Introducing new COVID-19 safety requirements, updated guest standards, and more in the latest Host Update

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Introducing new COVID-19 safety requirements, updated guest standards, and more in the latest Host Update

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In the latest Host Update, Catherine Powell discusses quality hosting, updates to guest standards, and new COVID-19 safety requirements for members of the Airbnb community. 

 

Last year, in an effort to hold guests accountable for their actions during a stay, we announced new guest reliability standards. Since then, roughly 100,000 guest accounts that violated these policies and standards have been suspended or removed. In response to ongoing host feedback, we’re adding five new criteria to our guest reliability standards to address late checkouts, unauthorized pets, removal of approved security devices, and other issues. 

 

Between now and the end of the year, we’ll be investing in improvements to our systems and processes. These efforts will help us in making progress to ensure consistent enforcement, quicker response times, and higher overall accountability with guests.

 

As the heart of the Airbnb community, we know you work incredibly hard to provide the highest level of hospitality for your guests. When travelers have a bad experience with a host on Airbnb, it affects hosts’ reputations in their local communities and governments—and hurts our community as a whole. We’ve noticed recently that a group of listings didn’t live up to our expectations for quality. So just as we are removing guests to help protect the Airbnb community, we’ve decided to suspend or remove listings that have a consistent pattern of serious issues or that have regularly received low review ratings and failed to meet guest expectations.

 

In most cases, hosts with affected listings have already been notified and there is an appeals process in place to help address concerns. To learn more about these updates and how they may impact you as a host, watch the full Host Update. 

 

 

To help keep our community safe and trusted, starting October 12, hosts of stays will be asked to commit to a five-step enhanced cleaning process. Hosts will be required to attest to the protocol by November 20. If you’ve already attested, you’ll simply need to follow a quick prompt to agree to wear a mask and practice social distancing. New hosts will also need to commit to the safety practices. According to internal Airbnb data, listings enrolled in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol are some of the most popular listings and have three times more bookings on average than listings that were not enrolled in the protocol.

 

We know health and safety has been top of mind for both hosts and guests alike, and we will continue to try and ensure standards are being met. As always, thank you for sharing the topics that matter to you. Please let us know what you’d like us to cover in future Host Updates with Catherine. 

 

To read a full overview of the video, visit this Resource Center article.

383 Replies 383

@Josephine31Same in our area (British Columbia).  No mask mandates by the government.In fact, Airbnb's masking mandate goes against the Canadian Charter of Rights.  We will be taking them to task on this!

@Catherine-Powellthis is my question too, we don't have to wear masks here as we have no community transmissionand I work in the retirement living industry where there is also no requirement to wear masks. 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Mark116 @Emilia42 I think the "new" 5 step is different than the 500 step protocol... I'd really like to see ABB deal with the fact that it's entirely likely that 99% of those signed up for the "protocol" aren't doing entire chunks of it. I in no way shape or form believe that hosts are regularly washing their walls and ceilings with soap and water. It's not true. Enhanced Clean is a Joke.

 

And as per usual a news article alerted me to this "improvement" instead of ABB

@Kelly149 You are spot on. There is no way. And as far as I am concerned if a host gets a 3 or 4-star for cleanliness while having the enhanced cleaning badge they should be booted. Airbnb should really look into whether or not cleanliness ratings have improved for those with the badge or if they have remained the same. 

 

Also, how can you truly follow the cleaning protocol without at least 24 hours in between reservations? 

@Emilia42 I don't think I want to give guests the power by way of reviews for such things, but recently there was a thread where a host with a LOG CABIN had the enhanced clean on her listing. I looked at that and thought, nope, no way, no one is WASHING logs and chinking between every guest.

 

*I have wood walls... I stopped the minute I got to the section when it said I'd need to be scrubbing those to qualify. Ridiculous

Agreed. I also can't be taking down my curtains and washing them between guests. This is overkill.

I agree with you.  I have an adobe home and the walls are not easy to clean.  I spray the wall  with a cleanser and I can't imagine spending hours on each room, much less a common area.  

I agree too. My cottage is Grade II* listed (top 7% of heritage homes) and cannot be scrubbed between every guest without destroying historic fabric of the building - a criminal offence! Also, can the cleaning 'experts' explain how to change linen and reset the rooms which has to be done after sanitising when you cannot re-enter a sanitised room? How long are their arms???

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

haha @Carol280  your last sentence is brilliant!

 

Please explain @Airbnb 

 

@BrianChesky

Rob-And-Gen0
Level 5
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

Hi Kelly and Emelia, 

 

Did either of you read the new cleaning protocols and the 36 page long PDF file for cleaning dated from September 2020 ?

It does not call for washing the ceilings and walls between every guest. I have no idea what you are talking about. What page are you referring to in the NEW cleaning protocols please ? 

 

Thanks, 

Gen


 

I keep asking for 3 nights between stays as the most I can set automatically is 2. I try to do it manually but can't catch every one. We have campsites and cannot wash the wood nor want to use a lot of chemicals where there are a lot of animals and waterways. I do spray inside and use disinfecting wipes on hard surfaces, but the enhanced cleaning is not appropriate in this case. 

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

I've just seen a notice about this at the bottom of the dashboard @Kelly149 ..... 😞  - "Just a booking platform...") 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Kelly149 @Emilia42 

I think this new protocol is just about doable. We will remove huge amounts of crockery from our listings to enable them to be put through the dishwasher between every stay.

We will also follow manufacturers instructions on how often to clean curtains, carpets etc. 

Any other concerns that I may have missed?

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

What about those of us who home share, letting spare rooms?

- Do I BAN guests from helping themselves to the contents of my kitchen cupboards, because I don't want to wash EVERY single pot,pan, plate, teaspoon that I own before/after the stay?

- Do I tell folk to bring their own cutlery/crockery/pans, to protect them from other people's standards? (Not very accommodating, not the relaxed, help yourself, easy-going-ness which makes me sucessful.)

 

Guests who book a £20 spare room are by definition not overly worried about catching Covid, or else they wouldn't be here!

A lady down the road has at the top of her home share  listing "House is cleaned to a normal lived-in standard." - So is mine! - And that's been good enough for the 38 guests who have reviewed me since we were allowed to host again on 4 July!

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Hello @Helen350 


Haven’t read new regs but what I do currently is provide guests with own cutlery, crockery, pans, frying pan, oil,spices teas and coffee  in a cupboard and their own food cupboard. And their own antiseptic gel and tissues. 

 

I don’t wash walls or curtains between each stay.

 

i use a separate living space and downstairs bathroom. 

 

I do leave a day between stays so in reality that is nearly two days. 

I have asthma so not required to wear a mask.