How to become Super Host

Thanks your input is certainly appreciated

Thanks your input is appreciated

You might want to consider shorter stays just to get more guests. This would increase the number of reviews. Also, after guests depart, send them a thank you message and request a review.

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I see that Chris’s comment didn’t go down too well…! But s/he does have a point, of sorts, although I would frame it in more practical terms.

This is my experience: I bent over backwards for guests when I started off. It did me no good at all. Several of them treated me like the doormat I was presenting to them and wiped their feet on me in their ratings. It was actually a guest who educated me eventually. She was a pain in the arse and left one of those detailed, backhanded pros & cons reviews like she worked as a hotel inspector or something.

But one thing she said in private feedback was superb advice - she told me to stop apologising. She said my house was really nice and it’s shortcomings were sufficiently detailed in the listing and weren’t that bad. It made me realise that pointing out all the things wrong with my place was really not a good idea… duh!!

I also learned that trying too hard is simply annoying for guests. The vast majority just want your place to be clean, comfortable, consistent with what was advertised and for you to be friendly and easily contacted if there are any issues. Fussing over guests and catering to their every whim makes them lose respect for you. And that will be reflected in their ratings.

The other crucial thing is: are you over-selling your listing? I am a firm believer in the under-promise and over-deliver mantra. Nothing will disappoint a guest more than finding that things are not quite as nice as they appear in the photos/text.

I’m not implying that you do any of this, @glenwood, I’m only giving an opinion! When you post your listing, you’ll get a lot of good advice I’m sure.

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I agree with not bending over backwards to gain superhost status. And that was my point. I honestly don’t and never have done. And I think many who achieve and retain Superho status are the same.

I do as much as I feel comfortable with.

I don’t accept third party bookings. I don’t accept overnight guests who haven’t booked and paid. I don’t offer discounts (other than 10% off monthly and 5% off weekly stays. I don’t accept pets or babies. I live in an inner city area, I don’t apologise for it but mention it so guests that don’t like this sort of environment don’t stay with me. I tell guests that this is my home and is ‘lived-in’.

I don’t offer late check out (unless I like the guests and it works for me).

Unfortunately some of @Chris’s posts here are negative, and appear to be posted to rile rather than help.

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Yes, I do the same. Not the inner city bit because that doesn’t apply, but I’m very upfront about my place. If you want swanky, you’d certainly pass me by!

I rarely get enquiries these days as the majority instant book. Some have legitimate questions that I’m able to accommodate, others don’t, like can we bring two extra people or asking about dates that aren’t available. I never decline anyone, I either pre-approve the ones that are ok and for the ones that aren’t - I explain that what they’re asking is not possible.

I just let the enquiry expire if I can’t accommodate them or don’t feel great about them. That’s not a bad thing, right? I never really know :frowning: For example, I have an enquiry still showing on my dashboard from over a week ago. This guest asked the kind of questions that made me feel she wouldn’t fit in here and it was a long booking. I answered her truthfully but did exaggerate a few things to put her off booking. She was worried about walking home at night and whether the cat went in the room, do I use air freshner etc etc. I’m quite motherly and caring with lone travellers but she just sounded too much work ahead of time. If she’d IB’ed I would have dealt with it, of course, but thankfully she didn’t!

Sorry, I seem to be in rambling mode tonight.

I want to take a step back and ask: Why is that your goal? It seems like your primary goal should be to generate income, meet new people, show of your hospitality, or just give yourself something to do and take pride in. If you do your best to achieve your real goal, then becoming a superhost will just happen on it’s own, and even if it doesn’t for reasons beyond your control, you will feel a lot better about yourself because you are doing your best to achieve your real goal.

That said, and without knowing anything else about you, your listing, or your ratings, all I can say is the first thing you need to start doing is reaching out to every single guest that doesn’t leave 5-stars in every category and ask for details on why they felt 5-stars were not deserved. Encourage the guest to be open and honest and then genuinely thank them for their criticism, even if you don’t agree with it. Do not take it personal and do not get emotional. When you’ve got the information, you can try to formulate a plan to improve anything that is within your control. After you’ve tackled those things, then work on the harder stuff (harder for me, anyway), like formulating a plan to improve the guest’s perception of anything that is not within your control.

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Wine? <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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I do the same with enquiries @Magwitch There is a a little X on the top right hand corner of the enquiry post. If you click on it, it disappears as does any of the posts on the dashboard :slight_smile:

I know! There’s also the ‘dismiss from dashboard’ option that I’ve used before now and will do for Ms prissyscaredypants that I mentioned.
I was just wondering if letting things expire had an affect on anything. I’m guessing not.

But declines DO, getting back to the thread topic! I was going to post a whole list of reasons why it’s fair that Airbnb penalise guests for consistently declining guests but found myself tied up in knots.

I’d love to say ‘yes please’ but I gave up any sort of alcohol almost a year ago. So sad. :blush:

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I’ve cut back to once a fortnight. Sadly it doesn’t solve my problems just temporary relief.

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Great to hear! Speaking of communication, if you’re not doing so already perhaps you can send a follow-up message to your guests thanking them and asking them for areas where you can improve.

Thanks … :grinning:I do all that

I have done that … 3 have responded . One person put in their review the bathroom could be cleaner. I asked him to expound . He wrote back that there wasn’t very good water pressure but he didn’t know how to write that in the review .

Maybe I concern myself too much

Edit by KKC:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13675829?

So I’ve taken a quick look at your listing and these are my first impressions.

You’re getting marked down on location and there is nothing you can do about that. People are choosing for whatever reason to stay with you (is everything else booked by the time they choose your place?) and then marking you down. That maddening but until Airbnb does away with that rating you are stuck with people marking you down because there is nothing nearby.

The other thing is the old fashioned decor, paint furnishings etc. With some effort is could be mid-century modern cool but it’s not. As people mention, it’s like Grandma’s. Grandma’s 50 years ago. So people are going to rate it as a 4 star overall from time to time and that’s going to hurt your average. Perhaps if you could rearrange the living room and get a few new pieces you could make it seem retro cool. I see a cool looking MCM lamp in the living room. But it’s next to the piano not next to an area where someone would sit and read. Why are those occasional tables by the piano instead of next to the seating? The fireplace in the corner with no way to sit in front of it and the piano as the center piece of the room is odd to me. I’d repaint the pink room and get some sort of decor on the walls. Those pictures are odd and unsettling to me.

People may chime in about you needing better pictures and what not but that’s not why you aren’t making superhost category. So if you want to improve your listing take their suggestions into consideration. Things like pictures of the floor with a rug labeled guest bedroom 1 don’t make sense to me. Make sure all your pictures are in focus. Remove what look like personal pictures on the piano.

And yes it needs to be sparkling clean. You have remodeled the kitchen and bathroom and that’s great. New=clean in people’s mind. Make sure you get any stray hairs vacuumed up. Polish off all the surfaces, don’t just wipe them. Keep any water spots polished off.

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I have to agree. The photos of your listing show all of the furnishings to be rather dated. Adding a bigger area rug, throw pillows and a throw blanket as well as some art would go a long way in the loving room. Remove a lot of the pics too. We dont need to see all of the pots, pans, utensils, or every flower in the garden. For the bath Id pull the curtain out and just have one widescreen pic of the whole setup. In the bedroom- I don’t mind the pink- though others may find it unrestful. I would add some accessories to tie the pink in with the bedding.

Lol… I don’t like the pink and painting is on the agenda for 2019. I can only do so much financially. Photos mostly have been removed and house pictures need to be updated to reflect those changes.
I am not strong in the area of interior decorating so I appreciate your comments ; I am very open to suggestions. The living room was arranged differently but a woman who says she has done many show homes suggested the way it is . I guess it truly is a matter of opinion
Thank you very much for your positive feedback

Understood.

Well, I haven’t done any show homes and my mother called my sense of style “weird” so don’t listen to me. We have many members who have an excellent sense of style and I hope some will take a look and give some feedback. However I am a superhost for 19 straight quarters with 465 reviews, 98% five star so maybe I know something. I only host a small room though, not an entire home and yard.

If the pictures don’t accurately reflect what the space looks like now, definitely change them. If people see one thing in pictures and another on arrival then they may mark you down in the accuracy category.

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