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Post by High Priestess on Feb 16, 2016 1:14:05 GMT
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Post by carolyn on Feb 16, 2016 2:18:39 GMT
Thank you Deborah! I couldn't get the font consistent, but maybe that is not a bad thing...(:
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Post by High Priestess on Mar 29, 2016 1:19:09 GMT
Hi Carolyn
I finally got around to having time to read your blog post more thoughtfully.
I agree, that it is too easy for new hosts to get Superhost status, and hard to maintain it. And I agree that it leads to hosts being obsessed, and I mean really obsessed with star ratings and performance statistics. Which is a big reason why I have constantly and consistently advocated that hosts do NOT pay attention to Superhost status!! To me, being concerned about Superhost is sort of like no longer being able to eat food and just enjoy the taste, the texture, the company, and the atmosphere, but now being obsessed about reading about the ingredients and calorie count on every bit of food you eat. This isn't how humans are supposed to live.
I think it could really benefit us all to back off from calorie counting, and remember that all we are doing is running a business of renting out property, and try to avoid going nuts over the games and slogans that one particular company where we advertise, has going along with its company. That gamey stuff is for the corporate geeks to go nuts over. For the rest of us, just leave us to the meat and potatoes fare of actual hosting and property rentals.
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Post by becks on Mar 29, 2016 23:03:36 GMT
Interesting read, Carolyn. I completely agree with you that hosting only 10 guests is far too low a number. I am one of the veteran hosts of which you speak, over 400 reviews none of which are bad. I have two guest rooms in my old dilapidated house and I get budget travellers. They mostly love it here and almost all my reviews mention how great I am. Not trying to boast here, just making the point that if anyone should be a Superhost, I should, ha ha! I take good care of my guests, give them information, help them out when needed, make them feel welcome etc etc etc. My 5* overall experience ratings are generally around 78%. I got SH status for around 3 months last year (I think) but when you have an average listing that is not in the centre of town and so many guests coming through, it's almost impossible to maintain 80%.
You make a lot of good points about this flawed system. Another one that occurred to me some time ago is there is no distinction between a superHOST and a superLISTING. Many superhosts are such because they have a truly superlative listing in an amazing place. They may not ever even meet their guests. Of course they deserve credit for maintaining a high standard in their property and taking care to provide a good service but it's not the same as providing a personal human connection where you make sure they don't get lost, dry their wet clothes when it's raining, talk with them, give them a hot cup of tea and some medicine if they're poorly, call lost luggage because their English is limited blah blah blah. You know, like the fluffy adverts about caring and sharing? I do all that stuff and it's reflected in the reviews. But 'overall experience' is subjective - many guests just don't ever give 5* for anything, others are influenced by the weather, they were in a bad mood, they lost their luggage, my cat didn't take to them etc. I don't care about being labelled a superhost. As you say, most guests don't even know what it means and not having that badge doesn't stop me from getting plenty of bookings. So yeah, you can shove it where the sun don't shine!!
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