Airbnb announced a new mandate requiring that all hosts and guests follow strict COVID-19 safety practices — here's what that means and how it works

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• According to experts, Airbnb can be safer than hotels during the novel coronavirus because private vacation rentals eliminate most in-person interactions.
• However, travelers might have concerns about safety considering everything from kitchen utensils to bed linens were used by previous guests.
• In response, Airbnb debuted the Enhanced Cleaning Initiative, a set of guidelines developed with leading experts in hospitality and medical hygiene.
• Since the program's launch, nearly 1.5 million listings have enrolled. Now, Airbnb is requiring all hosts and guests to commit to new, official COVID-19 safety practices.
• Read more: Everything to know about vacation rentals, COVID-19 safety, and the best places in the US

In response to the global pandemic, hospitality businesses of all kinds scrambled to initiate and publicize new cleaning policies that could reassure — and lure — would-be travelers. 

For the popular home rental platform Airbnb, that meant an expansive, multi-tier Enhanced Cleaning Initiative that overhauled host cleaning protocols and promised to make participating listings transparent for travelers.

The new policies were rolled out in June and included strict guidelines for cleaning and sanitization developed with guidance from experts in hospitality and medical hygiene, including former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, which earned the Safe Travel stamp from the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) for meeting their guidelines.

Since the launch of the program, hosts have enrolled nearly 1.5 million listings in the Enhanced Clean program. According to Airbnb, homes enrolled in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol are among the most popular listings on the site and experience three times more bookings on average than other listings.

Now, Airbnb has expanded its policies to require that all hosts and guests commit to following Airbnb's COVID-19 safety practices. This includes wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and, for hosts and their teams, abiding by a five-step enhanced cleaning process. Additionally, all hosts must commit to implementing Airbnb's five-step enhanced cleaning process by November 20.

Listings that previously committed to the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol displayed an accompanying badge on their profile indicating they had taken stringent extra safety and sanitization measures. Those hosts will keep their badge. Additionally, hosts still have the option to add a "booking buffer" by manually blocking their calendars between stays and stating this in their listing description. 

Below, we break down Airbnb's policies to help identify what each program and badge means. Do note that once this new policy takes effect, however, there will be a special callout on a listing page for hosts to attest to the five-step cleaning process. 

These measures are all intended to quell the fears of on-the-fence travelers, who may book easier knowing that infectious disease experts generally consider private home rentals such as Airbnb to be a safe bet (safer than hotels, in fact). This is because, in a private vacation rental, there is generally less direct person-to-person contact if you are booking the entire home. Reducing person-to-person interactions is key to reducing risk since the virus is known to spread by people, via respiratory droplets.

Keep in mind that without a vaccine, there is no guarantee of safety and we always recommend following guidelines from the CDC and WHO, as well as local and state policies. You should also assess your own level of risk before booking, and consider whether you're traveling from or to a hotspot, so as not to increase the rate of infection.

What are Airbnb's new cleaning policies?

In an effort to promote safe travel and the well-being of guests and hosts, Airbnb now requires 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 hosts must commit to implementing Airbnb's five-step enhanced cleaning process by November 20. Otherwise, their accounts may be subject to warnings, suspensions, or removal.

Airbnb hosts will now be prompted to commit to specific health and safety guidelines when they log into their Airbnb account. Hosts will be provided with tools and resources, such as articles, videos, checklists, and recommended supplies, to help meet and understand these new standards.

The five-part process includes stricter preparations for safe cleaning (think: proper ventilation during cleanings, only using recommended cleaning supplies, wearing PPE, etc.), cleaning dust and debris, sanitizing with the right disinfectant, adhering to room-by-room checklists, resetting rooms for each guest, and committing to higher cleaning standards, among other action items.

Likewise, guests will be asked to agree to the same guidelines when they book a listing. 

What is the Airbnb Enhanced Clean Program?

Airbnb's cleaning policy, known as Airbnb Enhanced Clean, includes multiple prongs for travelers to differentiate. 

The most stringent is known as Enhanced Clean, in which hosts enroll and participate in a learning and certification program known as the Cleaning Protocol.

The Cleaning Protocol mandates guidelines for hosts such as the use of personal protective equipment including masks and gloves for hosts or cleaners, and also requires the exclusive use of disinfectants that have been approved by regulatory authorities.

Hosts who participate in this program are required to maintain a 24-waiting period after a guest checks out before entering to clean a listing. A property may not be flipped and offered to a new guest with a reservation on the same day that the previous guest checked out. This is meant as a way to ensure any airborne particles have settled out of the air, although experts believe this happens within a few hours or much less. 

The other option for hosts is a program called Booking Buffer, which is less rigorous on the cleaning side but requires a longer time buffer between guests. Hosts not enrolling in the Cleaning Protocol, because they can't or won't adapt to its stringent requirements, may instead opt into this tier that enforces a longer vacancy period between stays. Reservations will be automatically blocked during that timeframe, which is currently set at 72 hours. With Booking Buffer, listings must still remain vacant for 24 hours after a guest leaves before a cleaning team or host can enter, and then another 48 hours must pass before a new guest's arrival.

Previously, as a third option, hosts could opt to participate in neither of these new standards and instead continue their existing procedures. Their listings reflected that choice. However, they now must at least commit to the new five-step enhanced cleaning process.

How do I know if an Airbnb listing participates in the cleaning policies?

Hosts can enroll in the Enhanced Clean program for their listings through their accounts.

There, they'll have to review the guidelines, complete a quiz, and agree to an attestation. Then, their listings will populate with a tag that says "Enhanced Clean" to identify the distinction.

So far, most hosts participating in the new programs have opted into Enhanced Clean, with fewer choosing to enroll in Booking Buffer, according to Airbnb.

At this time, there isn't a way for travelers to filter a search to include only listings with particular badges. Instead, when would-be travelers pull up a potentially interesting listing, the host's participation — or not — in the program will be identifiable by way of a clear label up top.

Each badge identifies the listing's enrolled program, "Enhanced Clean" or "72-hour minimum between reservations" to indicate the Booking Buffer.

If a host has chosen not to participate in either program, no badge will appear on the listing. However, as mentioned, when hosts commit to the five-step cleaning process, there will be a new special callout, which is not yet live. 

What are Airbnb's cleaning fees?

If you're typically a hotel-style traveler with a new interest in Airbnb during the pandemic, you might be surprised by the price when it comes time to finalize your booking.

That's because, unlike hotels, Airbnbs charge a separate cleaning fee and it can be quite steep. Cleaning fees are not set at any certain price. In fact, hosts determine their own cleaning fees, which may range significantly from $30 to $250 per stay, sometimes more, sometimes less. "Cleaning fees are entirely up to the hosts and they vary widely," according to an Airbnb spokesperson. 

Cleaning fees are also combined with other charges beyond the nightly rate, such as booking fees, service fees, and taxes. These add-ons can easily tack hundreds of dollars onto an otherwise seemingly affordable nightly price.

For reference, the service fee is typically under 14.2 percent of the booking subtotal — that's the nightly rate plus cleaning fee and additional guest fee (if applicable), but excluding Airbnb fees and taxes. This fee varies, but platform users will see it itemized before making their purchase.

For example, my family recently booked a Palm Springs Airbnb home that cost about $300 per night for a three-night stay, which I also reviewed.

Our final booking broke down like this: $295 nightly for three nights ($885), plus $185 cleaning fee, plus $151 service fee, plus $123 occupancy and taxes. Grand total: $1,344.

That's much more than the approximately $900 to $,1000 final price I initially expected.

What extra precautions should I take when traveling?

It's likely that the novel coronavirus is here to stay into the foreseeable future. So even if you weren't a typical booker of Airbnb rentals, you might find yourself choosing this relatively safer style of lodging as you factor the pandemic into your plans. In which case, you'll want to get used to some additional practices for added safety and peace of mind.

Experts say that while there is low risk from virus transmission through inanimate objects, you can resolve any lingering concerns with spot cleaning upon arrival.

"If you want to be safe, run utensils and dishware through the dishwasher when you get there and that should take care of that," says Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo. You can do this as well for laundering bed linens and towels, "so you have control of what you want to be washed and cleaned." 

Focus, he says, on disinfecting flat surfaces, such as running a Clorox wipe over kitchen countertops. You might also spot disinfect high-touch surfaces such as phones, TV remotes, door handles, bathroom faucets, and toilet handles, he adds.

But even with this professional reassurance from the medical community and the additional spot cleaning on arrival, you might not enjoy your stay in a rented home if you still feel … icky.

If that's the case, consider packing and bringing some of the more intimate items needed for your stay from home, such as bedsheets and pillows.

Of course, that also means you're now cleaning and stocking the home for which you already paid lofty cleaning and service fees.

Then again, easy sleeping easy on vacation is pretty priceless.

For more reporting on safe travel, click on a link below to jump directly to related coverage:

• Is travel safe? We interviewed experts on risks associated with flying, booking hotels or Airbnbs, renting cars, and more, plus ideas on safe vacations during COVID-19
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• Are Airbnbs safe? We spoke to experts, a company representative, and an Airbnb host to share everything you should know before booking someone's home.
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• Everything you need to know about how Airbnb's Extenuating Circumstances cancellation policy for COVID-19 works — including some key warnings for new bookings
• Staying in a hotel will be very different post-pandemic — here are new safety and cleaning plans and precautions being implemented by every major hotel brand
• Are rental cars safe to drive right now? We talked to 3 leading experts to find out.
• Is flying safe right now? Experts break down the risks associated with boarding a flight during COVID-19.
• Is it safe to travel by train during a pandemic? Doctors and cleaning experts weigh in, plus details on new protocols from Amtrak to minimize risks.
• Everything to know about vacation rentals, including the best booking platforms, COVID-19 safety info, and the best places to go in the US