As an Airbnb host, it is crucial to have as much possible visibility on your listing and profile as possible.
By earning the Superhost badge on the platform, Airbnb hosts gain main key privileges, including more bookings and exclusive rewards.
In this guide, we will discuss what the Superhost badge is and how you can earn it. Keep reading to learn about the advantages of becoming a Superhost and what requirements you need to meet.
What is an Airbnb Superhost?
If you have ever perused various Airbnb listings, you have likely seen hosts with the Superhost title.
On Airbnb’s platform, hosts can be given the designation of Superhost, which allows them to gain more exposure and credibility. Airbnb will add an official Superhost badge that will appear on the host’s profile and property listing.
Earning the Airbnb Superhost status is dependent on many different factors, with Superhosts being known for their high-quality rentals and phenomenal service.
Are there benefits to being an Airbnb Superhost?
Having the Superhost badge attached to your profile and listing is undoubtedly advantageous.
Along with helping your build a great reputation on the platform, earning the Superhost title can provide you with many additional benefits. These include:
Increased Bookings
Airbnb Superhosts are much more likely to receive booking requests compared to normal hosts. This is largely thanks to the Superhost designation building immediate trust with new potential Airbnb guests, making them more interested and willing to try out your rental property.
Increased Income
With more bookings comes a greater flow of income. By increasing the popularity of your Airbnb listings, you are far more likely to be consistently booked and earn the vital income needed to maintain your business and lifestyle.
Airbnb Support
Along with an increase in business, Superhosts also benefit from specialized support from the Airbnb team. This includes a dedicated page in Airbnb’s Resource Center devoted to sharing tips and tricks for current or aspiring Superhosts.
Superhost Filter
When Airbnb users search for listings, they can select a Superhost search filter option.. This is a great advantage, as there are far fewer listings available when this filter is applied, giving your listing greater visibility.
Bonus Referral Income
One incredible benefit that Airbnb offers exclusively to Superhosts is extra referral rewards. On top of the usual referral bonus hosts can earn through new host referrals, Superhosts can earn an extra 20%. Additionally, hosts who maintain the Superhost status for 4 consecutive quarters are rewarded with a travel coupon.
How can you become a Superhost?
There is no application to gain Superhost status. Instead, you must consistently perform well according to the standards set by Airbnb. There is an Airbnb Superhost criteria that a host must possess to earn Superhost status.
We will go over these qualifying factors in just a moment, but let us first examine how to be considered for becoming an Airbnb Superhost.
When you add a listing on Airbnb, the platform will automatically begin tracking and assessing your performance, with formal evaluations occurring every quarter. The quarterly assessments happen over 5 days starting on the following dates:
- January 1st
- April 1st
- July 1st
- October 1st
To qualify to become a Superhost on Airbnb, your listing and profile must meet the set requirements by the above-listed dates. Airbnb hosts are notified after the assessment is completed of their resulting status and whether or not they have earned the Superhost designation that quarter.
As mentioned earlier, Superhosts who maintain the status for 4 consecutive quarters earn an exclusive travel coupon.
Now, let’s look at what the Superhost requirements entail:
Airbnb Superhost Requirements
There are four main factors that affect your status on Airbnb – overall rating, total number of stays, cancellation rate, and response rate.
Here is a breakdown of the requirements you should meet if you are trying to achieve Superhost status:
Overall Rating: Superhosts must maintain a 4.8 overall rating. These ratings are included for consideration based on the date the review was left rather than the guest’s checkout date, so some ratings may occur in different quarters than the original trip. Your rating is affected by many factors including cleanliness, listing accuracy, and host communication.
Total Number of Stays: To be a Superhost, you must have at least 10 completed trips or 3 reservations that total to a minimum of 100 nights.
Cancellation Rate: Superhosts must maintain a 1% cancellation rate, which converts to 1 cancellation per 100 reservations. Exceptions to this rule are made for cancellations that meet the requirements of Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances policy.
Response Rate: To be considered a Superhost, you must be highly responsive to guest messages. Having good guest communication will help improve the overall guest experience. As such, hosts must maintain a response rate of 90% or higher to earn or keep the Superhost badge.
Maintaining your Superhost status
Once you have earned the Superhost badge, maintaining your status is dependent on your ability to maintain each of the above requirements every quarter.
If you fall behind in even one of the requirements, you will go back to the regular host designation. However, this is no reason to panic – you can earn your Superhost badge back in the next quarter if you can re-achieve the stated requirements.
There is also a strict set of Terms and Conditions that Superhosts must follow to maintain superhost status. One of the big rules to pay attention to is that you are only allowed to use your Superhost badge on Airbnb’s platform. If you list rentals on other platforms, you cannot use the badge to advertise those listings as well.
Additionally, Superhosts are not permitted to:
- Claim they are endorsed by an Airbnb agent or representative
- Use the Superhost badge with false materials (defined as “false, misleading, offensive, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, harassing, illegal, or violating of third-party rights.”)
- Commercialize the Superhost badge for external or third-party use
If the terms and conditions are violated by Superhosts, the Airbnb team maintains the right to revoke the badge at their sole discretion.
Is a Superhost badge worth aiming for?
The Airbnb Superhost program is absolutely a status boost worth aiming for. Achieving Superhost status will provide your business with multiple benefits.
Not only is this privilege provided at zero additional costs or fees for hosts but it also provides a myriad of income and visibility benefits as well. Plus, if you lose your Superhost status due to slight changes in your listing and profile performance, you can always earn it back.
The hardest factor about being a Superhost is maintaining the requirements. Being a Superhost is considered prestigious on the platform and the requirements are lofty to reflect this. To maintain these requirements you may consider using a full-service Airbnb property management company, to eliminate hassle and maintain high standards.
If you feel you are receiving unfair ratings that are affecting your ability to become a Superhost, make sure to check out Airbnb’s community policy for Dispute Moderation for Reviews.
Additional FAQs about Superhosts
Why does Airbnb Superhost assessment take two weeks?
The Airbnb Superhosts evaluation period takes two weeks from the date of the end of the quarter. This is to give guests who have stayed for a trip close to the end of the quarter the time to complete a review – which they are given two weeks to complete.
What percentage of hosts on Airbnb are Superhosts?
Although Airbnb does not officially announce the number of Superhosts, the New York Times estimates the percentage of hosts with the Superhost status is around 7%.
How long does it take to become a Superhost?
The amount of time it takes to become a Superhost depends on the current status of your listing and profile. Your account will be assessed each quarter, so you have roughly 3 months in between each evaluation to improve your required ratings.
As mentioned in the section above on the Superhost requirements, you will need at least 10 trips or 3 reservations that total out to a minimum of 100 nights to qualify for the Superhost status. This can limit the number of viable hosts, as some may not yet have the flow of business to meet this requirement.
If you are struggling to book enough trips to reach the Superhost status, try increasing your marketing and getting the word out about your Airbnb rental. Encourage each guest you have to leave a review and always leave reviews for your guests as well – this will prompt more of them to do the same.
How do I contact a Superhost through hidden Airbnb?
Hidden by Airbnb is an algorithm used to censor any phone numbers or web addresses listed publicly by either a host or guest. This is to keep guests and hosts from contacting each other directly outside of the Airbnb platform – a safety measure that ensures all interactions between guests and hosts meet the required terms and conditions. To contact a Superhost, you will need to message them through Airbnb’s chat feature. If you have tried and failed to contact a Superhost, contact Airbnb’s Help Center as soon as possible.
How does your hosting experience change after becoming a Superhost?
Your experience on Airbnb is likely to improve significantly with the Superhost designation. Not only will you receive more inquiries and bookings, but you will also benefit from the many additional privileges awarded to Superhosts.
