Superhost Rating System needs to take into account the communication needed to make a good match!

Francesca15
Level 2
Rahway, NJ

Superhost Rating System needs to take into account the communication needed to make a good match!

Hi, All! Okay, so I specialize in inviting long-term guests (business, educational or medical interns) to live with me in my home and I lost my long-time Superhost Status because I need to communicate with perspective guests to ensure we're a good fit. I have STELLAR reviews and usually respond within minutes, but the current Superhost rating system needs to take into account that I may not APPROVE a guest because we discover in subsequent messaging that:

 

  1. My home is too far from their workplace by car or public transportation
  2. I don't host dogs or children (although that info is also on listing)
  3. I won't negotiate off airbnb
  4. My current long-term guest has decided to extend their stay
  5. I can't lower my fee any lower to fit their budget
  6. I am getting an inappropriate sexual or violent vibe from them

 

OR myriad human reasons that have nothing to do with race, gender or anything bad. (They don't like dogs, they can't handle scent, etc ...)

 

Yes, I can ask them to decline but they usually forget to, and if I approve them right away, they may accept before we have a conversation about how my home could work for them.  Any ideas as to how we can fix this?

5 Replies 5
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Francesca15  If they are booking requests, you could ask the guest to withdraw the request and send you an Inquiry message instead. Explain that hosts only have 24 hours to either decline or accept and that as you still have things to work out so it is a mutually acceptable fit, an Inquiry is more appropriate at that point. With an Inquiry, you only have to answer within 24 hours, there's no need to pre-approve or decline.

Maybe that would work?

Francesca15
Level 2
Rahway, NJ

@Sarah977  That's what I usually to ask them to do but most don't know how to do anything ... first time on the site. I've rarely used it myself to travel - so I'll need to figure out how to explain it. That certainly would be best. Thanks!

@Francesca15  The Acceptance Rate isn't factored into the Superhost criteria, only the Response Rate. Declining bookings that you aren't confident in won't make any impact there; it'll just give you that annoying warning under "Basic Requirements."

 

If your screening requires a lengthy message exchange that risks running out the 24-hour response clock, you can hit Decline but explain that it is still pending further discussion. You will still have the ability to send the guest a Special Offer, which they can then use to instantly book.

 

That's just a work-around, though; admittedly Airbnb is not a very good platform for long-term bookings. The fees become absurd in relation to the amount of service you get for them, there's no deposit you can collect if the payment doesn't go through after the first 30 days, and there's no vetting system in place for hosts whose situation makes more security checks necessary.  So in general I only recommend this site for bookings under 28 days. 

 

 

Heather-S0
Level 2
Sydney, AU

Have you thought about doing 14day stays ?  Then if they want to extend they rebook?  Are you on instant book? I have a stack of questions they need to answer before I accept. That way I avoid the heartache afterwards. Also I don't accept guests without reviews. 

I hope that helps. 

Alon1
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Heather-S0 

 

re. 'I don't accept guests without reviews'.

 

Two responses:

 

1) You were lucky your first guest Konrad booked with you and gave you your first Review.

 

2) Your assertion is curiously not supported by the evidence. Simply scrolling back 9 months and without checking all the guests in that time, suffice to find at least 5 guests received their first reviews from you: Annie, Darragh, Gary, Zain and Oda. Moreover, you gave all of them very good Reviews! Further considering they were instrumental in maintaining your SuperHost status. it summarily opens to question, why you made this statement?