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

[Airbnb]

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.

[Tracie8]

I don’t feel particularly encouraged by this latest host requirement to “protect the safety of our whole community.”  It seems like an insincere protocol for protecting corporate AirBNB. If AirBnB were really interested in protecting the health and livelihood of its hosts I wonder if hosts would be picking up the full cost of leaving days vacant between guests? If it is so important to the guest I wonder why the guest (or AirBNB) has no part in sharing in that expense? If Covid cautions and protocols are so important for everybody’s safety, I wonder why guests don’t have to make a written agreement to keep their masks on around their hosts and in public while they are staying in my home? Why they’re not asked to wash their hands each time they enter the lodging? Why they’re  not discouraged from attending indoor events of ten or more people? Why they’re not discouraged from inviting visitors inside their AirBnB lodging? and most importantly, why they don’t have to report to the host if anyone in their party is ill, gets ill (or has a positive Covid test) within a certain number of days from their stay?

I am extremely carefully about cleaning protocols in this Covid era even without having to formally agree to it. I spend hours on every cleaning and I continue to keep my cleaning fee low to keep the price manageable for guests.

I’ve come to expect less and less from AirBnB which doesn't equal more profit /  less effort on their part—starting with host support in the form of a accessible human beings. Please. Stop with the “we’re all in this together” line.  It’s a ruse.

[Kareen22]

I agree I do not need my government or AIrbnb to tell me how to stay healthy and safe that should be for us to choose whether we are traveling or allowing travelers into our home. 

[Dawn6]

@Tracie8 I agree whole heartedly. AirBnB is going the way of Lyft/Uber, who constantly undercut their drivers.

[Charlotte40]

@Catherine-Powell and @Airbnb you have been encouraging us for so long to follow our own countries guidelines and procedures.  Well - here in New Zealand, these are our guidelines - no masks, no social distancing (www.business.govt.nz/covid-19/operating-at-alert-levels/)  It is unreasonable to expect us to comply with standards set by overseas agencies.

Operating under Alert Level 1

At Alert Level 1 everyone can return without restriction to work, school, sports and domestic travel, and you can get together with as many people as you want.

It's still important to keep basic hygiene measures, including washing your hands and coughing or sneezing into your elbow.

• If you’re sick, stay home. Don’t go to work or school. Don’t socialise.
• If you have cold or flu symptoms call your doctor or Healthline and make sure you get tested.
• Sneeze and cough into your elbow, wash your hands, and regularly disinfect shared surfaces.
• Keep track of where you’ve been and who you’ve seen to help contact tracing.
• Businesses must help people keep track of their movements by displaying the NZ COVID Tracer app QR code for contact tracing.
• Stay vigilant. There is still a global pandemic going on. People and businesses must be prepared to act fast to step up Alert Levels if we have to.
• If you’re concerned about your wellbeing, or have underlying health conditions, work with your GP to understand how best to stay healthy.
• People will have had different experiences over the last couple of months. Whatever you’re feeling — it’s okay. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.

[Charlotte40]

actually - you might find this article interesting too - 31,000 odd sports fans attended a Rugby match with no face masks, but you expect hosts and guests to wear one when they interact? www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/123064202/all-blacks-vs-australia-sports-fans-around-the-worl...

[Tiziana258]

I have an issue with the "wear the mask while interacting with guest" requirement. My guest share our house, so should we wear a mask every time that we are in the same room? Even if we social distance? It doesn't really make a lot of sense for us: we share bathroom, kitchen , cutlery etc etc ...

If that was Airbnb require There is no sense to stay on this platform any longer.

Can I please have a reply?

[Francesco1366]

Hi @Tiziana258, 

the sense of the rule is to protect you and the guests. If living together you both decide to take off your mask, or even to kiss, I think you can. If you host someone who cares a lot about this rule? As absurd as you want but you have to keep the mask. When? I think if you are in the same room and therefore have the possibility to interact. If he cares, he'll make sure he doesn't use soap and other things in common with you. Otherwise, very absurd I admit, he will lick your plate and eat your soap, with mask. Anyway you have to agree with him, I think. 

[Belinda55]

After a lot of to-and-fro-ing with Airbnb support I finally got this response.
My question:
So is this mandate applicable or not [in a location with no/minimal Covid activity]? Or does it depend on the “current status of the country” [as suggested to a NZ host]? Will I be delisted and my bookings cancelled if I choose not to comply because it is unreasonable? No one is giving me answers on this.

Airbnb:
Yes, everyone was sent protocols set by Airbnb, and I regret to advise but I won't be able to bend the rules made for everyones safety.
We understand that you are best at what you do, and we seek for your understanding that a serious action for the pandemic is a measure Airbnb proactively required for the many.
We are more into working ahead, thinking ahead before anything goes wrong. Please understand that it is best to take precautions that work on a cure.
With this, your understanding and cooperation is very much appreciated.
Your listing may not be delisted, however as stated on the email;
All hosts are required to agree to these COVID-19 safety practices by November 20, 2020. Hosts who don’t complete this requirement before the deadline may be unable to accept new reservations.
You may also want to read on this link for health and safety requirements for Airbnb stays.
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2839/what-are-the-health-and-safety-requirements-for-airbnb-stay...
I hope we have answered your questions.

[Caraline1]

I won't be signing up for these new practices. I've yet to find the guidance for not signing up. Do I suspend or delete my listing?

[Belinda55]

@Caraline1

Airbnb has reiterated to me that if I don’t sign up they may block new reservations:

“Your listing may not be delisted, however as stated on the email;
All hosts are required to agree to these COVID-19 safety practices by November 20, 2020. Hosts who don’t complete this requirement before the deadline may be unable to accept new reservations.”
This could be a great boon for their competitors!

[Sue-and-David0]

I'm happy to continue the thorough cleaning we have been doing right through covid,but compulsory face masks in Australia? Not appropriate. And guests would be offended if we had to ask them to wear them too.

One size is not appropriate for all

[Katie]

Hi everyone, 

I previously posted a response further up this thread regarding confusion over the ECP and the 5 step process, but I know that some of you still felt that the information was not clear enough, so I wanted to link you to this clarification which I recently posted on another thread:

The mandatory 5-step cleaning process and the cleaning handbook are different. Here’s how:

• The 5-step cleaning process is an overview of how to properly clean, that all hosts must agree to follow. To be clear, Hosts only need to commit to the 5-step enhanced cleaning process. You can find the exact steps that hosts must agree to here.
• The protocol is a detailed and expert-backed document that provides step-by-step guidance on how to clean and sanitize during COVID-19 and beyond. Think of this as the comprehensive manual that you can refer to for best practices to help make your home more clean and safe for your guests. 

To give some background on this: Airbnb launched the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol  in June 2020 as a comprehensive cleaning program that was optional for hosts to join. This program saw great success with around 1.5 million listings enrolled by Oct 7. As the optional program rolled out, the science continued to evolve, and we heard from hosts they wanted more clarity on certain aspects of the protocol. So we updated the protocol to reflect the current science. 

In order to continue to protect our community and help provide assurances to governments and communities, we decided to create mandatory COVID-19 Safety Practices, which include mask, distancing and a single cleaning standard for all hosts. However, we wanted to make this process achievable for hosts. With expert guidance, we developed a simplified 5-step enhanced cleaning process, using the framework outlined in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol handbook. 

Hosts are only required to follow the five step process, but we will continue to provide all of the materials of the enhanced cleaning protocol as resources to Hosts. These include best practices, tips, and checklists that help hosts tailor cleaning to their space. These are available in the handbook and in the cleaning section of the host’s Performance tab.

I hope this helps to give some more clarity on this specific aspect of the new cleaning process. If you have further questions specific to this, then please do share them and I can pass them onto the team, or answer myself where possible. 

@Emilia42 @Mark116 @Michelle53 @Michael-And-Kenny0 @Keith352 @Granville3 @Kelly149 @Mike-And-Jane0 @Helen350 @Naomi320 @Jake226 @Julie82 @Sarah977 @Elizabeth2016 @Lisa723 @Jennie131 

[Kelly149]

@Katie et al, no, this doesn’t clarify anything bc the 5 step says: clean like the ECP recommends. 

this whole process is an exercise in ABB CYA and is not helpful. Furthermore it is overreach, unrealistic & rife with hosts who will say yes and then do as they wish bc that is how this platform is run. And additionally, where is the part that says Guests have behaved appropriately before they came to my house? Where is the commitment that they will behave appropriately while they are in my house? Where is the part that says they have a duty to report symptoms or testing results?

oh, yes, it isn’t there. Bc once again this is an area where ABB responsibility is zero, guest responsibility is zero, and hosts are expected to do the heavy lifting. 

[Jennie131]

"Hosts are only required to follow the five step process, but we will continue to provide all of the materials of the enhanced cleaning protocol as resources to Hosts. These include best practices, tips, and checklists that help hosts tailor cleaning to their space. These are available in the handbook and in the cleaning section of the host’s Performance tab."
So we ARE required to wash ALL dishes, linens and other materials left for access of the guest, weather used by the guest or not. 

This is my interpretation. @Katie  You are doing a poor job of furnishing clarification, burying a vague answer in "background" that literally no one asked for. 

All we want to know is: Do we have to wash every dish, pot, pan, cup, utensil left for guest use even if not used, do we have to take down our curtains and wash them, do we have to clean outdoor light fixtures between guests? A simple "YES, you are required to do these things" or "No, this is not required" is all we are looking for.

My husband has an advanced degree in finance and law. He is very good at interpreting contracts. He tells me that the language in the best practices guide, the five step cleaning agreement and all of your answers are constructed purposely to provide recourse for the platform to construct any decision that would benefit the platform in any circumstance.  This language is harmful to the hosts, and sets us up for failure in every circumstance. 

This is not done in the spirit of cooperation and partnership, but as a way to easily dispose of any host who encounters any kind of problem with a guest. How disappointing.

[Katie]

Thanks for your feedback @Kelly149 @Jennie131 🙂