Airbnb Guest Favorite Badge: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Airbnb has made significant updates in its Winter 2023 Release to improve the experience for guests and motivate hosts to provide excellent service. One notable enhancement is the introduction of the Guest Favorites feature, which showcases top-rated homes and rooms on the platform, making it easier for guests to find great places to stay.

Guest Favorites is a collection of the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb, determined by ratings, guest reviews, and reliability data from over half a billion trips. These listings receive an Airbnb Guest Favorite badge, visible in search results and on listing pages, ensuring high standards. Travelers can use a filter to specifically search for Guest Favorite listings.

Key characteristics of Guest Favorites include excellent reviews and ratings (above 4.9 stars on average), outstanding attributes like ease of check-in, cleanliness, accuracy of description, host communication, location, and value. These listings also have a reliable track record, with minimal host cancellations and very few quality-related customer service issues.

If your listing is designated as a Guest Favorite, it gains enhanced visibility and is likely to attract more guests due to the badge signifying trust and quality. Proactive communication with guests is essential, and using vacation rental management software can automate this process.

The evaluation for the Guest Favorite badge is automatic and occurs daily. Various factors contribute to the score, including at least five guest reviews, overall star ratings and feedback, subcategory ratings, host cancellation rates, and reported quality-related incidents to Airbnb customer service. Maintaining high customer service standards is crucial, as a single negative review can impact your listing's status and visibility.

Guest Favorites is distinct from Superhost status, with the former being a daily-reviewed badge for individual listings, while the latter is an account-level recognition for top-rated hosts, reviewed quarterly. Superhost status remains unchanged, and if you're a Superhost, your listings in Guest Favorites will display both badges.

It's important to note that Guest Favorite status won't affect Superhost status. The Guest Favorite badge provides a dynamic way to highlight individual listing quality in search results, potentially increasing visibility and bookings. New properties may face a disadvantage compared to seasoned ones, so encouraging guest reviews is crucial, and writing your own review can set the precedent.