Maintaining superhost status -don't fall for it!

@MissMiami thanks for your comment. I think you nailed it here. I’m kind of a passionate person that tends to put the heart in everything I do. My job is a vocational artistic stuff, I see it as a way of life, not only a source of income. Hosting is not that vocational though, but I guess I’m not trained in being emotionally detached from “job” as other people may be. Anyway, I see hosting as an opportunity to work on this aspect. I am convinced that hosts able to maintain a SH status for a long time without burning out must be very good at balancing the quality of the experience they offer and their experience as hosts, be it emotionally or rationally, particularly if they are co-housing. The fact I have my studio at home sometimes makes things weird with guests. They come and go in a space that is private / intimate in many levels. I seek to be surrounded by a nice atmosphere all around, and I love receiving guests with wide smiles and sparkling eyes that carry a great excitement for discovering Andalusian’s culture. I love to tell them about the secret spots off the tracks and the hidden gems the guides don’t show. But since the SH filter was set, I’m getting many difficult, noisy, inconsiderate guests that behave as poorly as they review. So I’m learning to put myself into a “shell” when they come, and focus on my things, treating them politely but not investing the same than with other people at all. In these cases minimum interaction proved to be better: luckily they won’t even bother to leave a review. If I put effort, however… this kind of people judge me poorly! I’d like to be more picky with guests as @metavirus suggests but for the moment, as I’m not in the core of the city nor extremely cheap, I don’t get so many bookings.

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@p_v
I’m glad you see the answer to your pain – detach yourself, limit your involvement with guests, understand that guests are your customers not your friends. Guests are a source of income, not love :slight_smile:

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Yes, I know. I think there is a misunderstanding. Despite being a passionate person and dedicated host, I don’t feel pain not expect love from guests!!! I just felt disappointed for not getting a little more appreciation and good vibes from some of them at one point, also a bit discouraged for receiving unfair reviews after ridiculous demands. My talk about the personality of super host was speculative stuff, something I grasped from comments I read from burnt out super hosts and host pursuing to qualify. I was trying to glimpse why a host would still go the extra mile to maintain a 5* overall review after it has proven ineffective. Maybe I did not manage to express myself rightly, English is not my mother language ;-P!

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This is true. Wimdu is like Air used to be and Wimdu guests are almost universally easygoing, in my experience.

Me too! Hate! Not to mention it puts pressure on us to show them a good time. We are hosts, not concierges and tour guides!

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I completely agree @konacoconutz, however I really enjoy telling my guest about secret spots and hidden gems when they are willing to know… Having their feedback about the city is also interesting… I understand giving this information is something extra, not something to be expected or demanded :sunny:

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Superhosts are overrated.

We will never reach super host status, because of the type of guests we get.
A lot of first time users, that do not read, and give ratings for the rong reason.

We are about 20 minutes away from the nearest skilift, it is clearly in the description of the listing.
Still we get an occasional low star on location because we are to far from the lifts…

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@Chris do you have Instant Book?

Yes, I have instantbook.
Recommend with 4,5-5 star only are allowed to IB.

@Chris so your “lot of first time users” aren’t instant booking. So maybe before accepting their reservation requests you could ask some questions and make sure they know. Something like “Thanks for choosing us! Before I accept your request I wanted to make sure you realize we are 20 minutes from the ski lifts. Some of our guests have been disappointed and we aim for 5 star experiences for every guest.”

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Tried that once, but guests do not understand the rating system, especially to one for location.

They see the location rating as located compared to others, not how accurately it is described,
So to be honest, I am on a 4,5 star average, for me it is too much work to get that half star extra.

Business is good, get a lot of bookings, I do not think that half star extra will help me.

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[quote=“Chris, post:31, topic:4994”]
They see the location rating as located compared to others, not how accurately it is described,
[/quote] As there is a rating for accuracy I always thought that location was to be rated in comparison to other locations, thought

[quote=“Chris, post:31, topic:4994”]
for me it is too much work to get that half star extra.
[/quote] Oh man I understand! Trying to improve location rating can be exhausting!! Maybe it would be interesting to start a thread about this…

SH is nice to have, like others here I got it quickly and have had for 4 quarters with 100% 5* reviews. @p_v like you, I’m an artist, I have a cosy and lovely spot, well designed and decorated but no fabulous views or anything. I think providing your description is accurate, the host will make or break a guests stay. I’m proud of SH status but with it or or not, I treat everyone the same. I take my hosting very seriously and really enjoy doing it. I’m a nomad so when I’m not traveling it enables me to meet others right under my own roof. And I’m lucky to have had mostly all great guests. If I loose SH status then I loose it, I’m not going to sweat about it. Mostly I don’t think guests have a clue what it is or to even look for it. I have had a repeat couple though who will only book with a SH.

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Two exceptional points.

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Wow. And no improvement? Yeah, I guess I’d give up too.

This is why you won’t get SH and you obviously know it so it’s interesting that you initially blamed it on your guests. But I totally get it and location is so subjective it ought not even count for SH status since the host has not control over that. There are times when I’m doing something extra and I think the same thing…is this worth it? I’ve also been dinged on location but not sure why. Neighborhood isn’t that nice but it is well located near the interstate highway but very quiet. Not a tourist stop so doesn’t need to be close to attractions. Who knows.

@KKC, location rating doesn’t count for qualifying as a SH, it is based in “overall experience” rating exclusively.

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This is too much.
I would never use the word ‘disappointed’ in my first correspondence. Simply say you are 20"minutes from the lifts in the first paragraph of your copy and play up the other benefits. Turn negatives into positives.

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Good point…

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Well, I certainly hope my guests would think I am a super host, but I have no interest at all in being a Superhost! Way too much to live up to … has anyone ever refused the badge? We’ve done absolutely fine without it in our first season, and when I’m travelling, choosing accomodation based on Superhost status wouldn’t occur to me …

@p_v - waving at you from along the costa!

I’ve only had one Dutch guest tells me he only looks for SH after having a bad ABB experience in FL. That doesn’t mean others don’t use it. I’ve been a SH a long time, not sure when I first qualified, so I don’t know if it helps me or not.