April 20, 2026 | 2 Minute Read
The past week brought several interesting developments with my short-term rental portfolio. One was positive and expected. The other was a painful reminder that operating short-term rentals comes with risks—even when bookings come through Airbnb.
I regained Airbnb Superhost status, which I had lost earlier this year.
Yay but really… meh.
Check out this hilarious SNL video on becoming Superhosts.
Regaining Airbnb Superhost Status
This month I once again achieved Airbnb Superhost status after losing it during the first quarter of the year for the first time in four years.
When I lost Superhost status, I was curious to see whether it would actually impact bookings. Many hosts assume that losing the badge will dramatically reduce demand.
But in my experience, that simply didn’t happen.
In fact, our portfolio had a very strong first quarter excluding the $30,000 costs of onboarding a new property. I wrote about that experience in detail in a previous article titled:
“Here’s What Happened After I Lost Airbnb Superhost Status.”
The data told a very clear story.
First Quarter Revenue Comparison
2026 (No Superhost Status)
Gross Airbnb Revenue: $13,809.16
2025 (With Superhost Status)
Gross Airbnb Revenue: $11,899.75
That’s roughly a 14% increase in revenue without the Superhost badge.
It’s also important to note that these numbers only reflect bookings made through Airbnb. They do not include bookings from other platforms or direct reservations ($9,339.27), which play an increasingly important part of our overall strategy.
What Our Guests Actually Care About
From my experience, most guests are not making their booking decision based on whether a host has the Superhost badge anymore.
Instead, they tend to focus on three primary factors:
- Nightly price
- Property reviews
- Overall rating
.
If those three criteria are strong, the Superhost badge becomes more of a secondary trust signal rather than a deciding factor.
One small perk of Superhost status is the $100 Airbnb travel coupon awarded once per year. I used mine recently for a trip to Nashville with my wife.
It’s a nice gesture from Airbnb, but in the grand scheme of things it’s a relatively minor benefit.
If you’re just starting out as a host and your goal is to become an Airbnb Superhost, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Instead, focus on your pricing strategy, maintaining a quality property, and earning as many five-star reviews as possible.
In the end, those factors are what really drive success for your short term rental.
Most importantly, you need to know your guests. If you operate in a vacation market with luxury accommodations, your target guest is very different from mine. Your criteria and strategy should reflect what motivates your guests to choose your property.
Of course, results will vary depending on the type of property you offer—luxury versus budget—and the market you operate in. These observations simply reflect what I’ve seen in my own corner of the market.