Save the date: Tune in April 28 for a Host Update with CEO Brian Chesky

[Airbnb]

Hello everyone,

CEO Brian Chesky will be providing updates and answers to your top questions about hosting during COVID-19 at 3:00 p.m PST Tuesday, April 28.

Watch it live: Airbnb.com/live

Can’t make it at that time? We’ll share a recording with you after the event.  

For more answers to your questions about hosting during this challenging time, please visit Airbnb.com/COVID–we’ll keep updating it with trends, tips, and information on what we're doing to support our community.

Thank you again for being a host and we hope you are staying safe and healthy. 

[Lizzie]

Hello @Manasui0,

I hope you are doing ok. 

Timezones are tricky!! : ) Don't worry though, all the talks have been recorded and so you will be able to watch it here after. 

By the way, I'll let you know about the next EN social meetup soon–that should be a more friendly time for you this week. 

Speak to you soon.

Lizzie

[William428]

The mismatch between guests being urged to wait, and hosts being urged to cancel, is a pain. It's very unlikely our foreign guests will be able - or willing - to visit Norway this summer. We would like to open our cabin for Norwegian tourists, who are being told it's highly unlikely they'll be able to holiday abroad this year. But with guests hanging on, and uncertainty about future cancellation penalties, this is a very frustrating situation!

[Lizzie]

Hey everyone, 

15 minutes until the live event. 🙂 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Helen350]

1) How dare BC declare the differences in travel in the future! Does he have a crystal ball? And how dare he aim to manipulate the way things go?

2) So entire place hosts can sign up to new cleaning protocols & get a gold star from the Firm? WHAT ABOUT HOMESHARE HOSTS? Are we still going to have our calendars blocked? I want to decide when to host again (once my country's government lets me), I want to make that decision, not Airbnb!

[Paul60]

If we do sign up what happens to our current calendars that already have back to back guests?

[Susan17]

Current and upcoming reservations remain in place, @Paul60., even back to back ones, with no need to conform to the new "Enhanced Cleaning Standards" initiative. Which of course makes a complete mockery of this whole "public health and safety is Airbnb's top priority" charade...

[Lizzie]

Hello @Helen350 and @Paul60, it's a late one for us tonight. I hope you are both doing ok. 

To your question on private room hosts Helen, at the moment, the Enhanced Cleaning Initiative encourages some measure of physical distancing. Since this is hard to do in a shared setting, private room listings aren’t currently eligible to get the cleaning protocol call-out or to be opted in to the booking buffer program.

Private room hosts will still have access to the cleaning protocol and can choose to incorporate the recommendations into their cleaning routine.

To your question Paul, if you currently have back to back bookings (and are unable to have a 72 hour window buffer between them), this initiative shouldn't impact your existing reservations, so you will need to wait until your calendar is available before you can opt-in. 

I've shared this article on the Enhanced Cleaning initiative earlier in the CC, but you can read more on the specifics and latest updates shared there.

To add regarding the travel insights, we don't know exactly what is going to happen in a few month's time, especially as it differs from country to country (and their individual policies), but I personally think it is good to think ahead about what opportunities there might be out there for hosting as travel starts to come back into play, maybe it more guests from your own county (I know I would love to venture out of London when we are able to and a UK trip would be wonderful) and this would be quite a logical thing. So I think it's interesting to look at the trends that are happening around the world and also during this quieter time have a think about what might be interesting to potential guests. 

I hope this is helpful and I hope to speak with you soon.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Paul60]

@Lizzie Thank you Lizzie.

[Helen350]

Thanks @Lizzie . OK, I get the enhanced cleaning, & understand the logic of those belt & braces places not being shared..... But, can you clarify,  - Will hosts on the 'ordinary' protocol - with 72 hrs gap just in case, be allowed to offer private rooms? (One the UK government allows tourism, or indeed NOW for key workers?) My last remaining 2 day a week lodger & I are having NO trouble maintaining social distancing within my house, we can sanitize the bathroom taps if we feel the need! I do, don't know about him! His contract expires end May, so the Airbnb option would be useful for me.... - Even if I had to let ONE room rather than three for a bit, to facilitate social distancing.......

And Oh for some lovely car travelling tourists Brian mentioned! Well most of them always did drive from their  homes; I even hosted a couple once who'd driven from Strassbourg to the Lake District in one go! 

[Ben38]

Hi there, thanks for this but apologies if this feels like you’re having to repeat yourself - but I have back to back bookings all the way up to August does this mean I cannot opt into the special 24 hour cleaning initiative because of those bookings or does the scheme operate for new bookings going forward. And as I have four properties is done by host or per property. And also do you know if the Airbnb compensation fund for hosts will

be extended to cover bookings booked pre March 15 for dates past May 31st. Thanks 

[Emanuel675]

Dear Lizzie,

Thank you for clarifying for everyone, hope this message finds you well.

I find your upcoming changes welcome and appreciate your efforts. There is one point I cannot fully understand, when reviewing the following question from the ECI. Why would you want to make hosts, who actively support your platform, have to wait to adapt to the changes. Property managers (hosts with entire apartment listings) with foresight should have the option to implement ECI on their own accounts IMO (updating their service providers' cleaning protocol). As currently suggested, the more active hosts, instead of appreciating your efforts, have to choose between two negative outcomes. Thanks for your patience and efforts. Cheers

I want to opt in to the booking buffer. What will happen to my existing reservations with shorter turnover times?
We don’t want the new tool to impact your existing reservations—so if you have upcoming stays with fewer than 72 hours between them, you’ll need to wait until those are completed before you can opt in.

[Mary3894]

I am SO disappointed that Brian did NOT answer the question about future bookings. Yes, he did say that month by month there will be a new decision.

I have bookings in June and July that are not going to happen because major events have been canceled due to Covid. College graduations, the Olympic pre-trials, which hosts throughout Eugene< Oregon had ten-day bookings. Right now, those guests have no options to have their airbnb fees waived or returned. Of course, we hosts can make sure all their fees to us are returned. 
I am really angry that there wasn't more useful information. 

So to recap, guests with reservations beyond May 31 cannot cancel and get Airbnb fees returned,  AND there is a deadline of April 30 for hosts to work with those guests to cancel at no penalty. Works out well for Airbnb doesn't it?

[Paul60]

@Mary3894 yes it was all glossed over a bit.  I suppose May 01st is the update for guests.

[Mary3894]

Right, but May 1 is beyond the deadline for me to be able to cancel for guests, with no adverse consequences for myself as a host.

[Kristina382]

@Fred13 @Jerry250 My personal opinion is what Chesky did here is total disaster. The only right thing to do for both sides is to give guests vouchers they can use for listing they have booked till end of 2021, or that guests cancel reservation upon listings policy. That is the way to protect hosts and guests. I lost a lot of money as all of us. I was just finishing renovation of last apartment. I was out of money, if landlords didn't cut me rents and I rent on long term for small of amount of money listings I could kill myself immediately.  And Im runing out of money if this proceeds I probably go to bankruptcy