Agreed. We use the platform to book numerous times and never did I feel the need to mention that we are Superhosts. I would expect the host to know we are as clean and responsible as anybody else they would host, period.
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I don’t think it is odd because I have experienced it several times. I do find it frustrating though!
I signed up as a host in 2016 and it said it was required but I didn’t do it and it went through. (I figured it wouldn’t let me and I would actually do it but that wasn’t the case.)
I only verified later as a guest because one of the hosts I wanted to stay at their listing required it.
I might think it, but, no.
…got lost in the “its”…?
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That message from the superhost would raise my hackles. I would say “Thank you for your inquiry/request/IB. I know emails aren’t the best form of communication; based on your comment about “what it takes to be a good host,” I just want to make sure that your expectations are in line with the amenities in my listing. For instance, I work full time away from the listing and am not “on call” like a hotel valet. I leave my guests to themselves and make it clear how to contact me should there be any issues. As a superhost as well, I do my best to go over an above. Please re-read the listing amenities and house rules and if you’re sure this is a good fit, write back and I’ll approve your stay.”
Honestly, I’d just say No. For the folks on this forum, our reviews speak for our listings and while we often decry the superhost “stigma,” we also work darn hard to meet and exceed those requirements. Anyone up-front bragging about that and then sounding like the Gestapo doing an inspection tour can find another place to stay. IMHO.
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TMI - and also lets your ‘suspect’ guest know they have unsupervised access to your property. I would eliminate that from your communications with guests. If anything, resentment over you relegating their needs and stay to ‘off time’ supervision will set you up for problems.
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Yes, concur. At most say that your schedule is irregular and that you are not always immediately personally available, but will respond quickly to messages.
Also I think that’s a bit too subtle a way to communicate that you expect the guest to have reasonable expectations. I like Christine’s suggestion “And I’ve also found that Superhosts know what it means to be great guests.” That way if they just erred in saying “host” instead of “guest,” you’ve not explicitly corrected them (nobody enjoys that), and if they’re signalling high expectations, you’ve warned them you also have high expectations. Elegant solution.
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Good point
20220202020
I always mention that I am a host, I don’t say super host (although I am a super host). But I let them know that we understand how hard it is to host guests, and we will treat their property with the same respect we expect at ours. I wonder if this guest mixed up host and guest.
I would decline. There 1st impression is not good for me, not a good fit.
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I wonder if that’s what this guest meant, or like others have said, maybe meant to say they know what it takes to be a good guest. Needless to say, they never confirmed their identity so Airbnb unblocked my calendar and I got another booking for those days. Their first impression was rather off putting though, and they kept sending multiple messages asking me about things that are clear in the listing so it seems like a good thing it didn’t work out.
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We never mention that, we just book and if they are sufficiently interested, it’s one click.
We have guests right now who did similar.
Why?
Because they are on a road trip, and previous Airbnb’s had amenities in their listing that were either non existent or not as expected. Great guests who’ve extended their stay, on a direct basis.
JF
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Careful when saying that - they do not know, for example, if you are a hoarder or chain smoker, or are ok if folks dye their hair in your sinks. Your standards could be very different. It’s a rookie mistake to assume that when someone says what you are saying, that they will be doing everything like you would prefer.
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We HATE those types of reservations, and we can usually pick out the guests that are going to be high maintenance or unreasonable with expectations…