Becoming an Airbnb Superhost comes with a wide range of benefits. This status allows you to get your listings in front of more potential guests, gives you the opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition, inspire more trust in your guests, and increase your short-term rental revenue potential. If you’re interested in iRenting and Proptech, have a property with short lets considered, and have got your Airbnb license number and Airbnb registration number, it’s worth considering putting a plan in place to become an Airbnb Superhost and improve your business overall.
Keep reading for some top tips from the Upperkey on how to achieve this coveted status.
What is an Airbnb Superhost?
An Airbnb Superhost is a property owner or manager who has been proven to provide an outstanding experience to guests. You will automatically be granted Superhost status when meeting a set of specific requirements. You can keep your Superhost badge if you can maintain this track record of providing outstanding service, however, the status will be removed if you are found to fall short of the necessary requirements during Airbnb’s quarterly assessments.
Benefits of Being an Airbnb Superhost
Getting Superhost status for your Airbnb property management in Paris or London doesn’t just provide you with a distinctive badge to help your profile and listing stand out. Some of the main benefits that come with becoming an Airbnb Superhost include:
- Improve listing visibility: One of the main benefits of getting Superhost status is that it improves the visibility of your listings and puts them in front of more guests. For example, guests can filter their listings to search for Superhosts only if they want to ensure that they are getting the best experience and staying with a recognised host. As a Superhost, your property is also more likely to be featured in curated lists on the Airbnb website and in Airbnb’s newsletters, which can help you get more eyes on your property listing and increase your bookings.
- Stand out: Becoming a Superhost is an effective way to distinguish yourself from the other property hosts in your area. It can help you get more bookings by making you stand out and increasing your chance of catching the attention of potential guests.
- Build more trust: Most Airbnb guests know that a Superhost status means that they can trust this host to be experienced and provide them with an outstanding service, which helps to inspire trust. If your potential guests have the option to choose between you and another host who does not have Superhost status, they’re more likely to go with you.
- Charge higher rates: Superhost status can help you earn more from your listing by charging higher rates. Since guests expect a higher than average level of service and an outstanding experience when staying with a Superhost, many are willing to pay more.
- Enjoy priority support and other perks: As a Superhost, you are entitled to priority support from Airbnb. Along with this, you can enjoy other exclusive perks such as a 20% higher bonus if you refer another host to the platform, invitations to local Airbnb events, and a yearly travel coupon.
How to Become an Airbnb Superhost
With all the above benefits, it’s not surprising that you are considering doing what it takes with your short-term rental to become a Superhost on Airbnb. Bear in mind that Airbnb uses your past twelve months of hosting to measure your performance, but you can host for less than twelve months to be considered for Superhost status. The requirements that you need to meet are:
Host Ten Guests or More
The first requirement to hit is hosting at least ten guests in your property. This isn’t difficult to achieve for most short-term rental hosts. However, if you are hosting a property on a mid-term or long-term rental basis with a high occupancy rate but fewer bookings, it can seem impossible. The good news is that once you complete three reservations for a total of at least one hundred nights, you will meet the requirements for Superhost status.
Maintain a Response Rate of 90% or Higher
This requirement can be trickier for hosts to achieve and maintain. One of the main aims of Airbnb is to improve the guest experience, which means providing hosts with incentives to be more attentive to their guests. To get Superhost status, you are expected to reply quickly to guest messages and questions and maintain a response rate of 90% or above. It’s worth using a specialized rental host tool for guest communication, which can help you improve and maintain a high response rate without it taking up a huge chunk of your day.
Maintain a Cancellation Rate of 1% or Lower
Cancellations can also impact your ability to gain Superhost status. If you want to become an Airbnb Superhost, you can only cancel one in every 100 bookings. Airbnb wants to prevent guest disappointment as much as possible, and there’s nothing more disappointing than hearing that a host has canceled a stay. The best way to keep the rate down is to ensure that you have a system in place to prevent double bookings, especially if you have your property listed on other sites. If you are also using popular property booking sites like Booking.com, then it’s crucial to sync your calendars so that different guests don’t end up booking your property at the same time.
Maintain a Rating of 4.8 or Above
To become a Superhost, Airbnb requires that hosts achieve and maintain an overall rating of no less than 4.8. To do this, it’s important to make sure that you’re providing an outstanding experience. Guests that have a less than stellar experience in your rental property are unlikely to leave a good review, which could ultimately bring your overall rating down and cause you to lose your Superhost status. Along with this, you should actively ask your guests to leave a review. Asking guests to rate their stay with you can help you strengthen your reputation online and make it easier for you to attract new bookings since the reviews are often one of the first things that potential new guests will look at before they decide whether or not to book your property.
Tips for Maintaining Your Superhost Status
Superhost status on Airbnb is not just a case of doing one thing, however. If you have been awarded Superhost status, it’s crucial to keep on doing a great job if you want it to stick around on your profile. The main thing to do is make sure that you are consistently paying attention to and striving to improve upon the requirements listed above. Make sure that you are using the right tools to maintain your 90% response rate, avoid canceling bookings, and keep on providing an excellent guest experience to keep your star rating at an average of 4.8 or higher.
Since the star rating is the main requirement that you do not have a lot of control over, this is often the most important thing to focus on when it comes to maintaining your Superhost status. Going above and beyond for your guests and utilizing tools that remind them to leave a review of their stay will help you maintain this. Some key tips to keep in mind for maintaining a high star rating include:
Understand Changing Guest Expectations
Spend time getting to know your guests to get a better idea of what they want from you. Bear in mind that guest expectations will change over time and what might have got you a bunch of glowing, five-star reviews a couple of years ago may not work very well now. For example, guests are more hygiene-conscious than ever before due to the COVID19 pandemic and what was once seen as a perfectly clean rental might not be acceptable today.
Offer Self-Check-In
It’s worth considering installing smart locks on your property. Keyless entry isn’t difficult to set up and many guests will appreciate being able to check themselves in. This also makes things easier on you as you don’t need to be there in person to greet your guests.
Focus on the Small Details
Sometimes, it’s the little things that can set a Superhost apart from the rest. One common theme from Airbnb guests that have stayed with Superhosts is that they really enjoyed just how much these hosts went above and beyond to make their stay memorable. Providing the little things that might be forgotten at home like sanitary products in the bathroom, offering extra pillows and blankets in the bedroom, or leaving your guests a welcome gift can make a huge impact. Hosts that welcome their guests with touching items like a bottle of wine, chocolates, or even a home-baked cake can really make a huge difference to the stay – and their reviews.
If you’re set up on Airbnb, providing an outstanding experience that meets specific requirements will help you get Superhost status. However, this can be lost, so make sure that you are prepared to maintain your exceptional level of service.