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Airbnb response rate and response time: how they affect your ranking
Quick answer
Airbnb measures response rate as the share of new inquiries and booking requests you answer within 24 hours, and response time as your average first-reply speed. Superhost status requires a 90% response rate, and responsiveness is one of the signals Airbnb uses in search placement. Because guests usually message several listings at once, replying within five minutes also wins bookings outright.
What exactly does Airbnb measure?
| Metric | What it counts | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Response rate | Share of new inquiries and booking requests you reply to within 24 hours. | 90% minimum for Superhost; aim for 100%. |
| Response time | Average time to your first reply on a new conversation. | Displayed on your listing; under 1 hour is competitive, under 5 minutes wins inquiries. |
| Acceptance rate | Share of booking requests you accept. | 88% for Superhost. Declines hurt; unanswered requests hurt more. |
| Cancellation rate | Host-initiated cancellations, excluding extenuating circumstances. | Under 1% for Superhost. |
Superhost thresholds are set by Airbnb and can change; check the current programme requirements in your host dashboard.
Why does reply speed win bookings?
A guest planning a trip rarely messages one listing. They shortlist three or four and send the same question to all of them. The host who answers first gets to shape the conversation, and often gets the booking before the others have opened the app. That is a conversion effect, and it happens whether or not the ranking signal moves.
The same speed protects reviews during a stay. A guest whose problem is acknowledged in minutes tends to describe the host as responsive in the review. A guest who waits until the next morning describes the problem instead.
How do you keep both metrics high?
Cover the hours you can't
Most missed replies happen between 11pm and 7am, and on the days you are travelling or working. Those are the hours to hand off first — either to a co-host or a service that monitors the inbox overnight.
Schedule the predictable messages
Booking confirmation, pre-arrival, check-in instructions, and checkout can all be scheduled. That frees your attention for the messages that actually need a person.
Build a saved-reply library
Parking, wifi, early check-in, pets, and late checkout account for a large share of inbound questions. A saved reply turns a two-minute answer into a five-second one.
Reply first, solve second
The metric measures your first reply, not your resolution. Acknowledge in under five minutes with a clear next step, then go and fix the thing.
Turn on push notifications properly
Airbnb notifications are easy to lose behind a muted app. Give the Airbnb app its own critical alert setting so a booking request cannot sit unseen.
Ready-made wording for each stage is in our Airbnb message templates guide.
Response rate FAQs
Never miss a message again
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