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.

[Helen350]

@Colleen253 I'm currently hosting Bookings 50 & 51 following post-lockdown resume on 4 July, and NO ONE has shown any interest in cleaning protocols! (I concede those who book high-end places may be different from my cheap & cheerful demographic, as might be Americans/Canadians...)

[Colleen253]

@Helen350 That's been my experience also, and we have been busy too. My guests are mostly concerned that the hot tub (and now the fireplace) be open for their use. I still clean as thoroughly as needed, but no one is that concerned about it.  

[Helen350]

..... forgot the punchline, i.e. all the above is WITHOUT the Enhanced Clean Mark 1....

[Marcie-and-Peter0]

We have remained open since March, with 60 bookings from March to today), and only one asked about our cleaning protocols.  Just one! 

[Naomi320]

This is the issue:

• Refer to the best practices in each room-by-room checklist to make sure that all areas are cleaned and sanitized between each stay

The Cleaning Handbook, pages 21-37, that's what we're supposed to sign off on.  

[Jake226]

Where is this cleaning handbook?

[Emilia42]

So my question is: now that all hosts have signed up for the enhanced cleaning protocol what happens when a host gets lower than a 5 star on cleanliness? What happens when a guest sees a spider web in the corner? What happens when a crumb is on the floor or a shelf in the fridge has some spots? Obviously, enhanced cleaning was not followed. How are hosts who maintain a 4.0 for cleanliness expected to take the cleaning protocol seriously?  

[Jennie131]

We are once again held hostage by the whims and whimsy of the guest. We must give in to every demand or they will mark us down for cleanliness. Sorry Guest, I can't let you check in three hours early. I guess you will be dinging me a star for cleanliness. 

[Lisa723]

@Airbnb please clarify, will you now require all hosts to commit to washing every piece of tableware and cookware, and every piece of linen in the house, regardless of use, on every turnover? Your post is confusing and It's unclear whether a general commitment to the high-level five steps,  or a specific commitment to the complete 39-page cleaning handbook, is required.

If the latter, we'll have to leave the platform, as these requirements are just not feasible and unlike many we will not falsely commit to something we can't do.

We do not enter our homes until 72 hours after check-out, and they are vacant for another 24 hours between cleaning and check-in. There is no scientific reason to suspect our cleaners or guests are at risk from air or surface transmission with this protocol.

Fortunately we have been working on building up our direct-booking business so we are not reliant on Airbnb.

[Lisa723]

I just looked at my new "custom cleaning checklists" for each listing and they are all empty.  Ha.

@Nick 

[Lisa723]

@Catherine-Powell

[Lisa723]

@Catherine-Powell @Airbnb 

[Kelly149]

@Lisa723 I agree, I won't lie and say I'm agreeing to this silly list. And my listing is a complete place with DW and clothes washer, can take 1 guest or 10. If a guest has a concern about a particular kitchen item or linen they have the capacity to wash it quickly and easily themselves. I'm not going to take out all the kitchen gear and empty the linen cabinet and I'm also not going to wash everything we own every week.

My experience thus far is that guests who want to come visit their family are grateful to not be in a hotel and not be doubled up at their family's home and this list in no way represents guest concerns. We're staying fully booked on other platforms but it's unfortunate that ABB is so out of touch.

IF ABB really wanted to Big Brother manage something they could have started with rule-breaking guests or bait and switch hosts, or creating a useful CS department, this is an opportunity squandered.

[Michael-And-Kenny0]

I happen to agree with you totally.  I'm new at this and plan on getting on other platforms as well.  I've been at this for a little over a year(with the exception of closing for 3 months) and I'm a superhost, however I fear that I will lose the status due to the protocol of cleansing and I just don't have the time to be spending 24/7 cleaning. 

[Lisa723]

@Airbnb @Catherine-Powell please clarify, will you now require all hosts to commit to washing every piece of tableware and cookware, and every piece of linen in the house, regardless of use, on every turnover? Your post is confusing and it's unclear whether a general commitment to the high-level five steps,  or a specific commitment to the complete 39-page cleaning handbook, is required.