Airbnb, a leading platform in the sharing economy, boasts nearly 5 million hosts and over 7 million active listings globally. Yet, in such a competitive market, making your short term rental stand out is a challenge. Many hosts have found an effective solution – becoming an Airbnb Superhost!
However, the journey to becoming an Airbnb Superhost is not a walk in the park, otherwise, every host would have this precious badge. To help you climb from being a good host to a Superhost, and to maintain a competitive edge in the cutthroat short term rental industry, we share the secrets of earning the Superhost status.
What is an Airbnb Superhost?
The Airbnb Superhost program is designed to highlight and reward their best-performing hosts. Becoming a Superhost isn’t just about adding a shiny badge to your short term rental listing; it’s about positioning yourself as an experienced host who consistently provides reliable and exceptional experiences for guests.
Being an Airbnb Superhost is a testament to your hosting skills and a significant factor in enhancing your short term rental business. By joining the ranks of Superhosts, you increase your property’s attractiveness, encouraging more guests to choose your accommodations and driving sustained growth in your earnings.
How to become a Superhost on Airbnb?
Becoming an Airbnb Superhost does not require an application. If you meet the criteria, you will automatically qualify. Airbnb evaluates hosts every quarter to determine if they meet the following standards within the past year (you don’t necessarily have to host for a full year).
1. Completed at least 10 trips
To qualify as a Superhost, Airbnb requires hosts to have completed at least 10 bookings within the past year. For most hosts, this goal is easily achievable with minimal challenges.
Even if your listings primarily cater to long-term rentals, you can still strive to meet another requirement of completing at least 3 bookings totaling a minimum of 100 nights.
This requirement ensures that hosts have ample hosting experience, showcases the attractiveness and popularity of their listings, and demonstrates your activity on the Airbnb platform.
2. Maintained a response rate of 90% or higher
Airbnb Superhosts must maintain a response rate of 90% or higher, which is one of the most challenging requirements. According to statistics from AirDNA, approximately 26% of hosts fail to obtain Superhost status due to low response rates.
Airbnb aims to enhance the guest experience, so they expect hosts to promptly respond to messages or inquiries. However, communicating with guests can be time-consuming and cumbersome, potentially occupying a significant portion of a host’s or property manager’s time.
To increase your chances of becoming an Airbnb Superhost, we recommend utilizing a professional vacation rental management system that automates sending and replying to Airbnb messages. This automation allows you to effortlessly handle guest interactions, achieve a 100% response rate, and enhance the competitiveness of your listings.
3. Maintained a cancellation rate of 1% or lower
Airbnb requires Superhosts to maintain a cancellation rate of no more than 1%. This means that hosts with fewer than 100 annual bookings should avoid canceling any reservations, except for cancellations falling under Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances policy.
To ensure you never have to cancel guest reservations, the best approach is to eliminate double bookings. For hosts who list their properties on multiple platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, this can be a significant challenge.
To address this challenge, consider using a vacation rental channel manager that integrates directly with booking platforms through APIs. With its powerful synchronization capabilities, this tool enables real-time calendar synchronization across multiple channels. By using this solution, you can bid farewell to double bookings and increase your chances of becoming an Airbnb Superhost.
4. Maintained an overall rating of 4.8 or higher
To become an Airbnb Superhost, Airbnb requires hosts to achieve and maintain an overall rating of 4.8. This means you must go above and beyond to provide the best possible guest experience and garner more five-star reviews.
In a previous article, we discussed in detail the tips for obtaining good reviews. These tips include providing accurate descriptions and photos, considerate communication, exceeding guest expectations, and actively inviting guests to write reviews. These strategies are effective ways to improve your ratings and get closer to achieving Superhost status.
Benefits of becoming an Airbnb Superhost
According to data from AirDNA, Airbnb Superhosts demonstrate outstanding performance in key operational metrics. Compared to regular hosts, Superhosts achieve higher occupancy rates (19.3% higher), higher RevPAR (3.3% higher), and greater income (up to 5.9% more).
However, the advantages of becoming an Airbnb Superhost extend beyond these numbers.
Increased exposure opportunities
As an Airbnb Superhost, your listing will be adorned with a prominent badge, setting you apart from other hosts and listings in your area. More importantly, your listing will be featured at the top of search results, granting you greater exposure. This means more potential guests will see your listing first, enhancing the likelihood of bookings.
Dedicated filtering tags
When guests use filtering options on Airbnb, they can choose to view only listings from Superhosts. This serves as an endorsement of trust from Airbnb, providing guests with the confidence to book your listing. This additional filtering option gives you a significant competitive advantage, attracting more guests to choose your property.
Additional recommendations
An often overlooked benefit is that Airbnb sometimes promotes listings through promotional emails or blogs. If your listing is unique and you are a Superhost, there’s a chance you may be recommended to a larger pool of potential guests. This will generate more exposure for your listing, increasing booking opportunities.
Higher profit potential
One of the key benefits of becoming a Superhost is the higher profit potential. Guests recognize that Airbnb-endorsed Superhosts are the cream of the crop, making them more likely to book such listings over others with unknown risks. This translates to a higher booking conversion rate.
Industry recognition
Becoming an Airbnb Superhost is a prestigious honor that signifies your commitment to providing exceptional service and continual improvement. This not only leaves a positive impression on guests but also helps establish a strong reputation within the industry. As you expand your business network, you will have greater opportunities to connect with industry professionals and create broader prospects for your future within the industry.
Tips to maintain your Airbnb Superhost status
Being a Superhost on Airbnb is not a permanent title. If you don’t meet the requirements during Airbnb’s quarterly evaluation, you may lose your Superhost status. So, how can you maintain your Superhost status? While Airbnb provides some tips and insights on this matter, there’s more you can do.
To maintain a response rate of over 90%, a cancellation rate below 1%, and an average rating of 4.8 or above. Here are some techniques you can implement:
Optimize your listing description
In the vacation rental industry, the property description is one of the most crucial elements. It creates the first impression for potential guests and can persuade them to choose your listing.
Airbnb aims to provide guests with an authentic living experience at their destination, rather than just a place to spend the night. Therefore, instead of simply listing the features, create a compelling story when highlighting the unique aspects of your property.
For example:
Our listing offers a charming backyard with a private pool, making it the perfect spot for guests to spend a relaxing weekend with friends. They can unwind in the pool while enjoying breathtaking sunset views, and savoring beer and barbecue. Meanwhile, children can have endless fun on the trampoline, fully embracing the joy!
However, it is crucial to ensure that your description aligns with reality. Honesty and meeting guest expectations are essential for receiving five-star reviews. Provide accurate information in your description to ensure guests are not disappointed upon arrival and can genuinely enjoy the experience you’ve described.
Consistent Communication
Effective communication is crucial to ensuring guests have the best experience in your home. Take the time to show your care and attention, as this can contribute to receiving five-star ratings and maintaining your Superhost status.
Utilize Hostex’s triggered messaging feature, which allows your guests to receive 24/7 support from booking to checkout. Additionally, Hostex’s automated messaging feature can help address various guest inquiries, ensuring they receive thoughtful care.
These tools save you time, allowing you to focus on other important matters or enjoy your personal life. Let these tools support you in efficient and professional communication, providing an exceptional experience for your guests.
Ensure reliable availability
Airbnb’s reputation is closely tied to the quality of service provided by hosts. As a result, Airbnb only grants Superhost status to hosts with a good record of cancellations. However, many professional hosts list their properties on multiple platforms, not just Airbnb. In such cases, there may be a risk of double bookings, leading to the need for cancellations.
Airbnb imposes strict penalties for this situation, including calendar blocking, fines, and immediate disqualification from Superhost status.
To address this issue, you can utilize Hostex’s channel manager. This tool allows you to sync real-time calendars from different platforms, making managing 100 properties as easy as managing one. This means you can effectively prevent double bookings and provide a smoother and more reliable booking experience.
Optimize your pricing strategy
As an Airbnb host, optimizing your pricing strategy can help you attract more Airbnb bookings. It enables you to meet the booking volume standards required for Airbnb Superhost status while maximizing your income.
To achieve this, it is important to set competitive prices based on factors such as the unique features of your property, competitor pricing, seasonal considerations, and current occupancy rates. Continuously optimizing and adjusting your pricing is necessary to stay competitive.
Maintain high standards of cleanliness
Cleanliness is one of the top concerns for Airbnb guests. A clean and well-maintained property not only enhances the guest experience but also earns positive reviews and recommendations. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain your Airbnb Superhost status.
- To ensure consistently high standards, it is essential to establish a comprehensive cleaning process/checklist. This will help to guarantee that each cleaning session meets the same high standards.
- Timely communication with your cleaning staff is vital to ensure that the cleaning tasks are completed before the arrival of new guests.
- Regular inspections of the cleaning tasks are necessary to avoid negative reviews due to inadequate cleaning.
We have previously discussed in detail how to automate your cleaning tasks, which can help you streamline your cleaning schedule and provide you with the necessary support.
Upgrading your Airbnb Superhost status
Achieving the coveted Airbnb Superhost status is undoubtedly impressive, but did you know that there are even more prestigious certifications available? These certifications present hosts with unique opportunities to enhance their hosting experience and attract a broader range of guests.
Airbnb Plus: Elevating Standards for Exceptional Homes
In addition to Superhost, Airbnb offers the Plus certification, which sets a higher standard for property listings. To attain Plus status, listings must meet stringent requirements for facilities and review standards. This includes meticulous attention to layout design, exemplary cleanliness, and more. By obtaining the Plus certification, hosts gain exclusive privileges, such as enhanced search result visibility and exposure.
Airbnb Luxe: Exquisite Accommodations for Discerning Guests
Introduced by Airbnb in 2018, Airbnb Luxe listings represent the pinnacle of high-end property certifications. Luxe-certified listings must meet elevated specifications, including a minimum size requirement and facilities that rival those found in five-star hotels. By achieving Luxe certification, hosts can position their offerings within the Luxe category, appealing to travelers seeking extraordinary and luxurious experiences.
Boutique Hotels: Unlocking Opportunities for Hospitality Establishments
Airbnb’s Boutique Hotels certification caters to small hotels and establishments engaged in short-term rental tourism. By obtaining this certification, boutique hotels can benefit from increased visibility and exposure through Airbnb’s powerful platform. This opens doors to a broader customer base and exciting business opportunities.
Furthermore, Airbnb provides additional regional or niche certifications tailored to specific groups of hosts. However, Superhost, Plus, and Luxe certifications are considered the core mainstream certifications offered by Airbnb.
Becoming an Airbnb Superhost on Airbnb requires consistent effort and patience. You need to provide sincere and attentive service, respond promptly to guest inquiries, and strive to meet their needs for higher satisfaction. However, it’s evident that managing all these tasks can be challenging, costly, time-consuming, and sometimes tedious. Hostex offers an optimal solution for vacation rental hosts, providing a range of automation features to enhance management efficiency, increase guest satisfaction, and attract more five-star reviews and repeat customers.
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