Guest Favorite (Airbnb program)

Guest Favorite is an Airbnb listing badge awarded algorithmically to the listings guests rate most highly, based on review scores, review volume, cancellation history and reliability signals rather than on host behaviour alone. Badged listings carry a visible marker in search results and on the listing page, and can be isolated with a dedicated search filter. Airbnb introduced the programme in 2023 as a guest-facing quality signal sitting alongside, and partly overtaking, the older Superhost status.

How it differs from Superhost

The two programmes measure different things and are held by different entities:

• Superhost is awarded to a host account and reflects host performance across their whole portfolio — response rate, cancellation rate, overall rating and completed stays — assessed on a quarterly cycle.
• Guest Favorite is awarded to an individual listing and reflects that listing's own review quality and reliability. It is re-evaluated continuously, so a listing can gain or lose it between quarterly Superhost windows.

A Superhost can therefore own listings that are not Guest Favorites, and a non-Superhost can own one that is.

Why it matters

For operators, the badge functions as a conversion and ranking asset in much the same way a high Reputation Score does on other platforms: it raises click-through from search, supports a rate premium against unbadged comps, and qualifies the listing for a filter that removes competitors from view entirely. Because eligibility is driven by recent review quality and by cancellation and reliability signals, it is sensitive to operational slippage — a short run of weak reviews or a single host cancellation can cost the badge, and with it a measurable share of search visibility.

It also matters for benchmarking. When building a comp set on Airbnb, badge status is one of the few standardised quality markers available, and mixing badged and unbadged listings in the same comp set will understate the rate ceiling a well-reviewed property can reach.

Related

• Superhost (Airbnb program) — the host-level status the badge complements
• Reputation Score and Review Velocity — the underlying review dynamics that drive eligibility
• Genius (Booking.com loyalty program) and Preferred Partner Program — comparable visibility and badging mechanics on other platforms
• Visibility Booster — the paid alternative to earned visibility
• Comp Set (Competitive Set) — where badge status should be controlled for