Catherine’s Host Update: Extenuating circumstances policy update, and more news

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi everyone, 

I’m back to share a new Host Update that covers a topic I know is very important to you and your business: booking cancelations. This week, we’re announcing important updates to Airbnb’s extenuating circumstances policy, which reflect both the latest COVID-safety guidance from our medical advisory team, and valuable feedback from Hosts like you.

We’re also launching a new test to learn whether including fees in listing search results could help guests book more easily and have a positive impact on your hosting business. 

And finally, my update includes some news about Airbnb.org’s commitment to providing temporary stays for Afghan refugees as well as heartfelt thanks to the thousands of Hosts who have contributed to this effort through donations and by opening their homes. Thanks to the incredible generosity and hospitality of our community, Airbnb.org now has the capacity to help an additional 20,000 people above and beyond our initial 20,000-stay commitment. There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved if you’re interested in joining this wonderful effort—please visit Airbnb.org/refugees for details. 

As always, I welcome your thoughts on each of these topics. Thanks for all you do! Stay well and happy hosting.

Warmest wishes,

Catherine

[Tom-And-Family0]

Regardless of the written policy Airbnb is giving full refunds for last minute cancelations if your guest simply mentions covid. Apparently Airbnb does not require proof of anything your guest must simply state that they  "feel unsafe".  Airbnb ALWAYS sides with the guest on matters of money (or at least that has been my experience). Unfortunately as hosts we are afforded no recourse. Adhere to the rules as we make them up or beat it, seems to be the unofficial creed.

[Paola4]

Thanks @Catherine-Powell  for the update.In Italy we already have all fees listed when a guest is booking. This is due by law to guarantee transparency with prices to the guest.I believe it's much better than have a price when you search a listing and then when you choose  the listing, to see the price to increase due to other costs. As guest I found really upsetting the way Booking behave with some additional costs that sometimes are really difficult to see before booking. Considering that this change will affect all the listings, this won't create any differences amongst them.

[Mauricio467]

@Catherine-Powell .Regarding the issue of Cancellation, it is very interesting to see that in my community it is very rare that they cancel us very often, the flights have remained stable and most of the guests arrived home, including those who postponed their stay during a pandemic Without canceling, we dragged postponed but not canceled reservations. They traveled from Colombia, Argentina, the United States and several European countries. And of course what kept us afloat was the Community of the interior of the country, who traveled very soon after quarantine. They even looked for spaces to pass the Pandemic.

My question for airbnb.Org would be if there is an Inclusion Program for our Hosts? In my community we are starting one that participates directly in the generation of jobs in our city and we have the idea of ​​creating a program that includes all possible Hosts with some disability and who are very capable of offering a very good quality host, since they are generally people who due to different circumstances have come to have the disability label, when they could really do an excellent job as Airbnb Hosts, since there are many travelers looking for experiences.

To carry out this action we have to train some guys who seek inclusion in society, interested in participating with our Host Community.

Greetings

[Tom-And-Family0]

Airbnb does NOT abide by it's own cancelation rules! and if you are a host there is nothing you can do about it.  Recently had a guest cancel at the last minute (day before checkin) and Airbnb issued him a full refund without even contacting me first!  Guest claims that he has a friend who he had hoped to travel with but that his friend had been around another person who was recently diagnosed with covid, therefore he did not feel safe to travel.  Thats right, a friend of his friend had covid!  Despite the written Airbnb policy to the contrary, customer support made the unilateral decision to refund all of his money telling me "we want our guests to have a great Airbnb experience no matter the policy"!!!!  I have contacted customer support repeatedly and asked for clarification of the extenuating circumstances policy but they will not reply! When Airbnb takes money from a host in clear violation of Airbnbs written policy isn't that theft????  Do we as hosts have any recourse?

[Dave1074]

This!  @Catherine-Powell   This is a big continuing problem and should not be.  Covid-19 is not remotely a new thing.  This is even stated that way in Air's help page for Covid. 

Regardless of proof, any guest who claims they or a member of the booking party has been exposed or has tested positive, host cancellation policies are entirely ignored. 

If you want to enact real meaningful change, then uphold Host Cancellation policies.  Guests need to buy travel insurance, if they want protection, like any adult who makes choices including booking flights, rental cars, hotels, etc.  

Your so-called new policy is more of exactly the same capricious existing policy.  14 days vs 30 does not remotely help us. 

In practice, that allows any guest to say the magic C word and cancel their booking at OUR EXPENSE anytime they want in the 14 days before a booking starts.  

The answer is not "Air should do anything they want" and be guest-centric regardless of circumstances.  Since you took your current post, we have seen lots of promises written and no change at all in what is actually done by Air support staff.  

[Danielle1096]

@Catherine-Powell I 100 percent agree w the above. I just had a guest with a very pricey stay cancel less than 24 hours before check in. The stay was booked over New Year’s Eve and this guest kept my dates blocked for over 3 months. At the last minute, the guest simply blamed Covid. Even worse, it took all of 5 min for air to cancel the reservation. This timeframe would never have allowed for any “proof” or confirmation of his Covid claim to be investigated by air. It’s pretty infuriating that all a guest has to do is sneeze and blame Covid- and hence get a free pass to do anything they like at the host expense. Covid is not new. And it’s not going anywhere. So if a guest books, then the cancellation policy needs to apply. Period.