Have you decided to become a host on AirBnb? Congratulations! This is a big step. Once you’re in full swing of hosting your property, your goal should be to provide an excellent experience for every guest and to become a Superhost on AirBnb. The status of Superhost on AirBnb lets potential guests know that you provide excellent customer service, prompt responses, comfortable accommodations for their vacation or business trip, and extra amenities that go above and beyond.
In my experience as an Airbnb host, the qualifications for Superhost status are there as a guide and should be followed anyway! If you’re going to start an Airbnb business, doing your best to always accommodate guests, within reason, should be your goal 100% of the time.
If you’re still in the process of becoming an AirBnb host, I can help! Create your listing on AirBnb with this link and I will become your AirBnb ambassador and guide you through the process. Contact me to find out how this works.
How do I check my AirBnb Superhost status?
Once you’ve started you listing and have a hosting account, there will be a section dedicated for Superhost.
To check your current status, navigate to Performance >> Superhost
In that section, a high level overview of where your status stands will be displayed. Here is a screen shot from my account! As you can see, there are 4 different sets of critera.
There are a few basic requirements for becoming an AirBnb Superhost…
#1 – OVERALL RATING
The threshold for this is 4.8. This means that your average reviews need to be 4.8 stars or higher! This is an overall average that includes each star rating in every category that Airbnb asks guests to rate.
To maintain a high rating and ensure you will breach Superhost status, there are many aspects of your listing that can impress your guests.
Make sure you have the best bedding for your AirBnb.
Create unique amenities in your AirBnb. In my AirBnb – The Beach Life Bungalow – we have a coffee bar with all the fixings.
These are just a few ways to become an awesome Airbnb host.
Add home decor that fits your location and style of the home you are renting out. For example, if your property is in a little beach town, add coastal decor accents. If it’s in a ski town, add winter themed mountain decor.
It doesn’t have to be super expensive either! Find out how to furnish your AirBnb on a budget here.
#2 – RESPONSE RATE
As an AirBnb host striving for Superhost status, it is your responsibility to respond in a timely manner to every message. Even if you’re not going to accept a reservation, prompt responses are measured by AirBnb in order to be a Superhost.
In order to become an AirBnb Superhost, you have to maintain a 90% response rate.
#3 – NUMBER OF NIGHTS OR STAYS
You can complete these criteria one of two ways.
10 individual stays is the first one. 10 distinct reservations, regardless of the number of nights. They can be 1 night or 15 nights!
The other option here is to have a total of 100 nights over 3 or most individual stays. For example, you can have 1 reservation for 98 nights and 2 other different reservations for 1 night each – totaling 100 nights.
Either one of these will fulfil this criteria for AirBnb Superhost status.
#4 – CANCELLATION RATE
Bottom line, AirBnb doesn’t want the cancellation to come from a host. You can only cancel 1 our of every 100 reservations (less than 1%). If you are unsure if you can host guests on certain dates, block your calendar until you know for sure the dates are available.
There are some exceptions – like if it is the guests decision to cancel – AirBnb may not count this against you.
When you’re ready to move onto your next Airbnb property, don’t forget to check out the stats in the area!
AIRDNA is the service that I used to see what other AirBnb’s in my immediate area were doing. The data the collect will show things like the nightly rate, occupancy percentages, and demographics of guests that come to the area.
I would recommend AIRDNA to anyone thinking of starting an AirBnb. Don’t go into it blindly. Educate yourself on the area, pricing, and how often your unit will be potentially occupied.
The best way to find profitable Airbnb markets. Analyze any area using AirDNA.
Another AirBnb Superhost tip – Make sure you track your expenses the right way from the start. When it comes time to do your taxes, you will thank yourself for having everything already categorized and ready to go!