You’ve seen those listings – beautiful homes with rave reviews…and that shiny Superhost badge annexed to the (smugly) smiling profile of your competitor…
It’s no secret that achieving Superhost status could potentially do wonders for you on the Airbnb platform. Apart from snagging you some handy perks from Airbnb (such as travel coupons and priority support), there is also the tempting possibility of this VIP acknowledgement helping to generate increased bookings and revenue from future guests.
In order to qualify as a Superhost, a host needs to ensure that these following four criteria are met within the year:
1. Achieve a 4.8+ overall rating
2. Ensure good communication with guests at a 90% response rate (or higher) within a 24 hour period
3. Host a minimum of 10 stays; and
4. Refrain from cancellations.
If this sounds daunting to you, don’t worry – here are 5 simple tips (tried and tested personally by Plush Services) to help you along your path to attaining Superhost status:
1. Enhance the guest experience
Nothing says “5-star host” more than one who makes it a point to meet their guests in person with a friendly welcome. Building a relationship with your guests is key to helping them settle in with ease – and hopefully leave a glowing review at the end of their stay!
Here at Plush Services, we find that providing our guests with a little welcome pack containing some basic amenities (such as bottled water and local snacks), together with a personal note to say hi, often leaves a great impression.
2. Be unique
People often gravitate towards Airbnb listings (rather than conventional hotels) because of the allure of a home-away-from-home environment with personal touches.
Capitalise on this interest by adding some unique highlights to your home (such as decorative items sourced locally, or a printed guidebook with personalised recommendations (as we offer at Plush Services)) that can serve as valuable selling points in your listing.
3. Pay attention to the nitty gritty
Before offering your home to guests, make sure to personally stay at least a night in your property to iron out every kink. Guests are entitled to expect that reality will live up to your listing, so make sure that everything is properly in order before their stay.
As far as possible, try to preempt potential queries by providing guidelines to your guests relating to issues such as check-in and internet connectivity, to name a few. At all Plush Services properties, we take the time to label the available amenities and provide clear instructions as to their use, for ease of convenience to our guests.
4. Maintain prompt communication
Ensure a speedy response rate to the queries raised by your guests. The Plush Services team, with our 24/7 on-call assistance, adopts an “answer within the hour” policy, which helps to instil trust as to our reliability as hosts.
Even if no queries are raised, a short note just to check in with your guests during their stay would also be a thoughtful touch.
5. Honour your bookings
Once a booking has been made and confirmed, don’t cancel out! This will only serve to disappoint your would-be visitors – and leave an unsightly blemish on your reputation as a host.
If the unavoidable does occur however (such as a family emergency), contact Airbnb directly to inform them of your intended cancellation. Exceptions to the penalties incurred may be waived under extenuating circumstances.
If the thought of managing your Airbnb property leaves you feeling overwhelmed, rest assured- our experienced team at Plush Services are happy to help with the heavy lifting on your behalf. Feel free to drop us a line at +603-2181 9399, or email us at enqu
[email protected] for further information about our services.
