Superhost - We're Back Baby!

After a bit of a hiatus, we're very happy to share we have re-established Superhost status and are eager to share how we got it, why we didn't have it before, and what it means for you! Let's get into it :)

"What is Superhost?"

Superhost is a designation given out by Airbnb to their top rated hosts! The status is host-specific, not home-specific, so we carry this designation across all our homes (huzzah!). Overall, less than 20% of hosts carry Superhost status, and it's even more challenging to achieve as a property manager.

It is evaluated on a quarterly basis, looking back at the previous 12 months. So for this evaluation period, Airbnb was reviewing performance from April '22 through March '23. In order to achieve Superhost status, host have to meet the following criteria...

- Review Score: 4.8+ out of 5.0 - Response Rate: 90%+ - Completed Stays: 10+ - Cancellation Rate: Less than 1%

So of these qualifiers, the only challenging one to achieve is 4.8+ on the reviews. Think about it, if one disgruntled guests leaves us a 1-star review, it takes us TWENTY 5-star reviews to offset it and get back to 4.8! This is a beast, especially when we get a 1-star review for something that doesn't warrant it, or might be retaliatory (i.e. they brought a pet that wasn't allowed, we called them out on it, and they slam us on the review which is indirectly "retaliatory").

It takes the WHOLE team to achieve this status. - From the cleaners executing their job flawlessly - To the maintenance team quickly fixing problems - To the VRM's updating listings/ordering replacement items/everything else

And even to you! We know we may ask a lot, replacing items and reinvesting into your home. We see the results on the front-lines and we know that keeping up with your home creates better experiences which leads to better reviews which leads to more booking which leads to more money (yes, it's a run on sentence but I think it helps to make the point!).

We also made a lot of operational changes in 2022, shaking up some teams and introducing new technology that allows us to manage at scale better. None of this came easy, and was mostly done quietly behind-the-scenes, but we're happy it's paying off for everyone's benefit!

"What Didn't You Have It Before?"

Well, we did. A while ago. And we lost it... This is intended to be explanatory and not an excuse, but we had entered a few communities with homes that were not well maintained when they were passed off to us which drove down our score to around 4.7. So in September, we made a difficult business decision to exit these communities to provide a better rental experience with PRM. Truthfully, Superhost was a bit of an afterthought but we worked hard to fulfill our responsibilities to Owners and Renters alike and kind of "accidentally" achieved Superhost!

"What Does This Mean For Us?"

Oh, it's very, very good news! Don't take my word for it though, this is coming straight from Airbnb!

But to hear it from us, the biggest difference maker will be performance!

Listing Flair - Think about it, it's flair attached to YOUR listing showing the guests...

"hey, these hosts know what they're doing and it'll be a great stay!"

So not only does the flair help guests decide to stay at your home but they can also...

Search by Superhost - So for the maximizers out there that need this stay to be perfect, they may wish to search only by Superhost homes to ensure an A+ stay (I imagine this translates to more far-out stays).

Better Ranking - While Airbnb's algorithm is a "blackbox" (and we speak about that here ), we do know that Superhost is a factor, and the factors that layer into Superhost are certainly factors (response times, listing score, etc.). So as guests search for homes, Superhost homes tend to compile the top of the search results as Airbnb knows they are providing the best experiences!

Our Work Isn't Done!

We might take a moment or two to do some celebrating, after all it was a LOT of hard work by everyone, but this is something we're going to work hard to keep by providing excellent experiences and ensuring our portfolio of homes meet a certain criteria which will help all our homes in turn. Cheers!