoying it and now on to our 7th year.

[Jennifer303]

I'm a super host at the in-law in my house in the city and my family's cabin in the mountains. 

I think I acheive superhost status because I'm really on top of the communication, I'm friendly and flexible. My spaces are cute and super clean. I understand the kind of guests that visit each location and try to be just a normal, friendly person with them.

When people ask me, I always tell them this is a 100% karma business and good intentions go a long way. I really want people to be happy and feel like their time and money were well spent. Every 5-star review gets me glowing for a whole day.

Even though I have another business that is my full-time job, I always find a way to fit my host duties in and my guests a priority. I'm super proud of my superhost status. 🙂

[Betsy53]

Your view points are so helpful! Thank you for sharing!