Airbnb Announces New Commitment to Safer Travel

Photo Source: Airbnb

Airbnb is asking its hosts and guests to committ to safer travel with its newly launched COVID-19 Safety Practices, that include wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and, for hosts and their teams, abiding by Airbnb’s five-step enhanced cleaning process.

“Cleanliness remains a priority and this commitment will help provide extra assurances to try and safeguard all stakeholders – hosts, guests, their communities and governments,” the company said.

Airbnb is now requiring all hosts and guests to commit to the following COVID-19 safety practices:

• All guests and hosts must wear masks and practice social distancing when interacting with each other.
• All homes hosts must commit to implement Airbnb’s five-step enhanced cleaning process by November 20.

Starting next week, hosts will be prompted to commit to these health and safety guidelines when they log into their Airbnb account and guests will be asked to agree to the guidelines when they book a listing. This builds on existing cleaning and safety initiatives for in-person Airbnb Experiences which require all hosts and guests to wear face coverings and social distance.

Hosts have until November 20, 2020 to commit, otherwise their accounts may be subject to warnings, suspensions and, in some cases, removal from the Airbnb platform.

Earlier this year, Airbnb introduced its Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, a set of guidelines for cleaning and sanitization developed with guidance from leading experts in hospitality and medical hygiene. Since the launch of the program in June, hosts have enrolled nearly 1.5 million listings and guests have given these listings an average 4.8 star rating for cleanliness.

Early in the pandemic, Airbnb also issued health and safety guidelines about wearing a mask and practicing social distancing in accordance with guidance from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control.