Super Hosts and Host Standards for long-term Hosters

[Tueykay0]

This was submitted to the Airbnb feed back. I am wondering who else is experiencing this?

I have guests that request 1 month +, and if I don't think we are a right fit, my calendar also stays blocked for their requested time .2- 3 days wouldn't be such a big stress but having my calendar blocked for 2-3 months is. I have to unblock my calendar, which decreases my point system with Air bnb. Also, in general, I'm fairly booked year round, yet that doesn't seem to be a factor. Only how fast I respond to a request and if I accept EVERY Request. 

"This is about 2 subjects: 1) Super Host and 2) Host Standards
I was speaking with Daniel and he took the time to explain a few host requirements and what it takes to be a Super Host.
1) It is very unlikely that I will reach Super Host. I am a long term hoster. My guests stay from 1 month to 4-6 months. I will not come close to reaching 10 guests in a 12 month calendar year. Yet my calendar is mostly full except for the random week in between guests.
Please have a separate gage for "Super Host" for those that offer long-term hosting such as myself.
2) I cannot accept every request that comes my way. Because I offer long-term hosting, I have to really put on my detective hat, read between the lines and have more than one email communication to find out if we are a right fit.
And also, the ones I do think are a right fit, they don't always continue the conversation after I ask the final question(s) before confirming. Maybe he/she found another place during our conversation. I don't ever really know.
My 'ratings'/ points should not decrease just because I get a request and my calendar is open. After years of hosting with Airbnb, I can get a sense who can be a right fit or not. They are not staying 3 days, they are staying 3 months or longer. We are sharing space together for a long time. I should not have to be uncomfortable with anyone in my home. Nor should put myself at risk because I feel obligated or compelled by Airbnb's point system for a few dollars."

[Peter505]

Hi Tueykay

Don't worry about not being a superhost. I became a superhost and I'm not proud of it.

I live in switzerland, in a country which has the reputation to be very expensive. If (almost) all of your guests say that relation of value and rate is excellent, this means : you sell simply too cheap. Specially if you also rent only for one night.

Take the guests you think they fit to you and take the money. Don't worry about being a superhost or not. The feedback of your guests is important. If most of them is good, it's ok. There can always be somebody with a bad review. If the majority of reviews is good, guests don't mind a bad one in between. Very bad reviews have a "history", which you know.  Just give a very polite and SHORT answer. I also had bad reviews,  but nobody cares. I even became a superhost.

With kind regards

Peter

[Tueykay0]

Peter: Thank you for your thoughts. 

Sorry, I was not more clear. I was really referring to the Airbnb expected Host requirements not my reviews, which are overall on the excellent side. Here is what I'm referring to:

Basic requirements

These targets help us ensure that every stay is comfortable and reliable. Your listing could be removed if you consistently fall below.

Learn more

What to work on:  Requirement

You

Target

 

 Accepted reservations

Make guests feel welcome by accepting requests whenever you’re available.

62%  (me)

88% (ABB target)

 

What you’re doing well

 Overall rating

5.0 󰀄 (me)

4.7 󰀄

 

Response rate

100% (me)

90%

 

Cancellations

0/yr (me)

0/yr

 

Essential amenities 󱘁

Yes

Yes

[Marcy10]

Tueykay, I understand your frustration here because it also affects your placement when guests search.  Have you tried to discuss this with anyone at Airbnb?  I had a similar concern and became frustrated with the generic feedback I was getting through messaging the help center so I've put in a call, the problem was still not solved and now I've requested a call from the supervisor.  In my situation its my accteptance rate has been affected by guest making requests I can't fill, such as I see you have a two nigh minimum but I'd like one night or I've requested these dates because the ones I want are booked - can I have the ones I want?  It seems crazy I should be penalized for these requests.  

[Tueykay0]

@Marcy10

Yes, I've called ABB, they said it's nothing they can do. These are the ABB hosting standards. I will not be a Super Host when my guests stay 3months. 1 calendar year, I only had 2 guests-1 stayed 9 months and the other 3 months. 

As for my target Host requirements, it's still at 62%. They said they can't change that either because it's something that ABB calculates. I don't know who decided to put that in there, but it's very passive-aggressive to underlying force hosts to accept every request. 

Please keep hit like on this target as my goal is to set different standards for long-term hosters and keep me posted on your results.

[Marcy10]

It is calculated by a computer program and the call center support used to be able to override it and make reasonable changes but Airbnb has taken that power away from their support people.

[Tamar26]

The annoying thing about this is when you decline a reservation on the Airbnb website, you get the option to say that the dates the guest is requesting do not match the reservation, but you don't have that option when you decline on the phone. Unfortuntaly I didn't realize that so I was forced to choose "not a good fit" many times which reduced my acceptance percentage. 

[Marcy10]

Even though you can choose "the dates the guest is requesting do not match the reservation", it still counts agains the host in the acceptance rating.  

[Lloyd12]

Tueykay, I think your situation presents an opportunity for Airbnb to expand its offerings. 

It would be very easy for Airbnb to create a "Long-Term Rental" program. 

It could cater to exchange students, visiting professors or business people on special long-term projects... just anybody that needed to stay in a city for an extended period of time but less than the traditional year.

It could be set-up like the "experience" program.

Hosts could determine if they want to book exclusively long-term or continue to take regular bookings

I think it would be very helpful for guests looking for long-term rentals, by making it easier to find available listings in one place, instead of finding the perfect place only to learn it is not available for all of the dates they need.

We should pass this up to Airbnb for feedback.

What do you think?

[Ligia18]

I have made that request last year because I get a lot of long-term bookings from medical students which inevitably means I will likely never reach SuperHost. Airbnb didn't care enough to listen to me.

Basically the ratings systems and the stupid badges is a game to make us want to make more money so Airbnb can make more money. It's the capitalist way!

[Tueykay0]

@Lloyd12

Thank you for your thoughts. It is what I have sent to Airbnb asking for that category. While we can not call them 'renters'- I did ask to separate hosts who offer long-term stays, 29+ days with short term hosters. I asked that Long-term hosters, such as myself, be able to have Super Host status but in my category. Otherwise, I'll always be featured at the last page of search requests. This is where my current listing is at- always at the last page. Very frustrating. 

I love that you call it the 'experience program'. Yes, those are in alignment with my thoughts. I've been hosting for about 6 years and my total is under 20 guests. I'm booked almost year round with very few open days except for the random days/ week in between guests. 

You are correct, most of my guests are students and professionals on a work project. But I'm located in a special area. Santa Monica is near UCLA, Pepperdine U, Loyala U and Santa Monica College. Majority of my guests are students or students here for an internship. As we are also home to the 2 major search engine companies and Activision, a large video gaming company and I'm minutes away from all of those offices 

While I know many hosts leave their calendars open to anyone, they are more likely set-up for short term and not for long-term guests. I am set up for long-term guests and if of course short term can fit in here. But it is actually easier for me to have someone here 3 months at a time. And I know most hosts can not have anyone stay past 21 days, for legal reasons. 

[Lynn245]

I share every bit of your frustration Tueykay and totally agree.  I too have chosen to only host long term. The average stay in my home is 3 months.  I have been a host for 3 years.  I have 3 rooms that are almost always booked and can't make super host due to the rules.  Yet I hear many look for that status when booking.  There needs to be a different set of criteria for long term hosting versus short term.  

[Ronald143]

Hi, I'm from totally elsewhere (France) and I work most like you. I like hosting (higher grade students, researchers, workers, and others too ... )  but I'm really frustrated with AirBnB's policy regarding the hosts. The "acceptance" or "declining" procedures and statistics are extremely biased on the host's "performances" (which comes always to the quantity of stays, as this amount will produce the number of reviews also, for instance) and not at all at the "travellers" behaviour. For me also, like you expressed, it is very important to have some contact with the (future) guest.  There are, however, (too) many guests who apply (inquire), perhaps randomly at other places,  willing to take some information, and then do never contact you any more. Still you have to pre approve, approve or decline.  Of course, I do not want to preapprove someone who doesn't have the politeness to reply. And the remaining option, that is declining, counts as a refusal of a reservation, whatever the reason might be..  And, as it is not enough, a hugh stress is created by the pression put on you: if you don't do one or another, within 24 hrs, it's the same thing: you, as a host, did all wrong...  THIS IS SO TERRIBLY UNFAIR!!!!  
Would be simple though : Why not putting the option such as  "traveller not responding to exchange".
Because this reason should go in the guest's statistics and profile, that would measure how serious / polite he, as the traveller, is. 

I  already discussed such things with the help team. . They are very polite, keep saying the thoughts and proposals are transmitted to .... yes indeed, to what and where? In a whole the team is submissive to AirBnB's rules and strategy, which is very rigid and directed to quantity (money making I might guess), more than to quality. The help team cannot make any changes in the profile, cancel,  not even correct an "unlucky" misspelling.  As the people who bring the money in, are the "guests", that means, the costumers, and as the hosts seem to be simply considered the production units, therefore no one really appears to be able to find a way to make things softer for you- to make you happy.  

The guest, the travaller, though, has no deadlines,  no threat of any kind..

I find this a shame of an initially well intended iniative.  It is the dark side of the moon, frustrating. I would really like that "AirBed" and Breakfast's management would listen to this - rather than to the stockmarkets sirenes...  Perhaps a day.