Most Hospitable Hosts: Traverse City Airbnb hosts are tops in Michigan

Mark Urban, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·5 min read

Aug. 1—TRAVERSE CITY — Michigan's host with the most can be found right here in Traverse City.

Airbnb named Joni and Marco Marcantoni the Most Hospitable Host in the state in a recent report. The San Francisco-based platform based its rankings on reviews received from customers for the online marketplace for lodging, primarily used as vacation rentals.

Airbnb named the most outstanding hosts in each of the 50 states.

Those who earned the "most 100% 5-star reviews in the categories of Cleanliness, Check-In, and Communication in their respective states," were eligible for the honor, according to a report from Airbnb. A host had to have a minimum of 100 reviews to be eligible for the best in the state honor.

If more than one Airbnb host in a state met the criteria, the one with most number of reviews was named the No. 1 Most Hospitable Host. The Marcantonis topped the Michigan list with 299 5-star reviews.

The Marcantonis said the Golden Rule definitely applied.

"We love to travel — we met so many nice people who treated us like family," the Marcantonis said in the release. "We thought that if we ever opened up our own place, we wanted to treat our guests like that — like family.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time we are here to meet our guests and get them checked in. People will take better care of your place when you actually meet them and they can put a face to the property."

The Marcantonis submitted the statement and some background information to Airbnb, but did not want to be interviewed for an article.

The Joni and Marco Marcantoni listing touts "Country living close to Downtown. No cleaning fee." It features a "king-size bed, living room area, kitchen, refrigerator, microwave, coffee make ... private bathroom with shower, large deck (200 square feet) with gas BBQ (available May-October) ..."

The "gentleman farm is on 10 acres" if guests want to get away, but is close enough to those who want to venture into Traverse City.

"Expect peace and quiet during your stay," the listing reads. "Feed the goats, have a romantic dinner in the 125-year-old barn, or walk thru the fields. Downtown Traverse City is only 6 miles away and takes less than 15 minutes to get to by car."

Some of the most recent online reviews agreed with the descriptions from the Marcantonis. Several said the designation as the Most Hospitable Hosts in Michigan was well-earned.

"Marco & Joni are tremendous hosts!" a July 2021 review from Jana read. "You won't be disappointed staying here. Very relaxing and welcoming place! This was our second stay here, and we just love it!"

"A quiet, relaxing stay," a June 2021 review from Colleen stated. "Beautiful property just far enough away from the hustle and bustle. We will stay again."

Joni Marcantoni also has a history in hospitality. Joni Marcantoi "grew up in the Traverse City area where her family had 10 cabins on their property that they used to host teachers and parents of students at the nearby arts academy," according to the release.

Northern Michigan has a long history of hospitality and the Airbnb state rankings confirm it. Not only was Traverse City tops in the state, but one of the other five in Michigan to receive all 5-star reviews in the categories of cleanliness, check-in and communication was in Benzonia.

'South Street Suite — Peaceful Pond Setting' is the listing from Ken and Rhonda Nye. While the Marcantonis offer a one-bedroom for its Airbnb listing, it is a different set-up south of Benzonia.

"Very clean 2-bedroom apartment next to our home on a private pond," the listing reads. "Enjoy snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on our 85 acres with almost 3,000 feet of Betsie River frontage. We are adjacent to a 35-acre municipal park with a playground and a Veteran's Memorial Site. Lots of quaint stores and restaurants within 10 miles. Conveniently located 11 miles from Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.

"We think you will love God's country as much as we do!"

The reviews of the Benzonia listing seemed to agree.

"We love this property, it is very clean, the owners are very supportive and you can feel their love and care for their home," a July 2021 review from Vanessa read. "It is a very peaceful place with an excellent location."

"Great place to stay for a family get away," read a July 2021 review from Kaisheng. "The house is very quiet, spacious and clean. The pond is definite a big surprise, I can sit by for a day. Kids love the paddle boat, they had a good time there. The host lives nearby, it's very convenient ask for help. Highly recommend to stay there if you come to Sleeping Bear Dunes."

There six in Michigan to achieve the 100% standard were part of 310 hosts in the U.S. who received a perfect score in the three categories. Other highlights in the national Airbnb report included:

* The Asheville, North Carolina 'Blend City and Country at Lucky w/ Cottage' listing from Jessica had a 100% standard with 530 reviews, the most of any host in the U.S.

* North Carolina and California are the states with the greatest number of Most Hospitable Hosts with 35 each

* Portland, Oregon has seven Most Hospitable Hosts, the highest number of any city

The complete Airbnb report is available at https://news.airbnb.com/the-most-hospitable-hosts-in-every-us-state/.