Airbnb updates its host policies amid coronavirus concerns

As COVID-19 remains an ongoing concern around the world, Airbnb recently published a post with updates for hosts and travellers regarding their new “extenuating circumstances policy.”

“More information is coming out every day, and that can make this a confusing time to travel and host,” the post explains.

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“We’ll continue to monitor the situation and share updates as we have them. In the meantime, we’re asking our community to be considerate to hosts and guests who need to cancel.”

According to the updated Airbnb policy, suitable reservations can be cancelled free of charge if coronavirus outbreak has impacted them.

These reservations include guests travelling to or from areas highly affected by the coronavirus, and hosts that are expecting guests from critically affected areas.

Additionally, anyone who is unable to make their trip as a result of “official travel restrictions, medical or disease control duties, flight or ground transportation cancellation initiated by the provider due to COVID-19, or suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19,” are also able to cancel free of charge.

Guests that require cancellations under these extenuating circumstances will receive a refund in full, including any additional fees.

As well, hosts will not sustain any cancellation fees. Instead, Airbnb will issue payments for all expenses.

Hosts will then be welcome to receive new reservations for the cancelled dates.

Superhosts will not have to worry about their status due to these cancellations, as their standing will not be affected.

“Given the health and safety risks, we are asking all hosts and guests to please review your local authorities’ travel guidance and health advisories, in addition to global guidance from the WHO,” the post states.

“We strongly urge our community to take necessary precautions to protect yourself when travelling or hosting. Our extenuating circumstances policy covers our hosts and guests with eligible reservations who are being impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.”

For more information regarding guests with reservations in areas severely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, such as Mainland China, Italy, and South Korea, additional details regarding reservations can be found in the full post.