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How To Become An Airbnb Superhost

Ahh, Superhost status – the badge of honor awarded to deserving hosts by none other than Airbnb itself. Earning this rank allows you to publicly display Airbnb’s courteous and gentlemanly ‘tip of the hat’ to you for being such an upstanding sharing economy citizen, and it’s a gesture that is certainly recognized and respected by the surrounding community. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we’ll get to that soon enough.

Without getting into the hows and whys just yet, this nod of approval is still an obviously shiny prize, as it distinguishes you as an Airbnb host who can be trusted. And of course, it takes work, but the juice is worth the squeeze. The question is, how is the juice squeezed?

Good question – and you’ve come to the right place for the answer. This post is about how to become an Airbnb Superhost, why you should want it, and how you can get it without working like a dog, 8 days a week.

The “Hows”

Keep in mind, this proud moment of Superhost stardom is based on how well you present yourself to the Airbnb community. That means staying on your guests’ good sides and applying every ounce of hospitality within you to your Airbnb presence.

How To Become An Airbnb Superhost | Guesty Blog

1. I’m In Love With A Tripper

The first thing to know about becoming an Airbnb Superhost is to avoid being a dormant host. That being said, a minimum of 10 trips over the past year is all it takes to stay in the running. Your Airbnb activity is assessed every three months, beginning in January. So if it’s December and you’ve been slacking, try to kick your hosting up a notch by January or April so that you can be best prepared for the soonest judgment days. If you struggle with building up your host resume, don’t panic – we have a few tricks up our sleeve that can almost guarantee you more bookings.

But remember to have fun with it, this kind of commitment isn’t worth your time just for the sparkly Superhost trophy at the end – it’s a culture that you’re contributing to. The badge just marks the beginning of a beautiful friendship between you and your future guests, who will trust you even more if you’ve earned it, and in turn, it can hike up those 10 minimum trips a year to 10s of hosting opportunities (maybe even hundreds).

2. Is This A Committed Relationship?

As trust is the glue that holds the Airbnb sharing economy together, and Superhost status invites added trust, it’s your obligation to make sure that you uphold your hosting etiquette from start to finish. In other words, if a guest books a vacation at your Airbnb, don’t cancel unless, of course, you absolutely must.

Airbnb wants to know for sure that you fulfill the promises that you make to the rest of your community. The community’s positive experiences with you are what build up your high hosting rank, and their inconveniences caused by cancellations and the like can just as easily take away from that.

3. 100% Response Rate, 100% Superhost

Good communication is key to any healthy relationship. The same applies for that between you and your guests. Just as you would nurture leads at work or regularly check in with friends socially, every host needs to show guests their support and attention whenever they may need it. A 90% response rate is the Airbnb Superhost floor requirement. To better understand how your response rate is calculated in your running for Superhost, you can visit this page.

This is important not only for keeping good standing with both Airbnb guests and Airbnb itself but also for your own hosting success. Those missed guest connections can cost you a booking, as every moment they’re left hanging is another moment they may find a different listing (preferably, one that’s quickly available for questions and requests).

The 90% minimum shouldn’t be too difficult as long as you make sure to keep an eye on your inbox. However, if this is too high of a standard given time and other commitment restrictions, don’t worry.  Whether you’re working full time, traveling full time, napping full time or just simply forget to constantly check your Airbnb communication daily (or frankly, don’t care to) – Guesty can easily take over your guest responses on your behalf in order to keep your guests happy and you relaxed.

4. A 5-Star Environment

If you do everything right in terms of availability, honesty, and hospitality – there should be no reason for you to have provided anything less than a 5-star experience. And 5-star experiences get 5-star reviews. Superhosts need to maintain 5-star reviews for at least 80% of their total review count.

Don’t let this scare you if your reviews are less than stellar, there are some smart ways of handling bad reviews and other ways of improving your performance in the future. Actually, Airbnb has blessed hosts with an amazing new feature that constantly checks guest reviews to commend you for what areas you succeed in as a host and to warn you about those areas that need a little work. Monitoring your performance will help you work on yourself as a host. And yes, progress is recognized.

5. Stay On Track

Track Your Airbnb Superhost Progress | Guesty Blog

In theme with all this ‘tracking your hosting progress’ business, you can click on the button above to view your dashboard and track your Superhost progress.

6. Save The Breath, We’ll Get You There

Yes, it may seem like a lot of responsibility to take on. But in reality, you don’t have to take it on alone. Guesty can help you reach Superhost status by ensuring fast response rates, keeping an eye on your calendar to prevent booking cancellations and increasing both bookings and high-esteemed reviews. All you really have to do is publish a listing.

The “Whys”  

Okay, so there’s the potential for more bookings and more trust among your Airbnb peers, but there are also the guaranteed benefits of penetrating the Superhost bubble.

How Airbnb Rewards Its Superhosts | Guesty Blog

1. Street Cred

The most well-known benefit of becoming a Superhost is the beautiful profile badge. This is to be worn on the lapel of your Airbnb account for the whole world to see. Smile, because more and more potential guests will be staring at you.

2. Vacation Compensation

One of the greatest things about Airbnb is that it likes to encourage good behavior with positive reinforcement. If you tend for and water your Superhost status for an entire year, you will be rewarded with an $100 Travel Coupon. It’s another way for Airbnb to both contribute to and boost the sharing economy and another way for you better connect with your peers and new communities. Guess “coupon mom” had it right all along.

3. Business Class Support

Superhost status bleeds dedication. And that’s something that circulates in the Airbnb community. Superhosts get priority support when they call in to Airbnb because they’ve shown their care for the collaborative society, so the society is inclined to collaborate right back.

4. A-List Status

Being an Airbnb Superhost is beneficial not only within the community but also beyond. In short: it gets you invited to stuff. Airbnb doesn’t just give you a round of applause for your hard work (see above), it also asks you to…hang out. Superhosts are invited to preview upcoming releases and attend exclusive events. Next up: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The “Whos”

Tips From Airbnb Superhosts Themselves | Guesty Blog

And now, a few words from some Airbnb Superhost vets.

Airbnb Superhost Tip: Plan | Guesty Blog

Shelby encourages interpersonal hospitality in order to create distinct experiences for each distinct guest. But you don’t have to be the friendliest of people ever or have the best property in the world to achieve this. Why? Because the experience you provide for your guests is not just about who you are but how well you plan. That’s why Shelby urges hosts to determine things to do during the stay – it’s your responsibility as a host to be as prepared as possible.

There are some easy steps to take in order to hike up your Airbnb persona, even if it doesn’t come naturally to you or if your property is not so well-endowed. For instance, you can take some motions towards upgrading your host output or Airbnb’ing your place. Fake it until you make it, as they say. As long as you keep your guests happy, you’re doing a good job.

Airbnb Superhost Tip: How Would You Travel? | Guesty Blog

This is amazing advice – it falls along the lines of the life credo “treat others the way you want to be treated”, except…with looser expectations. There are actually a few different interpretations you can get from this piece of advice. For one, you can stock your Airbnb with those few items travelers tend to always forget (see here for some guidance).

Another way to apply Laney & Brent’s words of wisdom is to make sure your guests feel more prepared and comfortable in your ‘hood than they normally would. If you need a hand, Guesty can play hotel concierge with that one by providing your guests with local neighborhood information and being available for any relative travel questions 24/7. Aim to create a name for yourself that encourages your future guests to expect the unexpected…in a good way.

Airbnb Superhost Tip: Engage | Guesty Blog

Here Denise is encouraging you to take one step further with your guest communication – don’t just be available, be engaged. Their first impression of you is your profile, so while it’s important to set it up in a way that exudes who you are as a host, it’s equally as important to follow through by sprinkling personality and personableness over the guest lifecycle. If you’re a professional host, engaging with every guest who messages you can be tiring and even overwhelming. So we’ll do it for you. We’re not simply around day and night, we also research data from your Airbnb inbox history and other resources that will allow us to communicate with your guests the way you would. Super Airbnb management, Superhost.

It’s important to learn from your peers and use their advice wisely because, well, they clearly know what they’re talking about. Luckily, their many pieces of advice can be approached through a single channel: Guesty.

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Regardless of your history on Airbnb or lack there of, Superhost status is within reach. All it takes is a little more attention to your Airbnb responsibility as a host, more availability, a decent amount of hospitality, and some elbow grease. Or, you know, a few minute sign up with Guesty. Regardless of how you get there, it’s a destination worth pursuing. Because being a Superhost would look so good on you.

*Cover image source


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