Guides · Launch and listing
Your first 10 stays decide your Superhost status: a step-by-step plan
Why are the first 10 stays so important?
Airbnb checks every host four times a year: on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. Each time it looks back at the past 12 months. To earn the Superhost badge you need a 4.8 overall rating, a response rate of at least 90%, fewer than 1% cancellations and at least 10 completed stays, or 3 stays that add up to 100 nights.
For an established host with 150 reviews a year, one bad review barely moves the average. For a new host, the average rests on very few stays. Do the math at 10 stays: nine 5-star reviews and one 3-star review give exactly 4.8. One more weak review and you are below the line for at least a quarter.
That is why we say you only get one start.
Before stay one: prepare the property
Most weak reviews come from a handful of things guests notice in the first hour. Fix those before you open the calendar.
- Sleep: a good mattress, blackout curtains, and air conditioning or heating that works in every bedroom.
- Cleanliness: a written cleaning checklist, and a photo of each room after cleaning.
- Water and power: hot water that arrives quickly, and a plan for outages if your area has them.
- Wifi: a speed you have tested, and the password where guests look for it.
- Check-in: codes or a lockbox, and instructions a tired guest can follow at night.
Before stay one: set expectations in the listing
Reviews measure the gap between what guests expected and what they found. Make the listing honest. If the street is lively, say so. If power cuts happen, say what you have in place. Write a caption for every photo that answers a question guests would otherwise ask you.
Price your first month slightly below the market to fill the calendar with reasonable guests, but not so low that you attract people who do not care about the place.
During each stay: remove every reason for a complaint
- Send check-in details the day before arrival, with a photo route to the door.
- Send a short welcome message on arrival day with wifi and the local contact.
- Check in once mid-stay: "Is everything as you expected?" Most problems you hear about in time can be fixed before they become a review.
- Answer every message within the hour when you can, and always within 24 hours.
- Send check-out steps the day before departure.
After each stay: review your review
Read every review the day it arrives. For anything less than five stars, find the cause and fix it before the next guest. Reply to reviews briefly and without arguing; future guests read your replies too.
Keep a simple log: stay number, rating, what went well, what to fix. After ten stays you will have a clear picture of your weak spots, and so will we if you are on the Superhost Track.
What you cannot control
Airbnb decides who becomes a Superhost. A difficult guest can still leave a low rating. What you can control is making sure there is no fair reason for it, and that your response shows future guests how you handle problems.
Sources
FAQ
Can I become a Superhost at my first evaluation?
Yes. There is no minimum time on the platform. If you have 10 stays (or 3 stays of 100 nights in total) and meet the other three criteria at the quarterly check, you qualify.
How much does one bad review cost?
At 10 stays, one 3-star review with nine 5-star reviews gives exactly 4.8. A second weak review takes you below the line.
Want the "how" for your own property?
A strategy session turns these guides into a written plan for your rental.
Rules change. Confirm with a local lawyer or accountant before you act.