Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocol is now available to support hosts and governments in advance of reopening communities for travel.
Educational materials and tools are now available for hosts in 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the coming weeks, resources will be available to more hosts around the world.
The standards are informed by guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and Europe and advice from former Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy. Airbnb has also partnered with Diversey, a leading cleaning and hygiene technology company, that has endorsed the enhanced cleaning protocol and will help develop more solutions for the Airbnb community moving forward.
All hosts in these twelve countries can access the enhanced cleaning educational materials in their local languages through the Resource Center, including a Quick Start Guide and Cleaning Handbook with guidance on the use of personal protective equipment, how to clean every room in a home, what to sanitize, and what supplies to have on hand.
In addition to cleaning guidelines, hosts should ensure they comply with guidance from governments or health authorities in their local jurisdictions.
To enroll their homes in the Airbnb Enhanced Clean program, hosts can go directly to their Airbnb accounts, where they can review the guidelines, and complete a quiz and an attestation. Hosts who commit to following the cleaning protocol will receive a special call-out on their listing in the coming days so guests know they are committed to an enhanced cleaning and sanitization routine.
If hosts are unable to commit to our cleaning protocol, they can also choose to opt into a new feature called booking buffer, to create a longer vacancy period between stays, with no activity other than cleaning, which should follow recommended guidelines. Reservations will be automatically blocked during that time frame, currently set at 72 hours. In an effort to ensure hosts are equipped with the best practices for cleaning, we will continue to develop new education materials and features to help get them up to speed.
Supporting Communities
The Airbnb Enhanced Clean program builds on our strong historical track record of cleanliness: 94 percent of all Airbnb reviews show that guests are satisfied with cleaning, scoring it at 4 or 5 stars after their stays.* By following this cleaning protocol, hosts are taking significant steps toward protecting themselves, their guests and the communities in which they live.
In addition to cleaning standards for homes, Airbnb is also offering new safety and cleaning initiatives for in-person Experiences in countries and regions** where these activities have reopened, based on guidance from local governments and health experts. These guidelines include requiring all hosts and guests wear face coverings, limiting group size, and maintaining social distancing. For Experiences conducted in a private space hosts are required to follow an enhanced cleaning protocol.
Governments and health authorities will be able to refer to these guidelines to help inform the reopening of communities and their tourism economies. We will continue to collaborate with local governments, medical experts and other authorities to help ensure appropriate precautions are taken, support COVID-19 response efforts, and carry out any other applicable requirements.
To learn more about the Airbnb Enhanced Clean program, visit airbnb.com/cleaningresources.
