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
Jason763
Level 2
Tofino, Canada

Came for the comments.  Did not disappoint.

Joel-And-Andrea1
Level 2
Walang, Australia

Hi @Catherine-Powell 

Can we please have a clarified definition of "interacting with guests"? We manage an Airbnb on a rural property with walking trails and animal enclosures. Guests or hosts may meet each other in these outdoor areas without warning or prior notice. Is this classed as interaction? At what distance are masks required? We may be 5-10 metres away in an outdoor environment . 

Or does it only relate to the accommodation area?

 

Can you please clarify? 

Thanks

Joel 

Jane2772
Level 3
Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

We also have the issue that we run a site with several glamping units/cottages on it....some of our bookings are via Airbnb, most are not. Do we have to don a mask to talk with Airbnb guests but not our other guests????? What if guests are talking to each other????

There is no recommendation here in NZ at present for mask wearing and we cant be asking our guests to do so. Like you @Joel-And-Andrea1 , we are very much an outdoor environment.

I also have some questions about applying these cleaning standards in a glamping tent but as per my post below I've obviously asked too many hard questions via the customer support route and am now being fobbed off. 

Joel-And-Andrea1
Level 2
Walang, Australia

The new policy also says to also follow national and local health guidelines. The NSW and Australian health guidelines only recommend masks where social distancing is not possible. Can I also get clarification as to whether the local health guidance takes precedence over the Airbnb policy? 

Thanks @Catherine-Powell 

Jane2772
Level 3
Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

Feeling TOTALLY fobbed off now ......this is the latest response to my questions/concerns about the new standards we are being asked to sign up to!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions regarding this Safety Guidelines implemented. I'll definitely make sure to send feedback to our Internal Team who's working on these implementations. Rest assured that Airbnb is committed to abide government regulations when it comes to Safety Guidelines. We once again thank you for voicing this out to help us improve our service.

Anna2007
Level 3
Stockholm, Sweden

I’m not going to sign the bizarre protocol. WHO recommends masks when social distancing cannot be possible. I pointed out to the ABB support that in my country people don’t wear face masks so I would scare people if I did. The response I got was that if local rules states something differently the local rules would apply. I’ve asked for clarification on where I can read about this but haven’t had a response yet. This is also contradictory to the response other hosts got on the same question.

Jane2772
Level 3
Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand

@Anna2007  - I got the same response initially but this was then contradicted in the next message when I asked for clarification in writing. When I pursued this further I got the platitudes posted above - so still no clearer. In NZ we are not required to wear masks and it puts us in a difficult position to be asked to treat customers who book via Airbnb differently from others. I'm totally fed up of the whole situation as I feel we are being treated really poorly as hosts who (lets be honest here) make money for Airbnb. 

 

Carmen1596
Level 4
Auckland, New Zealand

@Catherine-Powell will you ever respond to these concerns with a response that makes sense?

 

I get that it is important for countries where the leadership has failed them  (I'm talking mainly to you, USA) that some guidance is given to hosts as to how best to stay covid-free.  However, many countries around the world have not totally *expletive* up the covid response, and are dealing quite nicely with things (shout out to most of Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and others). Those countries should be obligated to follow the best guidance of their own governments, not some rules that apply to the far side of the world.  I will not be signing up, and will be telling guests why not - it will be interesting to see what happens to hosts in NZ who do the same.  Not that there are any foreign guests to host anyway due to our closed border!

@Carmen1596 Unfortunately, we already know what will happen if you don't sign up: "By not attesting to the requirements by November 20, your account may be subject to warnings, suspensions, and, in some cases, removal from Airbnb."

Carmen1596
Level 4
Auckland, New Zealand

Contrary to a bunch of other replies people have had, I have just been told this by customer service when I asked about cleaning.  Is there any consistency?   No response yet to whether I need to clean the inside of the range hood between every stay and sanitise the walls...

Airbnb Support6:05 PM
For those things that haven't touch or used by your guest doesn't need to undergo rewashing like unused linen and unused kitchen utensils.

No, there is apparently no consistency.  Which is nothing new, being told one thing by one CS rep and the completely opposite thing by another. @Carmen1596

Sue-and-David0
Level 2
Kareela, Australia

We' been 'Covid' standard for months, not that it is much different to the standard we have always cleaned,but wearing masks in Australia, Sydney is so out of touch with where we are at. Come on Air BnB, in America yes, and maybe even 6 months ago was appropriate here,catch up with the times and the countries you are dealing with.

If you tell Australian guests they have to wear masks in Airbnb, they will simply go elsewhere😒

Ken346
Level 2
Mombasa, Kenya

It's really a simplified process if you are already used to doing it as a host. Glad they shared this information in the community, and glad to know when I travel that a place will be cleaned properly. 

Pam98
Level 2
Abbotsford, Canada

Has anyone 'upped' their cleaning fee with all this added protocols?  Also.. is anyone else considering not taking 2 night bookings? We're thinking of no longer taking 2 night books because of all the extra cleaning protocols - two night just doesn't seem worth it.  What are the rest of you thinking? 

I am thinking we definitely need to increase our cleaning fees for the additional work.  As for increasing minimum stays I do not think that is necessary so look as hosts have a good cleaning company/service they can depend upon if they are not doing the cleaning themselves.  Of course, increasing the cleaning fee may require host to decrease their daily stay fees.