A couple operating a Whitehorse property as an Airbnb was recently crowned the “Most Hospitable Hosts” in the Yukon by the San Francisco-based homestay marketplace company.
The honourees are Fay Tangermann and Gunter Glaeser, retirees who operate two rentals roughly a five-minute walk from the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs. The duo opened their first cabin to guests in 2016 and their second in July 2022.
“One is a smaller house, it’s a little cabin-like house, and the other one is more like a chalet, but it’s not big either. It’s two stories and it’s a bit bigger, and it’s a bit more luxurious, and it’s really quite nice inside,” Tangermann told the Yukon News.
Guests can access outdoor experiences provided by nearby hiking trails and the Takhini and Yukon rivers. In the winter, visitors can view the aurora borealis and take advantage of seven kilometres of ski trails.
Speaking about their excitement about being named Airbnb’s top hosts in the Yukon, Tangermann said, “We were quite surprised to receive an honour like this award … I mean, there are so many beautiful Airbnbs in the Yukon, and we were not prepared for this.”
“The biggest reward for us is the satisfaction of our clients and the happiness of our guests because that is really the biggest reward. It’s so lovely to see that they enjoy the area, the house and the surroundings.”
Airbnb’s 2023 report on hospitable hosts was compiled based on several criteria. For one, hosts had to have almost exclusively five-star ratings in the categories of cleanliness, check-in and communication.
Additionally, the minimum number of reviews to qualify in most Canadian jurisdictions was 100, although that threshold was lowered in the Northwest Territories, where 50 reviews were necessary for consideration. If there was a tie between hosts in a given jurisdiction, the top honour went to the person or team with the greatest number of reviews.
According to Airbnb’s announcement, 2023’s elite hosts in Canada have more than 2,000 five-star reviews across the three aforementioned categories. Tangermann and Glaeser received more than 200 five-star reviews.
In the N.W.T., an individual identified only as ‘Justin’ claimed the title of the most hospitable host in the territory. He runs a private suite near Niven Lake in Yellowknife. No winner from Nunavut was present on the list.
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