Feb 22, 2026
Airbnb’s New Top‑Rated Guest Discount: How Smart Hosts Use It Without Killing Profit
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What this new discount is
Airbnb is testing a promotion that offers 10–20% off to “top‑rated guests” — travelers with around a 4.8+ guest rating and multiple completed stays. In practice, hosts are seeing messages in their dashboard or calendar inviting them to add a percentage discount for a specific date range in exchange for extra visibility to these highly rated guests.
Unlike generic price drops, this promo is positioned as a way to target better‑behaved guests while improving ranking in search, which is why it has caught the attention of serious hosts and pricing experts.
Why Airbnb is pushing this now
Industry analysts view this as part visibility boost, part early step toward a behavior‑based loyalty layer on Airbnb. Instead of rewarding guests purely for spending the most, Airbnb is experimenting with rewarding those who consistently earn high ratings from hosts.
This is only possible because Airbnb’s two‑way review system generates a large dataset on guest behavior over time, something traditional OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia do not expose in the same way. For hosts, the key implication is simple: great guests are becoming a defined segment you can intentionally market to—if you are willing to fund the discount.
Why the idea is attractive for hosts
Top‑rated guests are usually the ones who:
Communicate clearly, respect house rules, and leave the place in good condition, which directly supports maintaining the 4.8+ rating required for Superhost.
Leave thoughtful reviews that feed the “five‑star flywheel” where strong ratings lead to better search placement, more bookings, and higher revenue.
Several pricing and hosting guides highlight that small, targeted discounts can improve click‑through rates and occupancy when used strategically, especially in shoulder or low‑demand periods. When those discounts are focused on an already high‑quality guest segment, the trade feels more compelling: you trade some margin for smoother, higher‑review stays.
The hidden risk: stacking and margin erosion
The real danger is not the 10% headline discount—it’s how this promo interacts with everything else in your pricing stack. Airbnb’s own help articles explain that:
Weekly and monthly discounts are designed to stack with some promotions, and savings for long stays may be layered on top.
Custom promotions must represent a real price reduction compared to your usual rate for those dates, and may coexist alongside other host discounts.
On top of that, expert breakdowns of Airbnb’s discount system show that:
Rule‑set prices or manual price changes apply first.
A promotion (like the top‑rated guest discount) is calculated on that adjusted price.
The non‑refundable discount can then be applied on top of the promotional price, turning a modest promotion into a much deeper effective discount.youtube+1
Community discussions and professional blogs on discount strategy repeatedly warn that running multiple discounts at once can lead to “stacking accidents,” where hosts unintentionally give away far more than intended. In other words, this promo is not dangerous on its own—but in combination with length‑of‑stay, early‑bird, last‑minute, and non‑refundable options, it can quietly wreck your margins.
How to decide if this promo fits your strategy
Think about the top‑rated guest discount through three lenses: visibility, guest quality, and margin.
Visibility:
Airbnb is clearly offering a ranking carrot: lower your price for top‑rated guests and your listing gets promoted in search for a defined window. If your calendar is soft and competition is heavy, this can be worth testing—especially if your photos, reviews, and listing quality are already dialed in.Guest quality:
Targeting guests with 4.8+ ratings and several past stays means you’re more likely to attract people who understand house rules, know how the platform works, and respect your property. For hosts chasing or maintaining Superhost status, this segment aligns well with the 4.8+ overall rating requirement and low‑issue stays.Margin:
Every percent of discount is funded by the host, not Airbnb. So the only rational way to join is to run the math on worst‑case scenarios (promo + any other active discount + non‑refundable) and decide if the final nightly rate still clears your profit threshold.
A practical framework to use the discount safely
1. Audit every active discount
Before opting in, take 30 minutes to map out your pricing stack for each listing:
Weekly and monthly discounts (and whether they are still needed).
Early‑bird and last‑minute discounts in your pricing settings.
Any existing custom promotions on the calendar.
Non‑refundable discounts or special offer habits in messaging.
Many professional managers recommend limiting yourself to one or two primary levers—for example, length‑of‑stay plus a targeted promotion—rather than running every tool at once. This simplifies forecasting and avoids surprise underpriced bookings.
2. Decide where the promo fits in your calendar
Treat the top‑rated guest discount like a scalpel, not a hammer:
Use it during shoulder seasons, mid‑week gaps, or new listing ramp‑up periods, where extra visibility has real upside.
Avoid applying it to high‑demand dates that already sell at full price—events, holidays, school vacations, and weekends that typically book out months in advance.
This is consistent with best‑practice advice from revenue‑management blogs, which emphasize targeted promotions for soft periods rather than blanket discounts.
3. Protect yourself from over‑stacking
To keep the promo from turning into a margin killer:
Consider turning off or reducing the non‑refundable discount while the promotion is active, since that is the discount most likely to stack and compound the reduction.
Temporarily pause one of your other automatic discounts (early‑bird or last‑minute) during the promo window so you know exactly what’s in play.
Use Airbnb’s price breakdown view for a few test dates to confirm the final guest price and payout line by line.
Community threads show that hosts who regularly inspect the price breakdown after each new feature rollout catch misconfigurations early and avoid months of underpriced bookings.
4. Monitor results like an experiment
Think in terms of a 30–60 day test, not a permanent change:
Track occupancy, average nightly rate, and profit per stay both before and during the promotion.
Pay attention to guest quality signals—message tone, adherence to rules, condition at checkout, and review quality.
If you see more bookings but lower net income, scale the discount back or shorten the promo window. If you see higher‑quality guests and better reviews at acceptable margins, consider repeating the playbook in future slow periods.
Data‑driven hosts and pricing tools like Beyond Pricing use exactly this kind of test‑and‑learn cycle to refine discount strategies over time.
How to turn top‑rated guests into long‑term assets
Attracting great guests is only half the game; keeping them in your ecosystem is where long‑term profit lives. SmoothStay’s own guides on welcome books and guest communication show that:
A clear, well‑designed welcome or digital guidebook dramatically cuts repetitive questions and confusion, leading to smoother stays and better reviews.
Systematic, proactive communication before check‑in and during the stay is a core habit shared by successful Superhosts.
If Airbnb is moving toward a world where behavioral loyalty matters—rewarding the best guests with access to better listings and pricing—then hosts who consistently deliver polished, low‑friction stays will be the ones benefiting most from that future.
A top‑rated guest who experiences a seamless digital guidebook, clear house rules, and thoughtful local tips is far more likely to:
Leave a detailed 5‑star review that strengthens your rating.
Choose your listing (or brand) again when returning to the area.
Recommend your place to friends and family, amplifying your reach.
Where SmoothStay fits into this shift
SmoothStay was built precisely for this kind of environment: a world where guest experience, clarity, and professionalism are the levers that separate average hosts from true operators.
Digital guidebooks and welcome books help you set expectations upfront, which reduces friction and protects your rating when you bring in more volume through discounts.
Clean, branded experiences signal that you’re running a real operation, not a side hustle—something top‑rated guests increasingly expect and reward with their reviews.
If you decide to test Airbnb’s top‑rated guest discount, pair it with systems that make every new booking smoother, not just cheaper. That’s the mindset that turns a temporary promo into a long‑term competitive edge.
