We have been listing our spare bedroom that includes a private bathroom via Airbnb for three years. We take no more than two people at a time. Having had 66 FIVE-STAR reviews during these years we have been hosting (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.
We do not have "Instant Booking"., and in our description paragraph, we state the following:
"*BEFORE BOOKING* Read guest/host requirements in the *Other Things to Note* below."
In the *Other Things to Note* we inform potential guests of the following three points:
1• 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.)
2 • We have always thoroughly cleaned the guest area between guest stays and in addition to normal toiletries, we provide hand sanitizer.
3• 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.
-- Some people inquire about how we handle the COVID situation before they actually book. So we send them the information above and, in some instances, with a thorough description of the relative location of shared and not shared spaces.
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, including "Cleanliness" and people have left nothing but positive comments after they stay with us.
For those who request a booking, without inquiring first, before approving, we restate the three points above and ask for a confirmation about their willingness to sign the affidavit by the VT Department of Health.
Only in one case, a person after having booked asked if we wore masks while cleaning. We clarified again that we do not wear masks in our home at any time. After a polite message exchange, we ended up asking her to kindly cancel her booking with us because this was not a good fit. She did and got a full refund. Also, our cancellation policy is the most flexible.
I share this as an example that pre-booking conversation between guests and hosts is possible and terms can be stated before people agree to be host or guests to each other.
Given the experience shared above, I believe that Airbnb would be better serving their "community" of guests and hosts if they allow this kind of pre-booking interaction so that we all take it as far as we can comfortably go, and bookings are mutually decided between guests and hosts based on particular locations and/or levels of comfort.