Hard Work Pays Off!
We’ve gotten some awesome news from Airbnb. Because of how much guests have loved staying at Betty’s and Oakley’s, we have become Superhosts! We are excited to be recognized for our hard work, and more importantly, meeting our goal of providing great experiences for our guests!
So what does it mean to be a Superhost?
If you don’t know what a Superhost is and how a host gets the status, its due to there being a lack of information available to guests from Airbnb. I’ve even talked to other hosts who didn’t know what it meant other than that you get a badge. Unfortunately, this lack of information can set unrealistic expectations of Superhosts, taking away from how difficult it can be to earn. We’d like to share the criteria with you here, so you can understand the roles of the hosts!
The Criteria:
As you can see, the zero cancellation part can be difficult! For instance, we have had guests who would like to stay for a few weeks or months, only to be unable to satisfy their request as we’ve had a weekend booking during their stay. We’ve been able to be accommodating by switching guests to Oakley’s or vice versa, but you hate to ask a guest to change their plans they arranged a month ago. Instant book makes it easy for those to plan a weekend trip, but breaks up our schedule for longer stays. We may need to tweak our booking settings, but this is a competitive market, and turning off Instant book decreases your visibility in the search engine(which is why we recommend you find our Airbnb listings by clicking the book now tab on the left side of the page!).
3 Month Evaluations: The Key Word is Value
Airbnb quantifies all these results and gives you a Superhost pass/fail every three months. This is great for both hosts, as it keeps us accountable, and guests who can be confident in a great place to stay. However, this can be stressful for hosts as most attempt to do their best, but you can’t please everyone! We’ve as of yet only had one 4-star review, which was our worst hosting experience. These people left 12 bags of trash, threw a party (against our host rules), and ripped a nice blanket. These guests, who lied about the reason for their visit, are able to keep their 4-star review posted due to Airbnb’s policy. Groups like this keep hosts on edge as Airbnb will remove your listing with as little as three 4-star reviews! We work hard to provide an awesome space for those who need it, so its hard to stomach guests who spoil things by not respecting the house and future guests who use it!
Most Humans are Awesome!
Fortunately, every other guest we have had come through our doors have been excellent and have reaffirmed our mission and inspiration for Dharma Dwellings! Again this is a labor of love!
I’d love to share one fun anecdote that exemplifies how great our guests have been! We just had a family come through who I got to hang out with on the deck for a bit. They graciously left us these heartfelt letters and some cultural gifts! The gifts include an Eagle feather, dried sage, sweetgrass, and prayer tobacco. All of these, in the Native American tradition, are burnt during times of worship to bring good fortune. The tribes of North America believed that the Great Spirit, which is in all things, is more receptive to messages sent in smoke! It was a fantastic gesture, and an example of human connection that makes what we do so meaningful. Not only do we get to help others, but we get to make friends and learn about the lives of others! We hope to pay their kindness forward in the future!
So, we hope you now find yourselves to be more informed AirBNB guests for any destination life may take you! Embrace the human connection that makes AirBNB so special! We hope you feel that love and connection when you stay in a Dharma Dwellings property!