How to Become an Airbnb Superhost: An Expert's Guide

Hosting on Airbnb is a great way to make some extra money and provide a worthwhile experience for like minded travellers. If you’ve been an Airbnb host for a while, you know how important reviews are on the platform. Furthermore, you’ve likely already noticed how listings that are flagged as “Superhosts'' can garner substantially more reviews than those lacking the title.

Becoming a Superhost offers a few different benefits, most notably the increased visibility you get. On average, Superhosts receive nearly 25% more bookings than regular hosts. There is a lot that goes into becoming an Airbnb Superhost, and even more that goes into maintaining Superhost status. However, with the right tools and information, anybody can reap the benefits of becoming a Superhost.

What does it take to become an Airbnb Superhost?

To become an Airbnb Superhost, hosts must meet a specific set of requirements over a certain period of time.

There are four main criteria that each listing owner must meet to become a Superhost:

• Maintain a response rate of 90% or higher
• Maintain a cancellation rate of 1% or less (allowing for exceptions that fall under Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy)
• Maintain a 4.8 overall rating (a review only counts when both the host and guest have submitted, or when the 14-day review window is over, whichever comes first)
• Complete a minimum of 10 trips or 3 reservations totaling over 100 nights

If you are already an Airbnb host and would like to check your Superhost status, you will find all relevant information on your Airbnb dashboard. Superhost assessments are done on a quarterly basis, completed on the following dates: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Superhost assessments will review the above-mentioned aspects of your performance over the course of the last 365 days

Benefits of Becoming an Airbnb Superhost

There are several advantages of becoming a Superhost, most of which stem from the improved perception of the traveller:

1. Improved Listing Visibility: This is a big one if you are looking to consistently book out your property. Not only do Superhost listings rank higher on Airbnb search results, but they can also be promoted by Airbnb outside of the platform. The best Superhosts commonly appear in Airbnb’s newsletters, e-mails, and on different landing pages on Airbnb’s website.
2. Increased Earnings: As they get notably more demand than regular hosts, Superhosts can charge more per night. Guests are happy to pay more if the listing is backed by social proof and a shiny “Superhost” badge.
3. Improved Trust with Guests: Proving to your guests that they can trust you is essential for getting repeat travellers and excellent reviews. By showing your guests that you can make good on all that’s promised as a “Superhost,” you can dramatically improve trust across the board.
4. Additional Perks and Bonuses: Airbnb rewards their Superhosts with a number of different perks. Most notably, Airbnb Superhosts receive priority support, a $100 annual travel coupon, and a 20% higher bonus for referring other hosts to the platform.

A Step-by-Step Guide on Acquiring and Maintaining Airbnb Superhost Status

The requirements for becoming an Airbnb Superhost can seem difficult to accomplish at first. But in reality, all you need to become a Superhost on the platform is a little guidance on how to improve your guest’s experience, and enough time to complete the required 10 trips.

1. Keep a Detailed Calendar The most common reason hosts don’t become Superhosts is by having a cancellation rate that’s too high. Airbnb’s Superhost criteria basically require you to keep a status of next to zero cancellations. The good news is that your cancellation status is completely under your control. Hosts make the most cancellations when they themselves want to use a property on the same dates it is already booked out for. To become a Superhost, you must prioritise your guest's experience over your own. Many Superhosts keep a detailed booking calendar to ensure there are no mix-ups between their own stays and their guests’ bookings. This can prevent you from blocking out dates that shouldn’t be blocked out, and leaving dates open that shouldn’t be left open.
2. Use a Digital Guidebook A digital guidebook is one of the most effective ways to take your guests’ experience to the next level. Serving the same purpose as a traditional guidebook, your digital guidebook can help welcome guests to the home or property, while informing them of all things related to check-in, check-out, and the general local area. Digital guidebooks are becoming a key piece of the guest experience provided by all Airbnb Superhosts. They are affordable, informative, and easy to put together. By providing your guests with all their most important information in an easy-to-navigate digital format, you are able to tighten the host-guest relationship, fostering better experiences and more 5-star reviews. Superhosts who use digital guidebooks receive the additional benefits of improving their retention rates, saving time, and improving their branding strategy. Digital guidebooks are one of the best ways for regular hosts to improve their ratings statistics, and a great way for current Superhosts to maintain their excellent standing.
3. Master the Basics Providing a unique, organised, and clean guest experience will always go a long way in improving your rating and gaining better reviews. Superhosts place a priority on giving guests an experience that goes above and beyond what was promised in the listing. On top of that, Superhosts never skimp on cleaning their listing before the next guest comes. This last point has become especially important in the hospitality business during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Final Thoughts on Becoming an Airbnb Superhost

There are two critical things to keep in mind when trying to become a Superhost: time and guest experience. Not only should you prioritise timing in terms of your guests’ stay with a proper booking calendar, but you should also allow your listing enough time to attain Superhost status. Remember, Superhost assessments are completed quarterly, so you have time to improve your ratings enough to level up!

The final point about guest experience can’t be emphasised enough. Guest experience is where all important reviews and statistics stem from. Many of the factors that contribute to your guests’ experience come from offering them an organised, unique, and original stay. One of the most popular and effective ways that Superhosts are already doing this is by using a digital guidebook like Guidey™. Our customizable digital guidebook is the best way to level up your listing and meet all the requirements necessary to achieve Superhost status. Feel free to reach out so we can talk about how offering a digital guidebook will turn you into a Superhost!

If you’re ready to take your short term rental to the next level and become an Airbnb Superhost, simply click here to start creating your Guidey™ digital guidebook today.