Improved protections for Hosts and guests

[Airbnb]

The strength of Airbnb is built on your commitment to ensuring guests have great stays. In the rare event that something happens outside your control, and you aren’t able to resolve the issue, we want your guests to know Airbnb is there to help.

Last November, we introduced AirCover for Hosts.** We’re now adding AirCover for guests, offering industry-leading free protections for our whole community. This will ensure that everyone has the confidence to host and stay on Airbnb.

We also have new info about AirCover for Hosts that will allow you to escalate a reimbursement request faster, and updates about security deposits, travel insurance for guests, and removing COVID-19 as an extenuating circumstance. 

Head to the Resource Center to get all the details, and tell us: What has your experience been with AirCover for Hosts since we introduced it last year?

[Jennifer2682]

I'm confused about who pays for the refunds under Air Cover for Guests.  Is it the hosts?  Or Airbnb?  Could you please clarify?

[Stephanie]

Hi @Jennifer2682 ,

 Some more details on what is included in Aircover for guests:

• Booking Protection Guarantee: In the unlikely event you need to cancel a guest’s booking within 30 days of check-in, we’ll find your guest a similar or better home at Airbnb’s expense, or we’ll refund them.
• Check-In Guarantee: If a guest can’t check in to your place and you aren’t able to resolve the issue—for example, if your guest can’t access your property and can’t get in touch with you—we’ll find your guest a similar or better home for the length of their original stay at Airbnb’s expense, or we’ll refund them.
• Get-What-You-Booked Guarantee: If at any time during a guest’s stay, they find your space isn’t as advertised—for example, the refrigerator stops working and you can’t easily fix it, or it has fewer bedrooms than listed—the guest has three days to report it, and we’ll find them a similar or better home at Airbnb’s expense, or we’ll refund them.
• 24-Hour Safety Line: If a guest ever feels unsafe, they’ll get priority access to specially trained. safety agents, day or night.

You can read about it here: https://www.airbnb.com/aircover

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Michael5047]

This is amazing!

[Jennifer2682]

Thanks Stephanie, appreciate the response.  I've been reading all of that but it's still unclear to me.  When Airbnb says, "we'll refund them" does "we" mean Airbnb or hosts?   

[Stephanie]

Ah @Jennifer2682 , sorry about that - yes, let me get that clarified. I'll come back and reply here.

Thanks

[Huma0]

@Stephanie 

When I first stated reading this, I thought great, Airbnb is finally offering some kind of travel insurance for guests, but I quickly realised it's not that. The first point is good I think so that guests are not left in the lurch at the last minute. It's also a big improvement that it's now specified that Airbnb is responsible for paying should the guest need to be reaccommodated in a more expensive place.

My worry, however, is that this is a BIG temptation to scammers (see all the comments on the thread announcing the extension from 24 hours to 72 for a guest to report a travel issue). Just to be clear, where it says "at Airbnb's expense", does that mean that Airbnb will pay any extra accommodation costs when the listing is more expensive, or for the entire costs if the guest has to be moved, i.e. the guest ends up getting a free stay and the original host doesn't get their payout? 

[Till-and-Jutta0]

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@Huma0  schrieb:

When I first stated reading this, I thought great, Airbnb is finally offering some kind of travel insurance for guests, ... 

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Did you see this:

travel insurance

[Huma0]

@Till-and-Jutta0 

Yes, that's why I mistakenly thought that was what this update was about. I guess the insurance one is still on the way...

[Emilie]

@Till-and-Jutta0 I just wanted to let you know we've shared a bit more info on Travel Insurance for Airbnb guests recently:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Travel-insurance-for-Airbnb-guests-is-coming-soon...

You might find it interesting as well @Mike-And-Jane0 @Huma0 and @Emilia42. 🙂

[Debra300]

@Emilie,

Thanks for re-hashing this link, because it obviously was buried.  When I looked at it just now there were only 39 views, and the page was published almost two months ago.  Do you have an update for the target launch date of the travel insurance?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Debra300 Lets hope that the launch of Aircover hasn't stopped the provision of proper insurance as described in he link above.

[Debra300]

@Mike-And-Jane0,

I am confident travel insurance it's coming, because Airbnb wants to stay on competitive footing with other OTAs, and also realize the additional revenue from selling the add-on product. 

We already know that Vrbo offers it, and I saw that Expedia is also offering it to their guests. 

These are some Expedia screenshots:

For less than 3% of the accommodations non-refundable amount, a guest coming to my place can protect the majority, if not all, of their travel costs, and the coverage is not limited to just accommodation costs.  

[Emilie]

@Debra300 The link itself on the CC is a bit older, however the content only went live at the end of last week - if you head to the Ressource Center it links to you can see the announcement date for this update, which was June 1st: 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/travel-insurance-for-airbnb-guests-is-coming-soon...

Apologies for any confusion this caused! It's meant to launch in the next few weeks, though I do not have a set date yet. I'll come back here to update you if I do get one!

Emilie

[Mark116]

@Huma0  Is any of this new?  Airbnb always gave you a refund if the host cancelled, they always gave you a refund if you couldn't access the property, and they [almost] always gave you a refund if there was a missing amenity or major problem.  The 24 hour line may be new, but since you could always contact Airbnb on a 24 hour basis, it seems like just more 'rebranding' of what already exists.  Like their party hot line, which is basically the same poorly trained people answering all the lines.

What IS new is that this, including the 3 days to report an issue, is now very much more prominent, just a click away, which will undoubtedly increase the claims and the refunds.