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.

[LaNetta0]

@Catherine-Powell

I don't think it should be required to both wear a mask and social distance when greeting our guests.  One OR the other should suffice.  There is no need for a mask if keeping social distance.  Due to medical issues and/or phobias, not everyone is able to wear a mask.....but they can keep their distance when greeting guests.  This rule should really be looked at more closely.  If I start getting bad reviews about not wearing a mask, even though I clearly keep a 10 foot distance between myself and my guests - I'll be leaving ABB.

[Super47]

You have all twigged by now that Catherine's jolly little 'Host Update' ("inspired by you!"🙄) videos are simply just the dove-tailing visual representation of whatever hastily cobbled-together, poorly thought-out, impossible-to-implement, tell-em-what-they-want-to-hear, virtue-signalling Press Release/PR stunt Airbnb happens to be frantically pushing at the same time, in their desperate quest to seduce those all-important potential IPO punters ... right??

Typical Airbnb - all fur coat, and no knickers. 

[Bonnie-And-Sam0]

Why are we being notified about this procedure via news articles and not @Airbnb? The information on the issue is incredibly general in nature. The instructions and requirements are not clear and specific. Once again, Airbnb has failed to consider hosts as they make universal changes to Terms of Service and Covid-19 protocols.

[Aidan65]

@Bonnie-And-Sam0   I agree - I only became aware of this when I logged on to airbnb two evenings ago to respond to a booking request and was told the new regime is meant to be in place on Monday? Previously I have had an email in advance advising these sorts of changes.

[Bonnie-And-Sam0]

This article/thread is dated 8 days ago! On Oct 12 (2 days from now), I'm going to be pressured into joining the extraneous cleaning protocol. And if I don't comply by Nov 20, the listings managed will be blocked or suspended. I host both shared and whole home listings. Just because enhanced cleaning badges have more bookings? More than what? Ours still maintain high occupancy without the asinine protocol. 

So now we get to pass on the enhanced cleaning costs that come with it. This must be at least THREE TIMES the rate, right? Just like your bookings flaunt. Because it takes THREE TIMES as long to do the cleaning, maintain new disposable supplies, and use additional cleaning/sanitizing products.

[Helen427]

Love your post @Bonnie-And-Sam0 

Saint Corona must be looking at us wondering what on earth is going  on in the world...Are there any statues of St Corona where you live?

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Bonnie-And-Sam0 @Aidan65,

Thanks for your comments here, and I appreciate your perspective.

I agree that our hosting community should have been notified via email sooner, in addition to the notification that was sent out via your account, and I will work with the team to ensure this happens when possible for future updates.

@Bonnie-And-Sam0 I'm sorry to hear you haven't found the information clear enough. We have created this streamlined cleaning program to ensure that it covers the necessary steps, but is also adaptable to each listing, depending on your individual space. Some hosts have commented that it is too specific, so we have tried to strike a balance by creating guidelines which are achievable and also thorough, as well as being efficient at mitigating the risk that the virus poses to hosting.

Thank you again for commenting here.

Best,

Catherine

[Aidan65]

@Catherine-Powell

When the UK came out of lockdown in July, I read the enhanced protocol, decided that while this was medically logical, it was not reasonable for a home and added notes to my listing as follows:

"I am content to again welcome guests into my home as the lockdown eases. In terms of interaction the only mandatory shared spaces are the entrance and the kitchen if you choose to use it. During your stay I will have no need to go anywhere near your bedroom and bathroom.

I believe I have always cleaned and prepared the rooms to a good standard. To be honest Covid-19 does not really change this. I am happy with the 'Stay Alert' philosophy and to use common sense. I also believe those guests even considering using Airbnb with a live-in host are likely to share that philosophy with respect and Covid etiquette flowing both ways between myself and my guests.

If you have any specific queries feel free to message me before any booking is confirmed".

Three months on I would not change anything. Since July I have had nine bookings, all of which went off without a hitch. Three sets of guests said they specifically booked my listing because of my Covid-19 common sense approach.

I am content to follow the UK guidelines to socially distance, wear masks in shops, load the track and tracing app on my phone etc. However I will not wear a mask in my own home - this is simply not reasonable. I will also not be turning my home into something trying to be cleaner than a hospital operating theatre.

These new regulations leave me with two choices - either suspend my listing from Airbnb or simply sign up but ignore the guidelines. I want to carry on hosting and to maintain my superhost status so in the absence of further updates I will probably signup - but then block my calendar from now until Mar 2021.

Airbnb began as a way for people to offer spare beds/rooms in their own homes. Such a shame it has lost its way as it has become a global commercial business.

[Mark116]

I presume everyone knows that these standards are about protecting Airbnb, by demanding hosts adhere to basically a hospital/CDC level of cleaning they are fully insulated from any liability.  Airbnb doesn't care whether 99% of hosts or 10% of hosts are doing all/some/none of the protocol, because if any host is found to have failed to live up to it, Airbnb will simply blame the host for failing to follow the guidelines.  Easy.  

I honestly sometimes feel that Airbnb is Monsanto level as a corporate citizen. 

[Lisa723]

@Mark116 @Ann72 yes I agree. I don't think it's really about bookings, it's about shifting liability to hosts.

[Ann72]

@Lisa723  Definitely secondarily.  Everything is always about bookings first and this could not be more clear an attempt to increase bookings across the platform.

[Clare167]

I have snoozed and my impression is that many in our area have. I am not washing the walls, nor the curtains, I am not disinfecting the skirting boards. Without signing up to the cleaning protocol, I have been taking about 5 hours to clean and set up my one bedroom place. It's enough. I can't do more and it's unnecessary. Especially with my guaranteed 72 hours gap!

[Pam1301]

Thank you Catherine...these are unprecedented times that call for us to be the most caring Hosts that we can be...

[Pam1301]

Thank you Catherine...These are unprecedented times...I am happy to care for my guests in the most caring and safe manner available. I appreciate all that you are doing to aid us as hosts. I hope that this part is more than just PR and that these new policies have real teeth. We are waiting and watching to see what happens next...

[Catherine-Powell]

Hi @Pam1301,

Thanks for your comment here, and for your positivity around these changes. We certainly believe that they will help to ensure that both guests and hosts stay safe whilst still enjoying the benefits of Airbnb.

Best,

Catherine