How have you changed the way you host during COVID?

[Nick]

Hi everyone,

If you are a fan of Instagram, then you might be interested to hear that Airbnb is asking hosts to share your top tips to help each other weather the COVID storm. If you would like to take part, post your top COVID hosting tips on Instagram with the hashtag #HowToHost tagging @Airbnb. Some of the best tips will be featured in the Airbnb Resource Center. 

If you are not a big Instagrammer, don't worry, we thought we could join the conversation from here in the CC, as I think we all have our own stories and top tips. COVID has impacted all of our lives this year and continues to in all manner of ways. It would be great to hear your tips on how you have tried to adapt.

How have you changed the way you host during COVID? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thanks,

Nick 

[Emilia42]

Personally, no, everything is exactly the same as it was before.

[Pat271]

@Emilia42  Yes, me too.  They are figuring out more and more that the Covid virus on hard surfaces has a very low mode of transmission. In fact, there aren’t any documented cases of people becoming infected that way.  But my housecleaner does clean and disinfect just as she did before.  One difference is that I do leave a bottle of disinfectant in the unit, in case the guests want to use it to feel more comfortable.

[Emilia42]

@Pat271 Like your housekeeper, I have always cleaned and disinfected like crazy. I'm a little obsessed with bleach. And at the beginning of all this, I did intend to make some changes. Like I was going to stop leaving guests' cookies and treats (which are made at my family's shop and always wrapped in saran wrap.) But I fell back into my old ways and now more than ever guests are commenting on how much they love that special touch. A very few percent of my bookings have even mentioned the word COVID. I did just have one guest who instant booked and then told me that he was "COVID conscious" so would I please wash the sheets between guests. Haha - I told him yes, I would make sure to do that for him. 😉

[Pat271]

@Emilia42 Haha, that’s funny! “Yes, sir, your wish is my command!”

[Ann72]

@Emilia42  Haha thank you, kind guest, for the hot tip - I never would have thought of that!  😂

[Sharon1014]

#1  Tip:  Move your listing to another platform.

[Ann72]

@Nick  I've been messaging a lot more with information about state requirements for visitors, keeping guests updated as those requirements change.  Otherwise, like @Emilia42, I haven't changed much, but the whole shape of the season changed considerably this year.  May and June were restricted, and since then there have been many more long visits, with people combining a getaway with remote work.  The season has gone well past Labor Day and October weekends, but the post-season guests are not coming from as far away.  I'm here until Christmas.  Interesting times, for better or worse.

[Laura2592]

I occasionally get questions about mask requirements or whether restaurants are open and seating to full capacity but that is it. Most of my guests are from my state or one of the neighboring states and are already very familiar with the way things are in the region. So no, my hosting has not changed that much at all. 

[Kevin1322]

We made quite a few changes to try and comply with the regulations, laws and bewildering guidelines. Some of them are good, and we'll keep them.  Like the enhanced cleaning, and not sharing the kitchen. 

Our hosting has changed a lot, or rather our guests have.  Normally we would be hikers and bikers, and a lot of german, east european and russian guests.  I find some british guests a bit too needy, and don't read the listings at all.   So I have to put my nice face on these days rather than it happening by itself as much.

Obviously we needed to spend out on several extra pillows and extra sets of bedding to make sure everything had several days quarantine between guests. But I don't think that's a bad thing in normal times now.

I'm slightly disappointed that hardly any guests have used the numerous hand sanitizers in the hall, guest room, guest bathroom etc, or anything from the nice box of extra clean-as-you-go-if-you-like products including gloves, alcohol spray,  surface cleaner etc. 

I think when things get back to near normal we will be keeping the extra preparation time and enhanced cleaning

We always had hand sanitizer in the bathroom anyway, before covid.

[Sarah977]

I never use hand sanitizer at home. Why would I want to use that stuff if I had an alternative? I carry it in the car to use after I've gone in somewhere or touched something in public. At home I simply wash my hands with soap and water. So if I were your guest, the fact that I hadn't used the hand sanitizer wouldn't mean I wasn't taking precautions, it would simply mean I'd sanitized my hands in the car after possibly touching something infected, or that I'd just gone for a walk and didn't touch anything aside from maybe something in the natural environment.

@Kevin1322

[Nick]

thanks for sharing those tips @Kevin1322 

Comes as a surprise to me they aren't using the hand sanitisers you provide. Of course, I also agree with @Sarah977  's reply. Could be just that. Of course trying to think why others do what they do will only drive you insane as there can be billions of different explanations, but from personal experience, it surprises me as I use them even at home. There are instances I see one in front of me, so I grab it and use it instead of going in the bathroom and washing my hands with soap and water - I don't even think about it anymore. It now happens as a reflex.

[Emilia42]

@Sarah977 @Kevin1322 I've had disinfecting wipes in my places since last February when we had a bad cold and flu season here. I bought some back-ups but still haven't had to replace them yet. Maybe the guests are bringing their own? I thought the world was obsessed with them but personally I've never used them, so I don't know.

[Lisa723]

72 hours from check-out to cleaning, 24 hours from cleaning to check-in. With decreased availability and increased demand we can pick and choose our guests and are strongly preferring those guests booking directly and on other platforms where we are in control of cancellation policy and refunds. With the new announcement that we must commit to the impossible and ridiculous enhanced cleaning protocol this will become even more true.

[Kevin1322]

@Lisa723  exactly, spot on. Most of our Airbnb guests have never touched the sanitizers and cleaning products provided for them, let alone worn a mask. I'm still trying to figure out how to stuff a 7ft wide blockout window blind into the washing machine to boil the apocalypse out of it 🙄