Party policy updates, Superhost status extensions, and more in Catherine’s latest Host Update

[#1]

If you watched the first Host Update from our new Global Head of Hosting Catherine Powell, you’ll know that we are working on rebuilding our business around hosts, and giving you more transparency along the way. 

Today, we’re sharing Catherine’s latest Host Update with you. In this video, she discusses important priorities and insights for hosts at Airbnb right now. These include how Airbnb is handling parties, active steps being taken to support Superhosts, and why it can pay off to commit to higher standards for cleaning. 

Once you’ve watched the video, we’d really love to hear from you. Please let us know what you’d like us to cover in future Host Updates with Catherine.

Thank you.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Catherine-Powell sadly the text from your video and the currently published EC policy do not match: The relevant sections are highlighted in bold

PLEASE ADVISE URGENTLY WHICH IS CORRECT!!!!!

Text from video:

That means guests who are unable to travel due to COVID-19 who booked after March 14 will be subject to your cancellation policy—unless you or your guest gets sick, or if there are local restrictions in your area.

Text from EC policy: 

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made after 14 March 2020 will not be covered under our extenuating circumstances policy, except where the guest or host is currently sick with COVID-19. COVID-19-related circumstances not covered include: transport disruptions and cancellations; travel advisories and restrictions; health advisories and quarantines; changes to applicable law; and other government mandates such as evacuation orders, border closures, prohibitions on short-term rentals, and lockdown requirements. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Don't you just love it when what you're told bears no resemblance to what is written, is policy, or what really actually happens? 

You do know that "unless you or your guest gets sick" bit,  is part of the "Attest" bit.. yes?

Good question... Transparency is key in these issues.

[Susan1188]

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@Mike-And-Jane0 wrote:

@Catherine-Powell sadly the text from your video and the currently published EC policy do not match: The relevant sections are highlighted in bold

PLEASE ADVISE URGENTLY WHICH IS CORRECT!!!!!

Text from video:

That means guests who are unable to travel due to COVID-19 who booked after March 14 will be subject to your cancellation policy—unless you or your guest gets sick, or if there are local restrictions in your area.

Text from EC policy: 

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made after 14 March 2020 will not be covered under our extenuating circumstances policy, except where the guest or host is currently sick with COVID-19. COVID-19-related circumstances not covered include: transport disruptions and cancellations; travel advisories and restrictions; health advisories and quarantines; changes to applicable law; and other government mandates such as evacuation orders, border closures, prohibitions on short-term rentals, and lockdown requirements. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

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Dear Catherine this also jumped out at me.

My guests almost all ask me this when booking!

What can I tell them?

=> What if my area is impacted by a travel restriction?
=> What if they are not allowed to travel, or they face losing their insurance if they travel (Irish, Australian, other?
=> So they can get a refund if they catch Covid.  That's good and prove-able, if they are positive they should have to provide proof. 
=> What if the guest is not sick, but must isolate due to a contact with a positive person.

[Emilia42]

@Susan1188 If a guest is stealthy enough, they can almost always cancel due to COVID and claim extenuating circumstances. As long as they have some sort of documentation to submit (which could easily be obtained with travel restrictions or mandatory quarantine) they will be refunded. Literally, nothing has changed. The ECP has always operated this way.  

[Mark116]

@Huma0  Yes, we tried the cleaning protocol for our first guests.  And that was that.  It's too stressful to be dishonest, and it felt like something that would be begging a guest to report us...look, dust in the closet, look no one cleaned this hangar...so we opted out.  It is totally unrealistic unless one has a very expensive and very minimalist designed place, and even then, its pretty onerous to have to wash everything in the kitchen even if it wasn't used.  So, I am extremely irritated when I keep seeing every time I log in the exhortation to sign up for the cleaning protocol.

[Huma0]

@Mark116 

To be honest, I did not even try it. I thought I would, but after I saw what other hosts posted about it, it seemed entirely unrealistic. There is a point when, that level of cleaning costs more (whether you are paying for it, or factoring your own time) than the actual stay! That wouldn't be so bad if it was all actually NECESSARY but, honestly, is it really necessary to wash the ceilings in an outside porch? Is it realistic to clean the curtains in between each guest? I, for one, have rooms with 4m high ceilings and heavy silk curtains. The cost of cleaning even one pair of these (let alone all of them) is more than the nightly rate.

[Emilia42]

@Mark116 @Huma0 I think I can be confident in saying that I don't believe a single host is following the protocol to a T. While the numbers and percentages look good for Airbnb, it is only a matter of time before guests start figuring out that it really means nothing and hosts start getting in trouble. As a guest, I have already figured this out. 

[Stone43]

**[Inappropriate content removed - Community Center Guidelines]

[Emilia42]

@Stone43  I'm sorry, what?! I have no clue what you are talking about. 

[Stone43]

**[Inappropriate content removed - Community Center Guidelines]

[Emilia42]

@Stone43 

I am a Superhost and I have over 400 Five star reviews. What part of my post don't you understand?!? I am talking about the enhanced cleaning protocols and how Airbnb makes them impossible and totally unrealistic for hosts to follow. My post has NOTHING to do with bad behaving guests.

[Stone43]

Thats because  Guest do not care about host and Airbnb does not care about Host !   shows by the actions of guest and Airbnb! is why i made this statement !

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

A worrying aspect to this is the blanket statement that under 25's cannot book accommodation for groups. 

The specifics would need scrutiny, but just because there are a glut of party people booking listings in one part of the world, does not mean that in another part of the world those same circumstances exist. 

Judging the world by local hoodlums is not the best way to approach this.

[Ute42]

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@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 

There is something very effective airbnb could do to prevent parties:

• A real security deposit

A guest, no matter what age,  books a place for saturday night at a nightly rate of $700. Security payment: 2 x $700 = $1400. So at the time of booking the guests CC will be charged $2100. If everything goes well, after check-out the guest will be refunded the security payment of $1400 in full. This would reduce the danger of parties taking place I would think 95%.

Unfortenately we small hosts are not entitled to charge such security deposit.

Agencies with houndreds of listings though are. They can even charge such deposit in cash at the door. Actually they are charging all kinds of fees in cash „in resort“ = on site.

https://www.airbnb.de/rooms/17490503?adults=10&children=0&infants=0&location=Mitterfels%2C%20Deutsch...

[Stone43]

Ute42 in Germany Just maybe all HOST put super hight prices ! then Airbnb will see Hosts are getting sick of others telling you how to run your business or Airbnb will take notice of  the Bad guest and start doing something about it when damage host property ! Airbnb should take action of BAD guest and tell you thank you for being a super host and then they dismiss issues with guest! if you don't have host you got have guests ! I think management @ airbnb should step in to the host shoes let people come stay there with them and disrespecting there property or disrespect the host ! that way Airbnb would first hand knows how it feels  with host and bad guests!