by Turo
posted on September 27, 2024
Turo hosts are dedicated, hardworking entrepreneurs who are committed to providing excellent experiences to their guests. To help raise the bar on five-star guest experiences, starting in early October 2024, we’re introducing updated criteria to qualify for All-Star Host status. Our decision to raise the bar is grounded in data that shows when hosts delight their guests with excellent experiences, guests are more likely to use Turo again, creating more future business for hosts.
The October 2024 performance evaluation for All-Star Host and Power Host status will be based on the current All-Star Host criteria. In January 2025, hosts will be evaluated on the newly introduced criteria for the first time, covering the October to December 2024 period. This will give hosts a fresh start to help them work towards achieving these new performance metrics.
Overview of the updated All-Star Host criteria
Five-star rate
At least 85% overall 5-star ratings for all completed trips
Maintenance rate
At least 80% 5-star maintenance ratings for all completed trips
Cleanliness rate
At least 80% 5-star cleanliness ratings for all completed trips
Cancellation rate
3% or lower for all trips
Completed trips
20+ completed trips
Reimagining the All-Star Host program
Turo has evolved a lot since we created the All-Star Host program in 2019. Now, based on data and guest feedback, we have a deeper understanding of what’s most important to guests.
The All-Star Host program celebrates host excellence and needs to reflect the criteria that matter most to guests and what makes a genuinely five-star guest experience.
The new All-Star Host program is designed to drive better guest experiences and more overall bookings, which will result in more earnings for hosts.
People want to drive cars that are in good condition and well-maintained. Similarly, guests expect the vehicles they book on Turo to be clean, inside and out, just like you’d expect from a traditional rental car company. Guests say maintenance and cleanliness are most important to them. So the refreshed All-Star Host criteria elevates these metrics as essential to providing an excellent guest experience.
Additionally, since all trips are now instantly booked, acceptance rate and response rate won’t be part of the updated All-Star Host criteria anymore.
Lastly, the new criteria will evaluate hosts on all completed trips, (with and without ratings) instead of only rated trips. Our research shows that when guests don’t rate a trip, they tend to have had a negative experience and are less likely to use Turo again. By accounting for these guest experiences as well as rated trips, All-Star Host status will better reflect our highest-performing hosts.
Understanding what’s changing
When the changes are going into effect
The first performance evaluation with the updated All-Star Host metrics will be in January 2025. Here’s the transition plan:
EARLY OCTOBER, 2024
• Hosts will see the new criteria in their performance dashboard.
• Hosts’ performance metrics for the five-star, maintenance, and cleanliness ratings will be reset, to help hosts successfully transition to these new metrics.
• Hosts’ cancellation rate won’t be reset and will cover the previous 365 days.
• The number of completed trips won’t be reset and will continue to track hosts’ completed trips during the previous 365 days.
• Hosts will still be able to access their past metrics and historical performance ratings.
• Hosts’ profile and listings metrics (number of completed trips, ratings, and reviews) will continue to be visible to guests.
OCTOBER 15, 2024
• The October 2024 performance evaluation will be based on the current All-Star Host criteria.
JANUARY 15, 2025
• The first performance evaluation based on the updated All-Star Host metrics, will cover the October 8 to December 31, 2024 period and will occur on January 15, 2025.
• Hosts’ cancellation rate and completed trip metrics will be evaluated based on the previous 365 days.
Understanding the updated criteria
Read on for more info on the refreshed criteria as well as useful tips to hit each metric.
Five-star rate
Hosts will need 85%+ five-star ratings on all completed trips to achieve All-Star Host status, highlighting exceptional hosts and encouraging more hosts to offer excellent experiences.
Not surprisingly, guests who have a positive experience on Turo are more likely to:
Give a five-star rating
Book more trips
Recommend Turo to their friends and family
Data shows that guests who have negative experiences on Turo are less likely to book more trips on the platform. Additionally, because many guests feel uncomfortable leaving a negative review when they have a bad experience, guests who don’t rate a trip tend to have had a negative experience.
These quotes are from two anonymous guests who each had negative experiences but didn’t leave a review:
“I was conflicted because I didn’t want to hurt someone’s source of income and didn’t want that extra stress. I did feel guilty for not letting other people know the issue.”
“I … didn’t want to leave a bad review, … [I] didn’t want to ruin their business and reputation.”
The chart below shows how likely guests are to book additional trips on Turo based on how they rated their first trip on the platform.
How guests’ trip ratings impacts the likelihood of booking additional trips
Guests who rate their first trip five stars are, on average 21% more likely to book additional trips on Turo than guests who don’t rate their first trip. This trend also applies to guests’ subsequent trips.
How to offer a five-star experience
Hosts get five-star ratings by consistently keeping their vehicles well-maintained and clean, and clearly communicating pick-up and drop-off info.
Guests also appreciate hosts who offer outstanding hospitality and a more personalised experience. These hosts are flexible with guests, share useful info about the car, and offer personal touches like using the guest’s name in messages.
How to get more five-star reviews
The single best way for hosts to get more reviews is to offer an excellent guest experience.
The chart below shows that hosts who consistently rate their guests are more likely on average to receive a rating than hosts who don’t. These hosts also tend to offer a five-star experience, be more engaged, and have a good rapport with their guests.
Likelihood of trip rating, by whether host rated guest
Many successful hosts send their guests a thank you message after the trip and politely ask for a review. Also, since guests are more likely to review the trip if the host reviews them, hosts should always review their guests.
Lastly, Turo has recently made improvements to help encourage more guests to leave reviews. When guests open the Turo app after a trip, they’re now taken directly to the ratings page. Turo now also sends guests several reminders to rate their trips.
Maintenance rate
Hosts will need 80%+ 5-star maintenance ratings on all completed trips to achieve All-Star Host status. While Turo has always required hosts to have well-maintained vehicles, now there will be a maintenance criteria for All-Star Host status.
How to get a high maintenance rate
It’s important for hosts to proactively stay on top of routine maintenance and repairs to avoid any problems. Common maintenance issues can result in guests having to cancel their trips or needing a tow, including:
• Safety or mechanical issues with the brakes, shocks, radiator, transmission, etc. that prevent the car from driving normally. These cars could still be drivable, but guests feel unsafe continuing the trip.
• Mechanical failure making the vehicle undriveable
• Tire damage
• Expired registration
Cleanliness rate
Hosts will also need 80%+ 5-star cleanliness ratings on all completed trips to be an All-Star Host. Turo has always expected hosts to have clean vehicles, and now cleanliness will be its own All-Star Host criteria.
How to get a high cleanliness rate
The most professional hosts on Turo clean their vehicles to the standard of traditional rental car companies, since guests understandably expect this level of cleanliness. It’s important for hosts to wash and vacuum the vehicle, and wipe down the console before every trip, as well as use odour removers to neutralise any bad smells.
Hosts should adjust their trip buffer settings if they need more time to clean between trips.
Guests’ ratings across different categories
The chart above shows guests’ ratings across different categories for all trips. After guests rate their trip overall, they can rate five different aspects of their experience. The chart shows that guests were most dissatisfied with the maintenance and cleanliness of the cars they booked.
Cancellation rate
Hosts will need a 3% or lower cancellation rate to achieve All-Star Host status. Canceling on guests creates a terrible experience and should definitely be avoided.
The chart below shows that when a host cancels a guest’s first trip, the guest is less likely to book another trip with Turo.
Longer term impact of cancelled trips on guests
When a host cancels a guest’s first trip, the guest is 22% less likely to book another trip on Turo compared to guests who didn’t experience a cancellation. When a host cancels a guest’s subsequent trips the guest is also less likely to book future trips on Turo.
How to maintain a low cancellation rate
The best hosts avoid cancellations by keeping their trip preferences, vehicle availability, and pickup and return hours up to date.
If a host has to cancel a trip and they have another, similar vehicle that’s available, they can offer the guest a vehicle swap.
Completed trips
Hosts will need at least 20 completed trips instead of 10 to achieve All-Star Host status. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from hosts that 10 trips aren’t enough to prove a host’s excellence. With this in mind, we’re raising the bar to identify our most dependable hosts who keep offering high-quality service, trip after trip.
How to get more bookings
Strategies that can help hosts get more bookings include:
• Offering delivery, including to airports, train stations, and hotels
• Pricing competitively
• Posting attractive, high-quality listing photos
All-Star Host perks and privileges
All-Star Hosts will continue to enjoy the same exclusive rewards for being glowing ambassadors of the Turo community. Additionally, becoming an All-Star Host is a key step on the path to achieving Power Host status.
All-Star Host perks include:
- More visibility – All-Star Hosts stand out in search results with a special badge on their listing and profile.
- Promo code – After achieving All-Star Host status for four quarters in a row, hosts get a $100 promo code to book a car on Turo for a trip of their own.
- Extra bookings – When Turo helps guests book a vehicle, we prioritise All-Star Hosts.
- Event invites – All-Star Hosts get invited to exclusive host events to connect with other hosts and the Turo team.
- No cancellation fee – While all hosts should avoid cancelling on guests and cancellations hurt their metrics, Turo waives the cancellation fee for All-Star Hosts.
Raising the bar together
We’re committed to hosts’ success and supporting hosts through this transition. We know hosts work hard to create successful businesses on Turo and we’re confident they’ll step up to the challenge. When hosts strive for consistent, exceptional guest experiences, we believe the Turo marketplace will be more popular with more guests, creating more business for hosts.
Share your thoughts
We’d love to hear your feedback on how you think these changes might impact you and what we can do to support you. Please fill out this short survey to share your thoughts.
