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.

[Keith352]

The "streamlined" protocol still looks totally impractical. Never entering a space after cleaning it? BS.

[Marg11]

Hi Katie,

In Western Australia and New Zealand, there is no requirement to wear face masks so how could we force a guest to wear one? We have no community infection and no cases in hospitals with the only Covid 19 infections in the whole of Western Australia, 2.646 million km²,  are international crew on an ore carrier now out to sea and an overseas arrival who is in supervised quarantine: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/359bca83a1264e3fb8d3b6f0a028d768

https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-co...

Also, we are advised to stay 1.5 metres apart for social distancing. 

There is no problem with the cleaning and sanitising advice which we already practice. 

All our guests are local or FIFO and we have decided not to offer quarantine to guests.

Why are we being treated as though all the world is the same?

[Jake226]

where is the link to the 36-page cleaning manual - LOL - sorry comedy writes itself sometimes. 

[Danny0]

One of the suggestions/requirements was to clean your vacuum after each guest./ My unit ha sa central vacuum system with a remote canister. Do you expect me to clean this vacuum set up after each guest?

[LaNetta0]

I don't believe forcing hosts to do BOTH wear a mask AND social distance is a viable (or smart) idea. Even the CDC doesn't suggest (or require) that we must do BOTH. My husband is unable to wear a mask for an extended amount of time due to a legitimate phobia, and we greet our guests outside our listing with plenty of social distance - because it is the right thing to do. If we did have a need to go inside their space during their visit, we would wear a mask - because it is the right thing to do. I think a simple re-write of this protocol - "strongly suggesting that we wear a mask when needed OR social distance" would be more appropriate than threatening to remove us if we don't comply. This action is overstepping bounds and reaching just a bit too far.  We don't work for ABB, we work for ourselves and pay them a fee for their service. I think treating us like employees that they can "terminate" will be their downfall.

[Zack120]

Absolutely agree. Airbnb is just a facilitator. Their job is simply to bring hosts and guests together. Telling us how we will run our business is outside the bounds of their business. I think they should let the star ratings speak for themselves. Are guests satisfied with what they received for their money or not? I suppose I am in the minority, but I believe the whole "corona virus pandemic" has become a political football, and Airbnb has chosen to take part in that game.

[Jake226]

This is not longer about a "virus" -  compliance, obedience, and control.  

[Jason763]

Remember this if you ever see an airbnb executive running in politics.

[Jason763]

Could air bnb simply shifted the risk to guests by having them click a form that renting on their platform was done at their own risk in terms of covid?  Seems simple.

[David-and-Gregory0]

We do not have any community transmission here in New Zealand. Our guests are going to be confused. These rules do not need to apply to us. They are not needed and will confuse our guests. This goes way beyond any government advice. 

I'm not agreeing to this, so if they do not alter this to suit an entire country then I'm out. I doubt I will be the only host here to feel the same. 

[Jenny371]

I'm in New Zealand to and have messaged Airbnb but just get the same stock standard answers

[Leyla13]

@Catherine-Powell 
Having had 66 FIVE-STAR reviews during the 3 years we have been hosting via Airbnb (including 25 this summer of 2020) we have earned our Superhost badge. We have not agreed to the Airbnb cleaning protocol but have ALWAYS taken good care to thoroughly clean both the shared spaces (kitchen, living room) and the private areas (bathroom, sitting area, and bedroom) between stays.

Before booking, we inform potential guests of the following:

• We must follow the Vermont Department of Health requirements for hosting and upon arrival they must be willing to sign a self-certification by filling a form issued by the VDH. We include in our communications the text of the affidavit they have to sign. (The text is a bit long to include here, but if a potential guest is not willing to sign it, we do not proceed with the booking.)

• We have always thoroughly cleaned the guest area between guest stays and in addition to normal toiletries, we provide hand sanitizer.

• We welcome our guests with prayer hands and keep our distance, but we don't wear face masks at our home. Guests are not expected to wear them while in the house, but they can proceed as they feel most comfortable. (Most people book with us after they read this and many guests arrive wearing masks but opt to not wear them while in our home. Our reviews continue to be 5-stars for every aspect and people have left nothing but positive comments after they stay with us.)

***If wearing a mask in our home and confusing cleaning protocols become mandatory from Airbnb we will have to stop using this platform to host.***

[Elizabeth2016]

The 5 step process is basically what we already do.  The handbook that accompanies it is totally over the top. Our house is in an almost COVID free state in Australia. Our guests love the house and no-one has ever complained about the cleanliness.

We signed up to using Airbnb because we liked the original concept - share your house with some strangers and make a bit of money out of it on the side.

If it requires major cleaning between guests, when there is no more disease around than is normal, then we will be opting out.

[Kat162]

@Airbnb @Catherine-Powell @Katie 

The literature released does not clearly state whether the 24-hr wait period between stays is still in effect with the revised Enhanced Cleaning Protocol/Declaration. Please advise! ❤️

[Katie]

Hi @Kat162, thanks for your question. If you click through to the 5-step process link in the main topic here, you'll see it says:

Before cleaning, it’s important that you or your professional cleaners consult your local authority for guidelines on the appropriate length of time to wait before entering the space. For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests waiting 24 hours. If that’s not possible, we recommend waiting at least three hours, or as long as possible after the guest leaves, before entering the space since this can help reduce your exposure to germs. To leave enough time to complete the cleaning process, you may also consider adding a booking buffer between reservations by updating your settings for preparation time.

I hope this helps to clarify 😊