Clarification on essential amenities: Hosts can choose

[Airbnb]

Earlier this year, we announced that hosts will soon be required to provide a specific set of amenities in each listing that we consider “essential” to a comfortable stay.

Since then, we heard it was impacting some hosts’ ability to host successfully. So now, we’re giving you the choice.

You can choose whether or not to include the essential amenities in your listing. Having said that, we strongly encourage hosts to include them. Guests come from regions all over the world, and many tell us is that these five items are the minimum that they expect to find in a listing.

The five essential amenities include:

Toilet paper

Soap (for hands and body)

1 towel per guest

1 pillow per guest

Linens for each guest bed

We’re currently exploring the best way to keep guests informed about which amenities are provided in each listing so that accurate expectations are set.

Please, only select the Essentials option if you really are providing those items in the listing. Keeping listings as accurate as possible is a really important part of building trust with guests and setting you up for success as a host.

Listings that have Essentials selected but don’t actually provide the five items listed may be subject to penalties, including removal from Airbnb. 

Read this Help Center article for more details on essential amenities.

Thanks for being a part of the Airbnb community and for everything that you do to provide great guest experiences!

[Tina411]

I think you should not put on description of amenities toilet paper together with towels and bed linen, because it is completely different things. Towels and bed linen are reusable, but toilet paper is not. I can't afford to provide toilet paper for long term guests, because I'm not a hotel which charging minimum £70 per room per night. So please separate those amenities and let hosts to choose whether they want to provide toilet paper or not. 

[Patrick792]

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[Jo354]

When I go on holiday I expect I will not have to pack essentials ie loo rolls, towels and bed linen and pillows?? My case wouldn’t hold it all! In addition I offer to all my guests pool towels, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquids, washing machine gel, washing up cloths etc. Due to this I have happy holidaymakers and return guests. I also have tea; coffee, and importantly wine and beer for their arrival. 

[Patrick792]

With all the airline restrictions in baggage size etc who the heck would want to pack sheets and towels??? Makes no sense and is just lazy on the part of many Airbnb hosts who run a lot of properties as slum lords. That said even essential is extremely liberal...I’ve stayed at a few Airbnb’s with only 1 towel and 1 roll of toilet tissue for a week which I think is also absurd. By the end of the week the towel was DISGUSTING.... I would never refer or stay again at this property and warned in reviews...We all should step above and exceed basic expectations here. 

[Rhonda99]

We are in the North of Ireland and even before we became an Airbnb host we had to be passed as having suitable accomodation by our local Tourist Office. Providing towels and linen are classed as necessities and to be honest I would be really horrified if these were not provided for our guests.  We only cater for 5 though but still we wash and iron all the items ourselves and would not think of charging extra for these. No guests have ever showed up with their own linen or towels.

[Linda674]

I actually believe that this policy or procedure depends upon the region and area in which the service is offered. In our area to not provide linens and towels would be a detriment. My philosphy is to provide space that I would want to stay in.  And, in order to be competitive and offer special amenities within our area, I not only provide quality fluffy towels, but also Iron the top sheet and pillow cases -- which recieves the "WOW" affect and super host status.

[Denice8]

I meet the "good for families" requirements except for the fact that my place does not have TV.  We have wifi and we have pack n play, high chair, educational safe made-in-usa toys, a super-close playground, a safety lock for stairs..... but no TV.  As a family we didnt have our children now grown watch much tv and many professionals would agree with us TV is not a great babysitter!  So why is it required for familes?  I think this should be reconsidered.  🙂  As for essentials, I like the idea of acategories...air bnb WILD or CAMPING sounds great.  I have always thought of it in lieu of but way better than hotel.  Travellers should not have to worry about linenes, soap and toilet paper.  Who has time for that when travelling?  Hampton inn always has it!  If I want people to stay with me instead, I should have it too!

[Deborah393]

In Australia we are not permitted to operate as hotels from residential properties, we are permitted in some areas to operate  as short term rentals in residential properties under certain conditions. I do not think its upto a third party to set our opertating requirements from another country. Most regional areas that do not get international visitors do not provide towels unless requested . We do not supply towels so we are unable to tick the box.

[Deborah393]

I wonder what everyone thinks about Airbnb supporting a 2 strikes and your out for 5 years law in NSW Australia ??

[Fred174]

Linnens and pillows are a must when sleeping in a bed, and essentially thats what a guest pays for :a bed (in a room) . So I'd say this must be included , and not in an extra fee uptop. Its like renting a car but then having to pay extra for the tires... im mainly interested in providing he best price/quality experience , with (for a low price) there is the room (with towels and mint on pillow) , a free (small ) breakfast ,use of entire kitchen, cuttlery etc, use of (many different) shampoos and soaps in shower, possibility of renting a bike , children under age 7 free of charge, pets allowed, no check in curfew and a few others. Airbnb is supposed to provide everyone with a chance of trave and the best experience, not just too make money , right?

[Deborah393]

Hi Fred, in Australia you are not required to supply the above supplies if you rent you residential property, indeed if you do you could be classfied as a hotel and shut down as hotels are not permitted in residential dwellings.

[Phil-W0]

20Jul18...... A very ' high ' perCentage of guests are in the age range of between 55 - 80.  This is where the money is and people under the age of 40 have NO money.  Do not expect guests that are aged 18 - 38 because that's the ' No Problem ' generation or the ' Lost ' generation after 20 years or so of squeezing their skulls between video games, iPods, iPads, and iPhones.

REAL guests know what to expect and during the ' back and forth ' questions and answers  with them as they arrange a place for themselves to enjoy, the linen business along with other minimal things can be sorted out.  The important thing to guests is the price.  It pertains to everything.  It has never changed and will not in our lifetime.  Ps:  Stick with the serious stuff and leave the simple things out of the equation........Much Obliged....BobLoblah

[Lyudmyla0]

Hello Airbnb Host Community, 

I am host who has a four season destination vacation rental in Windham (Catskills mountains). My home can accommodate up to 14 persons and the majority of times gets booked by groups of 8-10. Durning the ski season it does get booked to its capacity by variety of end users including student groups.

As a host I would never be interested in people bringing their own linens because the number of guests equates to the number of different bacteria they will leave with their linens on your beds. You can only have control over maintaining clean environment when you provide clean sheets and towels yourself.

Please consider this: There might be chances that your guests will bring the bed bugs imbedded in their linens as well.

 In addition, if their hairy pet friends sleep with them at home, the dog or cat hair will be added to the things that will be left on your beds. Imagine if your next guest is severely allergic to cats and ends up walking into the room and just sitting on that bed not to speak about sleeping in it. 

What makes you think that every guest will bring linens?

If the guest forgets linens he/she will sleep directly on your white mattress protector pad if you have one. So you will still have to wash it to avoid cross contamination ideally. 

What guarantees that the linens are washed with Clorox bleach or they are clean to begin with?

 It makes me not confident to think that the students have resources to wash their linens well consistently and that they have extra clean sets to bring with them when they travel. 

I am an an interior designer specialized in healthcare facilities and infection control an creating spaces that influence the behavioral pattern of it users is always on my mind. Having said that I think it is a good policy for Airbnb to contribute to keeping the guest environment clean and as bacteria free as possible. 

What I do not support in Airbnb requirements for family friendly homes is the TV amenity. If there is  WiFi in the house the guests can use their own devices. The groups that come to our home spend most of their time skiiing or hiking and being outside. We provide an abundance of table games to help guests socialize and create positive memories. And we did host successfully a lot of families that never complained about the lack of TV. 

Warm regards,

Lyudmyla

[Jeanette110]

I'm so glad this requirement was amended!

The only issue I have with the 5 essential amenities is bath soap.  I do provide towels and linens, hand soaps and pillows.  Guests are of course welcomed  to bring their own and many have.  I can't see myself buying bathing soap for every guest and having to throw out partially used bars.

 I like the idea of listing things separately and having hosts list what is included.  

[Helen591]

I still think that it is important to offer the choice.  Where our chalet is situated in the French alps, the full cost of a set of laundry (bed linen including 2 pillows, hand towel and bath towel) is EUR 15-20.  For a full 8 person chalet with 2 double beds and 4 singles the total cost of laundry is EUR 110.  Some of the families that stay with us are clearly extremely cost conscious and the vast majority (95%) arrive by car.  It's not a question of profitiring, more that I can lower the total cost by EUR 110 for those guests who bring their own bed linen.  Of course we have matttress and pillow protectors on all the beds, two pillows per bed and both a duvet and a blanket which we launder regularly.  Prior to the policy change I would email all guests as soon as I received an enquiry or a booking to ensure they had read the description (ie without linen & towels) and ensure they were aware that we could provide them at a charge based on the real cost of laundry.    Nearly all local French & Belgians would choose to bring their own.  International guests, particularly those flying in and hiring a car, would choose that we provide them. 

Since the policy change we had to include an additional charge per night per guest (functionality that is availability on the airbnb site) but I think that it makes the pricing less transparent for our guests - and ulimately more expensive for them.  I still think that the real solution is for airbnb to provide the functionality for guests to choose themselves.  

Our local tourist office when evaluating rental properties does not expect linen and towels to be included because it is not the local custom (in contrast to hotels that are expected to provide them).  They only require that hosts have the ability to either provide them themselves at an additional cost OR to direct the guests to the local tourist office that provides this service for a charge.   

Thank you for listening airbnb and I hope that you update your site to allow hosts the option of providing rentals at a lower cost without linen & towels or a higher cost for those who want them supplied and are happy to cover the incremental charge.