Puerto Rico ranks first out of 200 jurisdictions for the highest share of Superhosts, with 41% of all hosts holding that status, Airbnb announced.
Among that 41% is Maritza Cabán Morales, 56, who together with her husband Manuel Avevedo Ríos, 61, owns Casa Campo Obymar, in Moca.
"The key to success has been communication. What we offer is what you see in the photos. We take care to make sure guests arrive to a clean, welcoming space where they feel at home, and there's no question the place is magical and special because it lets you breathe in peace," said Cabán, who is a medical technologist.
Due to the economic situation and the lack of job opportunities for her husband, she said, they were forced to look for alternatives that would help them generate another source of income.
"On top of our financial obligations, we have two teenage children who still depend on us a great deal, and we saw Airbnb as the solution. We were ready to open and then Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, which delayed our opening until June of 2019," Cabán said.
"We started receiving guests in November of that same year. Then 2020 brought the pandemic and, with it, the lockdown. To make matters worse, at my job everyone who was on professional services contracts was put on hold. It was a very uncertain time, but fortunately having the house on Airbnb helped us generate some income to stay afloat," she said.
For his part, Carlos Muñoz, Airbnb's director of public policy and communications for Central America and the Caribbean, congratulated Puerto Rico's Superhosts for their excellence.
"In times of economic instability, Airbnb has become an important source of income for Puerto Ricans who share their spaces on the platform," Muñoz said.
The announcement comes as the platform reached 1 million Superhosts worldwide.
Benefits of being a Superhost
Regardless of the type of space offered on the platform (from a single room to a large property), any host can become a Superhost by providing exceptional hospitality.
Hosts who reach Superhost status by providing exceptional hospitality and meeting specific quality standards can generally expect to earn even more from sharing their spaces through the platform.
Superhosts have an overall average rating of 4.8 or higher, based on reviews from guests who used Airbnb in the past year.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
