The Importance of Turning Your Airbnb Rental into a Moneymaker
It’s safe to assume that the primary reason you invested money in a rental unit had everything to do with making money. It’s a great advantage to be able to make a little money renting out a home while the home simultaneously appreciates.
In a competitive vacation rental market, listing your home through Airbnb gives you certain advantages. After all, it’s a vacation rental middle-man brand that’s known all over the world. Of course, you’ll find yourself competing with millions of other investors looking to create the same reliable rental revenue stream. What you need is a way to set yourself apart from the crowd.
Why not go the extra step and become a “superhost?” That extra level of exposure might be all you need to get those rental dollars flowing in the door. Let’s take an in-depth look at how to become a superhost on Airbnb
What is a Superhost on Airbnb?
The Airbnb Superhost program was developed as a way for the Airbnb organization to reward active hosts for going out of their way to promote their vacation rental units. When a member earns the coveted “superhost badge,” they are immediately recognized as hosts who are willing to go the extra mile to ensure that each guest has an enjoyable experience. Let us explain why you might want that badge.
The Benefits of Being an Airbnb Superhost
The only reason any of us should do anything is if we can reap benefits by doing so. The only viable reason we eat vegetables instead of our favorite candy bars is because our bodies need nutrition. If you are running an Airbnb rental unit, you are doing so because you expect to receive the benefit of extra income and cash flow.
Indeed, being an Airbnb superhost brings with it benefits that are not available to the hosts who aren’t willing to go the extra mile. The benefits you can derive from your involvement with the Airbnb superhost program include:
Increased visibility is the unit rating scheme
Superhosts are more likely to be featured in promotional materials provided by the Airbnb system. Additionally, they’ll get preference when prospective guests go through the filtering process in search of the highest-rated hosts.
Increase in rental income per rental
Superhosts can earn more rental income simply by getting more exposure to would-be guests. They also tend to be able to list at slightly higher prices due to their elite standing within the Airbnb system.
Access to exclusive rewards as a badge holder
Airbnb provides exclusive rewards to badge-holders. The best one is a $100 Airbnb coupon that is awarded for each year of maintaining superhost status. Badge holders also get a 20% boost on the referral fee that is awarded to Airbnb members who refer new members.
If you are a numbers person, you might be interested to know that there is data that indicates the true value of Airbnb superhost status. According to AirDNA, superhosts exceed the performances of non-superhosts in these areas:
- Occupancy rate hits 81%
- Rental income comes in at 60% more on average per day
- Listing traffic comes in at 5% higher
Clearly, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to put forth the effort to gain Airbnb superhost status. Let’s take a look at what’s required to get your superhost badge of honor.
The Requirements for an Airbnb Superhost Badge
The devil is in the details, and Airbnb has a well-defined process for determining which hosts are entitled to superhost stats.
Every three months (quarterly), Airbnb’s system does a comprehensive review of each active host’s rental records. From this review, hosts can gain superhost status if the following Airbnb superhost requirements are met:
- Host at least three rentals or the equivalent of 100 days of occupancy during the 3-month rating period
- Respond to guest queries at a rate of 90% or higher
- Cancellation rate cannot exceed 1% for the 3-month rating period
- Maintain an overall guest rating of 4.8 or higher
If you hit all four of these metrics during the evaluation period, you will automatically earn your superhost badge. By the way, you don’t need to be an active Airbnb host for a full year to qualify for superhot status. You can earn your badge in your first three months as an active host as long as you meet all four requirements.
3 Tips for Meeting Airbnb’s Superhost Requirements
As a top-rated Airbnb cleaning company in the Los Angeles area, we know a thing or two about the Airbnb superhost program. Based on our expertise, we would like to offer you the following three tips for driving your vacation rental unit up to superhost status.
Good marketing practices
Certain marketing techniques seem to draw the attention of prospective guests. We would suggest that you market your unit listing with a concise verbal description and professional-quality pictures of the unit.
Provide excellent customer service
When providing vacation lodging, you are putting yourself in the position of a customer service rep with guests being your consumers. Guests will remember how you treated them throughout the rental process. We would suggest you enhance the experience as follows:
Make sure the unit is sparkling clean and smelling fresh
Respond to all queries as quickly as possible
Welcome gifts draw smiles
Make sure all necessary provisions are available
Provide and support access to WiFi, SMS, and phones
Unit Cleanliness is a must
The last item on the customer service list proved above is unit cleanliness. That’s where MaidThis McKinney can give you a huge boost. We are in the business of making sure homes are thoroughly cleaned and left smelling fresh. We do particularly well as Airbnb cleaners because we understand how important it is to customers like you that your unit is always sparkling clean and organized when each new guest arrives. Clean units get higher ratings from guests. It’s our investment in your investment.
If you want to work with a top-rated Los Angeles Airbnb cleaning company, call us, and let us tell you how we can help you become a superhost.
Please note: We use a proprietary online automated booking system that syncs directly with Airbnb’s rental system. Our system will automatically book cleanings to coincide with the scheduled departure of each guest.
