Transparency in criteria “ guest favorite “

[Paul8990]

As from end 2023 the selection criterium for guests to look for a highly rated accommodation was changed from Superhost to Guest Favorite.  
the 2 badges are in place and mentioned in the add but in the selection criteria a guest can only choose for guest favorite and as a result this badge is vital for being shown in the search results. 
Whereas the criteria for super host are very clear and transparent shown and explained in the statistics tab , this is not the case for guest favorite. 
the result is that we as hosts are deprived of one of the most essential insights for reaching good searching results and I urge airbnb therefore to finally come up after nearly 2 years with this vital insight in the same way as superhost is being presented in the statistics tab. 
I really hope that a lot of hosts will support my request and that airbnb will take their responsibility to make vital performance criteria transparent to everybody 

[Shelley159 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Paul8990 

Yes the factors that determine guest favourite are less clear. Here's what we know:

1. At least five reviews from guests
2. Excellent reviews and ratings above 4.9 stars on average
3. High marks from guest reviews for check-in, cleanliness, accuracy, Host communication, location, and value
4. Superb record of reliability, with Host cancellations and quality-related customer service issues of 1% on average.

The main difference is that Superhost has specific criteria and if you meet all 4 of them, you're automatically classified as a Superhost. This is tied to the host, not the listing.

Guest favourite is tied to the listing, not the host, and there aren't specific performance levels to meet. Instead, the listing needs to be within a certain percentage of the top listings in that area (20%; 10%, 5% or 1%). So even if nothing changes at your listing, the listing could drift in and out of guest favourite simply because your competitors' position changed. For guest favourite the category reviews are also taken into account, so any change in your (or your competitors') ratings in the categories (cleanliness, etc.), will affect your listing. Also, guest favourite seems to update almost in real time (the top % listings on this day), while Superhost is assessed quarterly and one can only gain or lose Superhost status at the beginning of a quarter.

I agree with you that it would be nice to understand all of the factors that are taken into account for guest favourite a bit better, but because it's a relative calculation (rather than an absolute calculation as for Superhost), Airbnb can never tell us exactly what performance levels our listings will have to meet to be or to stay in the top percentage-level in our area.

[Paul8990]

@Shelley159 Thanks for your reply. 
to be frank: I disagree with you , being so kind for the airbnb setup. 

I will copy what I wrote to the support office just a few hours ago : 

As from end 2023 the selection criterium for guests to look for a highly rated accommodation was changed from Superhost to Guest Favorite.
the 2 badges are in place and mentioned in the add but in the selection criteria a guest can only choose for guest favorite and as a result this badge is vital for being shown in the search results.
Whereas the criteria for super host are very clear and transparent shown and explained in the statistics tab , this is not the case for guest favorite.
the result is that we as hosts are deprived of one of the most essential insights for reaching good searching results and I urge airbnb therefore to finally come up after nearly 2 years with this vital insight in the same way as superhost is being presented in the statistics tab.
I really hope that a lot of hosts will support my request and that airbnb will take their responsibility to make vital performance criteria transparent to everybody

Airbnb reply : 

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns regarding the Guest Favorite badge. Airbnb shifted the selection criterion for highlighting highly rated accommodations from the SuperHost to the Guest Favorite badge. While the criteria for SuperHost status are clearly outlined and transparent in the statistics tab, the same does not yet apply to the Guest Favorite badge, which can indeed make it challenging for Hosts to understand and improve their visibility in search results.

As you mentioned, currently a guest can filter results to show only guest favorites. Listings with this badge are therefore crucial for appearing in those search results. The badge now celebrates exceptional listings that are within the top percentiles of Guest Favorite listings, particularly the Top 10%, Top 5%, or Top 1% of homes. Listings in these categories display a 3D trophy icon as part of their Guest Favorite badge.

Rest assured that the need for transparent criteria for the Guest Favorite badge has been recognized. The detailed eligibility and insightful statistics similar to those provided for the SuperHost status are expected to be made available to Hosts as we continue to develop and enhance our platform.

Your feedback is very important, and we are working on making all essential performance criteria as transparent as possible to help Hosts like you achieve great search visibility. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

You can check the complete details on our Help center Link:
https://www.airbnb.com.in/help/article/3495#section-heading-0

We always want to hear from our community. If you’d like to give us feedback on this issue or your experience, you can do so at:

airbnb.com/help/feedback

My return reply : 

your response does not include anything new

You feel it is professional to change the most important selection criterium for a guest from superhost into guest favorite without making these selection criteria clear at the same time.

It has been 1,5 year ( !!!! ) ago and you just mention that they are expected to be made available?? What is the value of such an answer.

The selection criteria are 100% clear to you otherwise the result cannot be calculated

I think it is very weird and an offense to the hosts of airbnb to change a vital instrument without being exactly clear.

Lets be fair : this is not personal, I am used to get answers from the support which are only reiterating what is already known. It looks like this is airbnb policy.

For sure it is very frustrating.

continuing in the community center again :

… up till now I did not receive a response and to be honest I am not expecting a clear answer also because the support team is always saying nothing in a very friendly way 😏

I am surprised that within the community most of the hosts just accept the fact that airbnb interferes in  our position without a transparent funding. From a business perspective I feel this really is inappropriate

i have calculated that although my average is 4,86 need at least another year before with only 5 star evaluations I reach the 4,9 ( assuming they calculate the reviews as from my start of being a host ) 

I am a superhost but that nearly has no value anymore because it cannot be used as a selection criterium anymore by guests )

Let’s be clear : I think the idea behind the guest favorite is very good and better than the superhost idea, because it is linked directly to the accommodation, which is what is important for guests. 

what is dislike is the non transparent way of calculating and the fact that it is very hard to change the rating 

I hope a lot of host reading this post and discussion will stand up and in that way force airbnb to act more professed host friendly 

lets see 

[Lorina14]

@Shelley159 

I have seen guest favorites with an average of less than 4.9,

some were lower than a Superhost criteria of 4.8. Some hosts even said that listings were a guest favorite at 4.6 - which was confusing to many. 

From other board threads it true that the guest favorite is updated daily (and was confirmed by Airbnb community managers and a call from a director of guest services). So your guest favorite badge can be there one day and gone the next if other listings moved higher than yours.

It isn’t fair that a guest favorite is someone with only 5 favorable reviews (some guest favorites were new listings 1-2 months old) as Superhosts are rated on a quarterly criteria.

@Paul8990 many hosts have complained about the guest favorite versus Superhost criteria and it appears Airbnb has dug their heels in and said while we still appreciate Superhosts we realize that guests might like listings that are rated highly recently. 

I’ve complained through the feedback button saying it’s fine to introduce a new category but you should not make a well known criteria disappear from searching for a listing.

Maybe we all need to keep complaining till they see that many hosts and guests are not happy about this new change to the system. 

[Paul8990]

but how to complain in a serious way ???

the support office keeps saying nothing in a friendly way ; nobody seems to take responsibility.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Lorina14 

You're 100% right about the overall rating that can in many cases be lower than the 4.9 mentioned in the guideline. I'm inclined to think the 4.9 may have to do with recent reviews only. Who knows how recent? As @Paul8990 has said, we don't have much detail beyond the very broad list of what's taken into account.

What we can see is that several factors (quite a few, it seems!) are drawn into a calculation that gives an overall running total score, and that that total score is constantly ranked relative to other listings in the area to generate a dynamic list of guest favourites. What we don't know is:

- specifically which measures go into the calculation,

- what relative weight is assigned to each measure in the calculation, and

- over what time horizon each measure is calculated.

Maybe someone with a lot of time and patience would like to make a very detailed study of it over time, and share the results when they're ready 😀

[Greystone0]

Hi @Paul8990 ,

Thanks for bringing up "Guest Favorite" issues. While I don't have the answers you seek and have a similar frustration with the lack of transparency, here's some insight that I have learned while trying to sleuth around what influences this:

- oddly, you don't need an abundance of reviews to obtain "Guest Favorite" nor do you need an abundance to obtain the even swankier "TOP 1, 5 or 10%". I have seen listings with less than 10 reviews with these highly relevant badges.

- the "Guest Favorite" really seems to mean "AIRBNB AI favorite". This has as much to do or more with meeting underlying AIRBNB criteria as it does with being highly ranked by a guest for totally guest related things. 

-  if you do not leave guest reviews for each/every guest then this has a direct impact on your ability to meet the "TOP 1, 5 or 10%".  I participated in an online seminar hosted by a third party and an AIRBNB specialist was the guest and she said that at least 80% (and I think it is more) need to be rated. 

- adding a comment to reviews seems to have an impact

- the cleaning fee seems to have an impact although now that the structure of the AIRBNB fee has changed significantly, I can't really tell anymore. 

- use of the AIRBNB version of the photo tour (which is terrible in my opinion and I don't use as it disassociates related areas from each other, like an ensuite bathroom or adjacent balcony, etc).

- in summary, if you use the AIRBNB tools or AIRBNB viewpoint (lower your fees!, use instant book!, lower your nightly rate!) the way that AIRBNB wants you to then the AI will reward you.

- for example, the cleaning fee: AIRBNB has been suggesting that hosts lower or remove the cleaning fee. We charge a reasonable amount but regularly are suggested to "lower" - our rate is not too high, and represents a great value. We, the hosts, don't pass on the entire fee and share in this cost with each guest, yet AIRBNB tells us we need to reevaluate. I can tell you unequivocally that our cleaning team is not overcharging. We have 6000 sq feet, 9 beds, 4.5 bathrooms, 5 furnished outdoor spaces, and on and on. It is a herculean effort to turn this rental around. The laundry alone is monumental. We currently have our AIRBNB cleaning fee priced at $100 lower than what we get charged by our team, our rate is a bargain. The AI doesn't care nor does it know what a cleaning fee should or shouldn't be for my home in my market, and thus we are viewed as not meeting this underlying AIRBNB criteria.

Hopefully this is a litte insight and Wishing you much success!

[Paul8990]

Thanks Greystone, 

How can we as hosts influence Airbnb on such an important issue?

I think the idea behind guest favorite versus superhost is great, but the implementation unprofessional and in a  non transparent way. 

The support office most of the time are very friendly but without any content. 

So we just have to accept this ? 

[Lorina14]

@Paul8990 @Joan2709 

Is there a way to get in contact with the host advisory board members? If they are supposed to represent hosts at the table, then this is something they should bring up.

[Paul8990]

I am not even aware of this advisory board ; are they actually formally our representatives and their comments are taken seriously?

[Lorina14]

@Paul8990 

They are supposed to be our voice at the table and discuss issues directly with Airbnb and are a variety of hosts from different countries. I have not seen a way to easily bring ideas to their attention and was hoping others may know of this. I can flag the community managers (moderators of the boards here but not directly Airbnb support) to see if they know of a way.

@Quincy @Elisa @Rebecca @Alex is there a way to formally bring up issues to the host advisory board members board so they can bring them up at their next meeting with Airbnb? How often do these host advisory board members meet and how often do they meet with Airbnb teams?

[Paul8990]

and in which we we can communicate with them in general terms ?

do they have an e-mail account? or WhatsApp group ? and or do they read everything what is brought  brought up here ? 

where can I find information about this process? 

I am a host for more than 10 years and I never received any communication from them as far as I know 

at least I am glad to be a member of this community, because it is the first time that I really get proper responses and action ( instead of friendly words from the support office without content 🤣)