What is a co-host? 
When you signed up for AirBnB there is an option to create a team. A co-host is exactly what it states - someone who either helps you host or takes over the day-to-day hosting or manages while you’re away on your own vacation.
You can give the co-host different levels of admin access, I believe. The co-host has to have an AirBnB account, even if it’s just as a traveler.
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That’s right, @Cyndyrr327 , and to have an Airbnb account you have to be 18. This is about your 17-year-old son, is that right? You could have him co-hosting informally for now, and then set it up in the system after his birthday if it still looks like that is the way to go.
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If it is your son you are thinking of designating as cohost, there’s no reason why he needs an Airbnb account. It would just be an informal arrangement, as hosts often do with family or friends. All you would have to do if, for instance, you weren’t available to check guests in and he was going to do it, is let the guests know by message, “My 17 year old son XX will be checking you in, as I will be at work. His phone number is xxxxx, if your check in time changes or you need anything. I will be available after 5pm.”
See Muddy’s note. Many informal co-hosts are family members or neighbors who are not on Airbnb. My husband and I host but I am technically the only one on the account. If you designate a co-host on Airbnb and only use the co-host now and then, be sure to set it up so that they are not getting all the endless messaging from Airbnb even when you are around. It drove my occasional co-host a little batty until we straightened it out. She happened to already be an Airbnb host so had messaging of her own to deal with as well.
That was true but changed at some point.
I co-hosted a few weeks ago. It’s an all access except financial/banking information and scheduled messages were quirky. I had full control to edit the calendar, pricing, description, discounts, minimum stays, house rules, amenities, guest communication, respond to inquiries & requests to book, & more.
The alerts drove me crazy but if the primary host had stayed off Airbnb it would’ve been just like the alerts I get for my own listing.
The host was supposed to be resting her vision & off Airbnb & her computer. She couldn’t resist staying involved and she’s a big chatter (me too) so I would get an alert start to respond and get multiple alerts of her multiple short messages.
You do have some control over alerts but not much.
I don’t know the details but one husband wife team I worked with set up a Google phone number that forwards airbnb alerts to both at the same time so there is not a cohost. They are sharing the same Airbnb account
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Yes, all co-hosts have the same access now. It is still possible to set and allow/disallow different access levels but not through the co-host feature. You have to use the “Teams” set those up and everyone on the team can have different access levels/permissions. And the access is more than what co-hosts have. I imagine it’s mostly used by hosts who hosting for a company or a bunch of property owners.
However, everyone, including co-hosts, can change their notification settings. They can stop getting some notifications completely or they can only get emails instead of app or text alerts for some but not others.
My husband is my co-host but we set him up so that he only gets app alerts (no text or emails) and only for new reservations and guest messages (he’s just backup, he can tell me they’ve come in in case I’m asleep or something).
And I finally went in and took off all the notifications for those dumb reminders that come in at 3am about a guest arriving in a week.
This drives me crazy. I still don’t get why people use the send button as if it were a period. Why not write everything you have to say or ask in one message?
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