Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances policy allows hosts and guests to cancel eligible reservations with no charge or penalty.
(TAN): In response to the extraordinary events and global disruption to travel caused by COVID-19, Airbnb has announced updated coverage under its Extenuating Circumstances policy.
Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances policy allows hosts and guests to cancel eligible reservations with no charge or penalty. This policy now applies to existing reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with check-in dates between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020.
This Extenuating Circumstances policy applies to bookings of places to stay and Airbnb Experiences in every country and region around the world, with the exception of domestic travel in mainland China which is scheduled to return to normal rules on April 1.
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This announcement will impact hosts around the world, many of whom depend on the economics they generate on Airbnb. Airbnb will be working in the days and weeks ahead to identify tools and initiatives to support the hosts during these very challenging times. The company aims to find a balance between supporting hosts and protecting the well-being of their community and to find additional ways to help the hosts. It’s also important to note that Airbnb will not collect any fees or benefit in any way from any reservations cancelled under this policy.
Airbnb said they are grateful to those hosts around the world who have generously provided guests cancellations outside of their existing cancellation policies. Airbnb reservations that were canceled in the last month were examined and is is found that 86 percent of the money that would have been spent by guests on these reservations was returned to them in the form of refunds.
To help their community get their questions answered faster, Airbnb is regularly updating their Help Center with the latest information and guidance from the World Health Organization and governmental and health authorities. It has also added a banner to the homepage letting the community know they can cancel without charge and receive a full refund.
For those considering making changes to an upcoming trip, it is recommended to visit the Trips section of the Airbnb website or app, and selecting their reservation to find resources for changing or canceling the trip.
The company will continue to assess the situation and will provide further information as it becomes available.
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Airbnb strongly advise all travelers who are still booking trips on the platform for all types of local, short-term and longer-term stays to carefully review and select cancellation policies that are right for them given the COVID-19 outlook.
Airbnb hosts are ready and eager to support the community with a wide variety of flexible travel options. And though travel has been significantly impacted by the virus, it remains incredibly important and the company is working to provide tools and policies to best support their hosts and guests during these unusual times.
