Airbnb Badges You Can Earn as a Host

Airbnb uses badges to gamify the platform, recognize great hosts who provide excellent hospitality, and show that the Airbnb community is made of real people.

Airbnb badges can be found on hosts’ profiles and individual listings. They help build trust with potential guests and can increase your chances of getting booked.

If you are hosting on Airbnb and are looking for ways to attract more guests and maximize your bookings, badges are certainly something to consider. So how can you get them? Read on to find out.

You may also want to check out our article to learn about Airbnb analytics and market intelligence tools that you can use to gather and analyze accurate data to get actionable insights and boost your profits.

Airbnb Badges: What Are They and How Can You Earn Them?

Airbnb badges look great on your host profile and can catch the eye of your potential guests. They show that you are a credible and trustworthy Airbnb community member who shares its core values.

If you’re eligible, having Airbnb badges on your profile can instill confidence in potential guests, help you get more bookings, and build a successful STR business. And if you opt for vacation rental software like Hospitable, you’ll make your business more efficient and will be able to scale faster.

Airbnb Superhost badge

An Airbnb Superhost status is awarded to top-performing hosts who go above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Travelers can easily identify a Superhost from the badge on the host’s Airbnb profile and listings.

You don’t need to apply to get this status—you can become a Superhost if you meet the program requirements, and the badge will automatically appear on your profile. The Superhost status is reviewed quarterly based on the assessment that evaluates your hosting performance over the past 12 months for all listings on your account.

You need to meet the following criteria to qualify:

• You completed at least 10 trips or 3 reservations that total at least 100 nights
• Your response rate is 90% or higher
• Your cancellation rate is less than 1%
• You maintained a 4.8 overall rating

Airbnb Superhosts have more visibility, have higher occupancy rates, make more money, and get access to exclusive rewards.

A Superhost badge is the most well-known example, but other titles appear as badges in hosts’ profiles. Let’s take a look at them.

Airbnb Plus badge

Airbnb Plus was an invitation-only program designed to highlight and promote listings that met Airbnb’s rigorous standards and a comprehensive checklist of more than 100 requirements. All Airbnb Plus listings were selected by Airbnb’s own experts based on comfort, quality, and amenities.

The requirements were more stringent than the requirements for the Superhost program. Once a listing was accepted into the program, it received a Plus banner highlighting its exceptional quality, comfort, and style. 

In November 2023, Airbnb officially ended the Plus program, and now the banner is no longer present in search.

Airbnb guest favorite badge

In its Winter 2023 Release, Airbnb introduced the Guest Favorites feature. It showcases the 2 million most-loved homes on the platform based on ratings, guest reviews, and reliability data from over half a billion trips.

The qualifying listings feature an Airbnb Guest Favorite badge in search results and on the listing page. Travelers can also use a filter to specifically search for Guest Favorite properties.

You don’t need to apply for your Airbnb property to be evaluated for the Guest favorite badge. All listings are evaluated daily, and the badge is applied and updated automatically.

Airbnb doesn’t clearly explain how its algorithm calculates an aggregated score to determine the overall quality and reliability of each listing. Many factors contribute to the score, including overall star rating, feedback in guest reviews, and ratings for each category (check-in, cleanliness, accuracy, communication, location, and value).

Host cancellation rates and quality-related incidents reported to Airbnb customer service are also considered. Besides, listings need at least 5 guest reviews, so you should do your best to ensure your guests have an amazing experience during their stay and encourage them to leave reviews.

That’s why you should always review your guests if you’re sure they have had an enjoyable experience. This way, you’ll increase your chances of getting a great review in return. You’ll never forget to publish your guest reviews if you automate review management using vacation rental software like Hospitable. Moreover, we will follow up with your guests to remind them about writing a review.

Highlights for top homes

In May 2024, Airbnb launched a new highlight to help top listings stand out and make it easier for guests to choose a place that best meets their expectations. The new highlight shows how eligible listings compare to others based on ratings, reviews, and reliability. Listings with at least 5 reviews in the past 2 years qualify for this highlight.

Eligible listings in the top 1%, 5%, or 10% are highlighted with a golden trophy, a golden Guest Favorites badge, and a label with the listing’s top 1%, 5%, or 10% ranking. These badges and highlights serve as a sign for potential guests that a property consistently delivers exceptional experiences.

Airbnb also shows guests if a listing is in the bottom 10% of ranked listings to indicate low quality. This category includes Airbnb properties that consistently receive poor ratings and negative reviews from guests and have reliability issues. The bottom 10% highlight appears above the reviews.

The new highlight is updated regularly based on different factors, including:

• Overall star ratings and feedback in guest reviews
• Subcategory ratings for check-in, cleanliness, accuracy, host communication, location, and value
• Host cancellation rates
• Quality-related issues reported to Airbnb customer service.

Verified Listing badge

Trying to crack down on fake listings, Airbnb has started verifying all its listings in 5 top markets—the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and France—and will add more countries throughout 2024.

The verification process involves anti-fraud technology and a combination of AI and human review. It helps to confirm that the listing is a real home at an accurate location and that the host can access that location. Listings that satisfy verification requirements get the Verified Listing badge, which is shown on a listing’s map.

Hosts are prompted to go through Airbnb’s verification process for new and existing listings, and most of them need to follow steps onsite at their listing location to complete the process.

Verification methods include:

• Hosts are asked to take two new photos outside and inside of their property using the Airbnb app with precise location sharing enabled.
• Hosts are asked to record short videos demonstrating that they are at specific locations in and around the listing—inside the property near the front door, outside the property showing the exterior view, or a nearby street sign.
• Hosts are asked to upload documentation to verify their connection to the listing, for example, a mortgage statement, utility bill, property tax document, or HOA membership.
• Some hosts may have the option to sign an attestation form that they have verified the location and access of all of the listings associated with their company.

For some existing listings, Airbnb looks at booking history data and guest feedback, such as ratings and reviews on previous bookings, along with documentation that hosts submit to verify their listings.

Airbnb.org Supporter badge

Airbnb.org is an independent nonprofit established in 2020 to provide people with temporary emergency housing in times of crisis, and Airbnb covers its operating costs. As a host, you can support it by hosting refugees or other people who need temporary accommodation in times of crisis or donating your money to cover the cost of temporary accommodation.

Hosts who support Airbnb.org can earn the Airbnb Supporter badge if they sign up to host emergency stays for free or at a discount or become a recurring donor and donate a percentage of each payout. The badge will appear on both your host profile and your listing pages.

Host Advisory Member badge

The Airbnb Host Advisory Board members are a group of experienced hosts who have made significant contributions to the Airbnb community. They speak on behalf of the host community and provide feedback and advice to Airbnb to inform corporate decisions and company initiatives.

The Host Advisory Board members play an important role in shaping the future of Airbnb and have a badge of honor in their profiles. If you want to become a member of the Host Advisory Board, you can nominate yourself to be considered for election.

Community Leader badge

This badge is for Community Leaders selected by Airbnb. They are host volunteers who lead local host clubs. Their responsibilities include hosting 4+ virtual or in-person meetups annually and moderating and growing a Facebook group for hosts in their area. They also represent their local community by sharing stories, ideas, and feedback with the Airbnb team. To become a Community Leader, you can submit your application on the Airbnb website.

Final Thought

Airbnb badges show that you are an active and engaged member of the Airbnb community and a great host doing their best to make their guests feel at home and happy with their stay. Having badges on your profile and your listings can help you stand out among other hosts and attract the attention of travelers who can become your potential guests.