Introducing new COVID-19 safety requirements, updated guest standards, and more in the latest Host Update

[Airbnb]

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.

[Super47]

@Catherine-Powell 

"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.. "

Interesting. So if that's the case, could you please comment on why the mega-hosts Domio - very recently exposed in the media for their alleged long and sordid history of false reviews, fake profiles, fraudulent activities, party houses and illegal listings - were only suspended for a mere 3 weeks before being reinstated on the platform? Difficult to imagine any regular host not being permanently delisted for even a tiny fraction of the transgressions that these guys were reported to have been perpetrating over the 4 years of their existence. 

Would their (very) brief suspension perhaps be simply because their thousands of listings afford them special treatment from Airbnb? Or could there possibly be any truth in the rumours widely circulating that Airbnb's dealings with Domio somewhat transcend the usual parameters of the regular host/platform relationship, into what some might consider to be conflict of interest territory?

Fraudulent Activities, Illegal Listings - Why Was This Mega-host Not Banned Immediately? 
https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Fraudulent-Activities-Illegal-Listings-Why-Was-This-Mega...

[Huma0]

Mmm, interesting looking back on this, in terms of the reports from hosts on the CC.

1. Hosts mostly seem to be reporting a decline in guest standards rather than an improvement. If Airbnb was tackling this before the end of the year, they don't have many days left... Personally, I have noted that Airbnb CS is leaving duplicate and fake guest profiles up, even if they are reported.

2. Conversely, I have noticed, from threads posted on the CC, that Airbnb seem to be cracking down on hosts way more than ever before. That would be fine if they were cracking down on the truly bad hosts/scammers, but those seem to remain on the platform (as has been reported to me by numerous guests as well as on the CC), providing they have enough listings to make it profitable. 

Meanwhile, an unprecedented number of good hosts, Superhosts with spotless ratings, are being suspended and having all their bookings cancelled (in what are already difficult times), if only one rogue guest makes some outrageous accusation in order to angle for a free stay or because they are disgruntled on being brought up on house rules/asked to pay for damages. There are so many examples right now on the CC.

What makes this even more frustrating for those hosts is that, in most cases, CS refuses to tell the host why their listings have been suspended, meaning there is not even a chance for them to make improvements, if those were even necessary.

This whole thing is an empty promise. As far as I can see, there is no effort to weed out undesirable guests, there's just more effort to punish any host who tries to enforce their house rules or claim for guest damages.

Basically, we are getting screwed yet again, but the marketing spiel says otherwise...

[Ute42]

.

Hi @Catherine-Powell  ,

are You aware of the fact that airbnb owes host Monika in Chile 2400 USD for weeks and the family has got nothing to eat?

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/A-family-in-Chile-has-got-nothing-to-eat/td-p/1357935

I have tagged You in the other tread already but haven't heard back, so I'm trying again here.

[Super47]

 @Catherine-Powell  @Ute42

Also, you urged the hosts from Chile - @Monika-And-Domingo0 - who Ute refers to above, to contact you if they didn't receive the necessary support from your agents, and you publicly promised "We will get this resolved"

A full 10 days later, and Monika and Domingo's payment issues remain very much unresolved, leaving their family in dire straits, and Monika's emails and messages to both yourself and Tara Bunch remain unanswered.

Please keep your word to these good people, and great hosts.

 

[Emilia42]

This confuses me . . Do all hosts now have to sign up for the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol?

[Mark116]

@Emilia42  That's how I understood the message, you have until Oct. 12 to sign up and then there is some kind of resubmission by Nov. 20.  But, maybe I misunderstood, since if it becomes mandatory, what is the point of touting how much better the listings that already signed up are doing, because in a week everyone will have to do it?  LOL. 

[Huma0]

@Mark116 and other hosts, out of interest, have any hosts actually encountered guests who expect these enhanced cleaning standards? I certainly haven't. I honestly think that guests neither read them nor care about them. They just want a clean listing, the same as they always have. That's my experience anyway...

[Michelle53]

@Emilia42    Looks like the prompts to sign up will start Oct 12, and one gets until Nov 20 to accept. Basically, everywhere except mainland China. 

It's apparently the new 5-step protocol, for folks who didn't already sign up  - I posted that below. 

My assumption is that folks already signed up won't have to do anything.  Maybe that's not true - maybe folks already signed on to the old protocol will have to recommit. 

[Michael-And-Kenny0]

I'm assuming that yes, we all have to sign up or we may be removed from ABB site.  If I am wrong, I stand corrected.  I too would like to have a "real" answer.

[LakeLove0]

Unfortunately, YES. You no longer have the option of cleaning with your own materials, they need to be 'approved' disinfectants which have chemicals that can harm your health and the planet. 

[Debra304]

yes we as Host do

[Keith352]

Apparently yes, so I guess it's time for a mass-exodus from AirBnb. The "ECP" is totally impractical and would result in cleaning fees in excess of the rental rate. I read through all 36 pages and there's a lot of total bonkers stuff in there like move all the furniture and clean underneath, was all dishes each time whether used or not, sanitize all your blinds, don't enter any room after you've sanitized it, and change all your PPE between cleaning and replacing materials. Clearly the people that came up with this nonsense have never hosted or cleaned and have no idea the level of effort they are expecting. 

We're no going to sign up for that, and I'm convinced the so-called one million that already have either didn't read it or are lying through their teeth. There's no way in hell a million listings are doing all that between each stay and they're just saying they do to get the badge.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Keith352 The 5 step mandated process is a bit more reasonable - Still stupid in places though!

[Keith352]

What I read was the 36 page document was describing how to implement the "5-step process", so clearly if people think the 5-step process is more reasonable they didn't click the link for more information at the end "For more information on how to implement those steps, please refer to the entire Airbnb cleaning handbook."

[Granville3]

@Keith352  so, as hosts, do we have choice between 5step and new cleaning standards? I am leery of making absolute statements of cleanliness no matter how much one should clean. Remember- they said do not say that your place is covid free. I agree. Sounds like a can of worms to me.

[Keith352]

@Granville3 I would sure like Airbnb to clarify what the edict really means. The notice and the video seem to imply you either sign on or get kicked off the platform. They say "it's a simple 5-step program" but those steps refer to a manual that's over-the-top extreme. On top of that, many of the "checklist" items have nothing to do with COVID. You're not going to catch COVID from dust bunnies under the bed. Sure, you should periodically move the bed and furniture and clean underneath, but who's going to do all that between each guest? My wife just cleaned all the blinds in our unit, took 6 hours. So we're supposed to do that between each guest now? What does that have to do with COVID?

[Rob-And-Gen0]

Hi Kieth, 

As a point of fact, Covid-19 does live on surfaces including places like window blinds and on dust. It has been cited as the reason that the cruise ships that were cleaned and "rested" between outbreaks of Covid had a 2nd outbreak - they found traces of Covid-19 on the fabrics and walls of the cabins.

Rather than clean them with a cloth you might consider finding some sort of spray that would disinfect them, as the important thing is killing the virus, not the dust bunnies. 

Luckily we do not have complex window blinds, but if we did, I would consider changing them out temporarily for washable curtains.

We did remove any extra cups, glasses, dishes, cutlery etc. and put in only a bare minimum of these settings so that we do not need to spend hours rewashing everything when guests leave.

We removed all DVDs, books and games and decoration items from our flat's shelves as well so as not to become a vector of spreading the virus. It looks very bare but it is safer and way easier to clean. 

In our rental, we were already doing these steps before we were forced to sign to say we did them. We had pulled out all the tchockies, books, DVDs and extra dishes etc. when a set of clients fled in the middle of the night to go back to the USA when Trump said he was closing borders with almost no notice back in March ... 

These are not normal times we are living in, so do not imagine that your old cleaning regime is going to cut it. 

[Helen427]

@Rob-And-Gen0 

Our homes / private rooms are also not Cruise ships jammed pack of people either.

Everyone is asymptomatic to all  manner of infections, the same hypothesis & stance that has been taken could also be applied to things like Veneral Disease or standard influenza, fever, pneumonia etc but we don't treat people inhumanely, nor with such over the top reactions.

With all respect whatever this Coronavirus is, it's been a very very quiet year for the recording of Influenza & deaths from it by those who are older or vulnerable.

@LaNetta0 @Charlotte40 @Kareen22 @Tracie8 @Rachel367 @Savannah5 @Cyndi31 @Keith352 @Josephine31 

 It's also a known fact local Mayors & Councils/ Gvt have been paid per head of population for keeping people in lockdowns.

[Rob-And-Gen0]

Wow Helen, just wow.   @Helen427 

What does this sentence actually mean "Everyone is asymptomatic to all manner of infections" ? That is nonsensical. What are you attempting to say ?

Flu season has not even started in Europe, and frankly, if you are just another Covid 19 denier, you can go soak your head.

I have dead friends of friends, sick relations and sick neighbours from this illness. I was just told that our holiday planned for this week is to be cancelled because in a small town of 15 people in the middle of "nowhere" in France, the only restaurant in town has just been closed due to a Covid outbreak in that small town and the owner of the restaurant and staff have it. 

Frankly if you are in New Zealand, you live in a bubble because your prime minister actually protected your country from this illness ! So be grateful, and do not for a minute imagine that this is "nothing" !

You are quite sadly mistaken to compare Covid 19 to the flu (it has huge numbers of people suffering PERMANENT DEBILITATING AND DEADLY SIDE EFFECTS) IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. It has many effects based on destroying veins/arteries, heart muscles, brain (strokes) and all manner of other effects that you can take the time to read about in the medical journals. ALSO,  the numbers of excess deaths recorded this year compared to average death rates around the world speaks volumes.

Flu season has not even STARTED this year in the Western hemisphere, so don't worry, it's coming too. 

Are you trying to convince us this is "nothing" with your rubbish unscientific opinions ? 

You are spreading disinformation and I hope that the moderators do not tolerate this kind of misinformation, and will take your post down. 
@LaNetta0 @Charlotte40 @Kareen22 @Tracie8 @Rachel367 @Savannah5 @Cyndi31 @Keith352 @Josephine31