Airbnb Business Hosts: Why 5 star Airbnb Reviews Matter
Howzit Airbnb Business Hosts
- Why do the top 1% of Airbnb hosts significantly out-perform the bottom 99%?
- Why are the top 1% of Airbnb hosts 9 times better than the average?
The good news: the reason for the difference is only because of a lack of skills between Airbnb business hosts. That we can fix. Here. Today.
Finally, I share with you a tip to immediately list your home as an Airbnb Superhost (Cape Town Agency).
I’ll be showing you proof on why Airbnb Business Hosts, in Cape Town and around the world, must work on trust-building skills. And then setting and motivating reasonable goals.
More hosts, like you, can be super successful. If these skills improve. It’s easy.
In my previous article on getting more Airbnb Bookings, I shared 6 critical skills for Airbnb Business Hosts. Get it here☝️.
I introduced trust, risks, listing your accommodation, why retention of guests is important, why a focus on high rates is a bad idea, and why selling lasting memories is important.
The first and most important skill is how to design for Trust. These are the practical things you do to get many excellent reviews quickly.
BTW…
You have seen a dog chasing its tail. Pretty useless.
Most hosts do poorly on Airbnb. Why? Obvious. They don’t realise it but they blindly practice their tail-chasing skills. They chase rates. And it’s more sad than funny.
Before you get discouraged by trying to be in the top 1%, there is an easier target!
If you are not yet; you must focus on skills to become a Superhost. Superhost status is a great start. And they do twice as much as Joe Average.
I won’t go into the details and criteria for becoming an Airbnb Superhost today. But study this link.
However, everything I say today and in follow-up articles on Airbnb Business Hosts tips and tricks; will assist you or at least put you on the right track to becoming a Superhost.
Becoming a Superhost is based on trust;
By scoring, on average, not less than 4.8 out of 5 during a year is the measure.
The interesting LearnAirbnb study noted that Average Joe’s Airbnb occupancy is only 17%. Bad. If we cannot do 35% in year one we don’t get involved. (See the Resources Box below for downloads of this study and other resources).
They say the only cause for the difference is a lack of skills. Together we can fix it.
Our experience showed that when we started working on trust-building skills we went from a poor average of 4.5 to an excellent 4.9. And Agency.CapeHolidays have more than 1000 Airbnb reviews. Starting today you can work on this too.
From today let’s design our offer to get wow reviews. I said design. I did not say hope for the best. No. My next video will discuss this in more detail.
Note. I don’t really care about how fancy your place is. No. All I care about is how remarkable you and your place are. Guests want an honest authentic experience.
But you may be asking: Who is the grey-haired old white dude from Africa with a funny accent? Why trust him?
I understand. My experience from 2009 is irrelevant today. That’s why I researched the facts to convince you.
The first fact may worry you a little. But don’t. Don’t.
LearnAirbnb researchers divided into nearly 6 million Airbnb bookings, 430 000 listings, and 250 000 hosts.
One of their findings is that Airbnb listings achieve 80% occupancy consistently after 250 reviews.
That’s a lot. If you are lucky with location, interior, and competitive rates you may get there soon. But for the rest of us. Don’t worry.
See how quickly occupancy increases as the number of reviews increases.
For hosts with 40 to 50 reviews, they tend to hit 50% occupancy.
All Airbnb Business Hosts’ ultimate goal should be to get to 1000s of reviews. But before you get there focus on getting the next one on your way to getting 50 quickly.
The next graph is kinder to new hosts or underperforming hosts.
Look at the review scores from Zero to 5 out of 5. Even with one lousy 1-star review, you will have a higher occupancy than at zero reviews.
How can you maximise income if guests don’t trust you?
This is why, for at least your first year, you must be focused on trust-building. The rest will happen.
Tip: Trust is a tradeoff against perceived value. Your Airbnb value improves, as reviews get better.
Let’s look at two listings from different owners:
Average Joe with his great place. Starts with no trust. No reviews. His focus is on making money by setting unreasonable rates.
Unfortunately, guests are wary to risk money with no reviews. Average Joe is now blaming the world for not getting bookings.
Jolene next door: Same great place. She is new with no trust. No reviews. She believed me. Cool.
But she was worried to set very competitive rates. But she did.
And Airbnb guests booked as their fear was traded against their eagerness to grab this amazing deal.
Jolene WOWed the guest at every encounter. Obviously, the guest had no option but to return the favour with a 5 Star review.
Excellent. Jolene is moving beyond average Joe.
In future Youtube videos, I share how to establish competitive rates to get many 5 star reviews quickly.
Now tell me! Do you agree with this old white dude, from Africa when he says guest reviews are your foundation to success?
Come on. Tell me in the comments area. The process to succeed is simple. Too simple. And simplicity is the catch.
Here are the quick steps you should follow until we unpack more in future videos.
- Start by designing for 5 Star remarkability
- Set very competitive rates,
- At every interaction exceed and surprise guests with wowness
- They trust or even love you
- See how the number of 5 stars increases
- Occupancy increases
- Now start tweaking rates upward.
- Loopback.
- Start at the beginning again. Tweak. And tweak. Up and down.
- Guarantee: 365 days later at an average of 4.8 out of 5 you become a Superhost.
Why not set an Airbnb Superhost goal while getting 50% and higher occupancy with 50 reviews?
Let me repeat. Set your home and yourself up to surprise or exceed guests’ expectations with remarkable authenticity. It’s free. Next week we discuss expectations.
If your guests say wow when they arrive, and say Wow when they depart you are a winner. They will obviously give you a wow review.
Together with all GREAT Airbnb Business Hosts never give up working on improving Airbnb marketing skills that will result in solidifying our foundation of Trust.
It sells. What else?
Have fun. Be good.
See you soon.
Johan Horak.
Airbnb SuperHost Management Agency.CapeHolidays.Info in Simonstown & Cape Town
And remember a winner is a dreamer who never gives up. Who else but Nelson Mandela.
The tip to list as an Airbnb Superhost from day one: if you know a multi-listing Superhost agency, like Agency.CapeHolidays, you can list with them. From day one your home is classified as a Superhost home. And if the agency is any good you’ll double at least double what average Joe do (See LearnAirbnb study for facts – saying Avg Airbnb hosts do 17% occupancy). BTW We do between 30% and 50% more than the average Cape Town Airbnb host.
But there are serious risks for the agent. We will only do it if we have qualified the home and the owner and we are fully responsible for the home.
Free Airbnb Resources:
