Partner updates on the coronavirus

5 June 2020

• Please join health and safety experts, Cristal International Standards, as they guide you through tips for cleaning your properties and address frequently asked questions related to cleanliness. This webinar is free to you and your staff.
• In the coming weeks, travellers will be able to see key cleanliness and safety practices you have implemented at your properties. This is currently available to enter into your dashboard and for your software provider to integrate. If you’re using software and choose to add this information in your dashboard, it will not be overwritten until you enter the information in your software. After you provide it either in your dashboard or in your software (if your software provider has completed the required update), this information will be displayed on your listing.

25 May 2020

• If you manage your properties in the owner dashboard, you can now show travellers which cleaning practices you have implemented by adding the information in your property editor. 
• If you use software to manage your properties, talk to your software provider about how to add key cleaning practices that you have implemented to your listing. You can enter this into the dashboard and it will not be overwritten by your feed. This is also currently available for your software provider to integrate.

21 May 2020

• Our Covid-19 emergency policy will continue but only for trips in June that must be cancelled because local governments have enacted laws that prohibit stays in holiday homes for leisure. 

7 May 2020

• With cleanliness being more important than ever, we know many of you are seeking out additional resources to enhance your cleaning methods. We not only want you to have industry guidelines for cleaning a holiday rental, we also want you to be able to share the extra precautions that you’re implementing. We’re now providing cleanliness and disinfection guidelines to help you protect your guests, yourself and your staff. We’re also rolling out ways for you to share cleanliness practices with future travellers.

21 April 2020

• After 30 April 2020, our Covid-19 emergency policy will continue but only for trips in May that must be cancelled because local governments have enacted laws that prohibit stays in holiday homes for leisure or in areas where there are travel restrictions.
• For stays not impacted by the emergency policy, we’re actively providing guidance to travellers with upcoming stays. Travellers are being encouraged to reach out directly to property owners or managers to reschedule existing bookings or to ask for credit if needed. Travellers are also being provided with information regarding how to cancel a booking.
• During this time, we want to provide you with some ways to attract future travellers.
• While we appreciate your desire to market what you do to clean and provide a safe environment, terms like ‘Covid-19-free’ or ‘coronavirus-free’ should not be used on your listing. Instead, focus on your rigorous cleaning protocols to help travellers feel more secure when booking.
• With cleanliness being more important than ever, we know many of you are seeking out additional resources to enhance your cleaning methods. We not only want you to have industry guidelines for cleaning a holiday rental, we also want you to be able to share the extra precautions that you’re implementing.  We’re currently providing cleanliness and disinfection guidelines to help you protect your guests, yourself and your staff. We’re also rolling out ways for you to share cleanliness practices with future travellers.
• We were also a part of the U.S. Travel Association task force charged with developing travel industry guidelines and also collaborated on the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA) guidelines for Covid-19.

16 April 2020 

• We’re creating content to help you through the COVID-19 crisis; you can find all COVID-19-related resources on this page going forward. We’ll continue to keep this partner updates page running as is.
• We’re actively providing guidance to travellers with upcoming stays. Travellers are being encouraged to reach out directly to property owners or managers to reschedule the existing booking or ask for credit if needed. Travellers are also being provided with information regarding how to cancel a booking.
• To ensure that you’re following the most up-to-date cleaning protocols for Covid-19, review the tips for cleaning your rental during Covid-19 article.

10 April 2020

• Because many areas have issued emergency public health orders limiting travel and lodging, you should avoid using language in your property descriptions that could be seen as encouraging guests to disregard health or travel advisories, e.g. ‘escape coronavirus’, ‘coronavirus hideaway’, ‘quarantine here!’ We urge you to keep up to date with orders that apply to your region.

9 April 2020

• In France, there were changes and compliance in local jurisdictions. Certain departments decided to close tourist accommodation, including seasonal rentals. We recommend that you check with your town hall about the applicable exceptions in order to comply with the laws and regulations in force.
• Read the most up-to-date cleaning and disinfecting information and get insights on how to share how you’re adhering to these guidelines with potential guests.
• Available to partners with properties in North America, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated more than $350 billion to help Americans recover from the devastating economic impact of Covid-19. From a recorded session with Paul Seago, Government Affairs Manager at Expedia Group, you can learn more about the programmes available to holiday rental property owners and managers. Topics include programme coverage, eligibility requirements, tips for applying and where to find additional resources.

6 April 2020

• Travel Insurance Information: We encourage you to issue a full credit or refund as part of our Covid-19 emergency policy, whether travel insurance was purchased or not. Travellers can refer to Generali’s COVID-19 FAQs for more information. Not all travel insurance policies cover Covid-19-related claims. Coverage and eligibility for a claim can vary significantly. Most insurance companies have updated their policies to clarify what specific cases are covered, and we encourage travellers to reach out to their insurance provider directly to understand what their policy covers. Claims do not impact your performance. Insurance claims are evaluated after the owner or property manager has processed the cancellation and refund. Partners will be rewarded based on what they do for travellers, independently of insurance claims.
• Due to Covid-19, we have disabled pricing opportunities within MarketMaker™ while we gather data to provide you with actionable insights during this unprecedented time. Stay tuned for more updates as we work to make pricing opportunities available to you again.

3 April 2020

• If you or your traveller need to cancel a booking due to the coronavirus, we’re offering rewards for helping out. If you refund 100%, give credit or reschedule, your property will receive a ranking increase equivalent to a five-star review. Your reviews section will indicate the degree to which a partner was able to accommodate the Covid-19 emergency policy. Owners who fail to refund at least 50%, give credit or reschedule will receive a ranking penalty equivalent to a one-star review. Their eligibility for programmes like Premier Host may be affected, and their reviews section will indicate the degree to which a partner was able to show flexibility. While your property’s search ranking will be affected, its overall star rating will stay the same. Thank you for being a part of our community and supporting travellers during this time.

2 April 2020

• If you manage your properties through the owner dashboard, and you or your guest cannot honour a booking due to concerns around the coronavirus (Covid-19), you have several options. We’ve created a resource to help partners understand how to issue credit or cancel a booking affected by coronavirus.
• If you use software to manage your properties, and you or your guest cannot honour a booking due to concerns around the coronavirus (Covid-19), it’s important to understand your options. Visit our Help Centre to help you understand how to issue credit or cancel a booking affected by COVID-19.

31 March 2020

• On 23 March 2020, the UK government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus and save lives. Holiday rentals (with certain exceptions), along with other outlined businesses, must now close. We recommend that partners follow their local jurisdiction for updates to stay in compliance and to learn more.
• For France, in accordance with Ordinance No. 2020–315 of 25 March 2020 relating to the financial conditions for the resolution of certain tourist travel and holiday contracts in the event of exceptional and unavoidable circumstances or force majeure, the owner or property manager may propose to issue, instead of reimbursement of all payments made by the traveller, a credit note. The traveller will have 18 months to use their credit. If the traveller does not use the credit during the eighteen-month period, the owner or property manager must reimburse in full the payments made by the traveller in respect of the cancelled booking, or where applicable, to reimburse the remaining credit balance.

27 March 2020

•  If you or your guest cannot honour a booking due to concerns around the coronavirus (Covid-19), you have several options. We’ve created this resource to help partners understand how to issue credit or cancel a booking affected by Covid-19.
•  If you’re still legally allowed to host (check your local government guidelines), you can set yourself up to earn travellers’ bookings by making it clear that their safety, comfort and well-being are your top priorities.

26 March 2020

• The effects of the economic downturn due to Covid-19 are far-reaching. If you’re experiencing significant financial hardship, you may be eligible to take part in an economic relief programme. 

25 March 2020

• As a result of partner’s cancellation policies, some travellers may have received a refund of less than 100%. We expect partners to provide at least a 50% refund if a traveller cancels due to Covid-19. During this unprecedented time, our intent is to reward partners who offer flexibility to travellers. The more you refund, the more you’ll be rewarded with incentives like additional visibility in traveller searches.
• Communications were sent to travellers with bookings after 30 April 2020 to ensure that travellers understand cancellation policies for upcoming stays. In this communication, it was recommended that travellers review their booking’s cancellation policies and work directly with partners if they need to reschedule the booking for a mutually agreed upon future date.

24 March 2020

• The Government of Spain declared the suspension of opening tourist accommodation establishments to the public until the end of the declaration of the period of the state of alarm, with some exceptions.
• We’ve been hard at work telling North American lawmakers about the devastating impact that Covid-19 is having on the entire travel ecosystem, including holiday rental owners and managers. Now you can help! Contact your legislators and urge them to support relief for the holiday rental ecosystem. 

23 March 2020

• The UK Government has new advisories on avoiding non-essential travel throughout the UK.

20 March 2020 

• Communications were sent to travellers globally regarding the new emergency Covid-19 policy that was rolled out on 18 March 2020. For the updated policy and FAQs, please visit the partner and traveller Covid-19 help centre, which are being updated with all of the latest information.
• Due to the unprecedented volume of travel disruptions, payouts may take a few weeks to be processed. The payment schedule for each booking will show the most updated disbursement date. Thank you for your patience during this time.

19 March 2020

• While we appreciate partners’ need and desire to market what they do to clean and provide a safe environment, partners should avoid terms like ‘Covid-free’ or other language that may result in travellers viewing it as any kind of guarantee or official status for a property. If a partner can accurately state that no known guests with confirmed cases have stayed at the premises and that the CDC cleaning guidance is being followed, it would be fair to describe the relative safety of the home in that manner.

18 March 2020

• Today, we’re introducing our Covid-19 Emergency Policy, a series of measures designed to help navigate these extraordinary circumstances. If a traveller reaches out to cancel or delay travel, we ask that you offer a full (or expanded) credit for stay dates within the next year (at no additional cost) for travellers who cannot currently take trips due to Covid-19. If the travellers are unwilling to accept a credit, we strongly encourage you to offer a full refund for their stay. We expect you to provide at least a 50% refund on cancellations for all stays with a night that falls between 13 March 2020 and 30 April 2020, including trips outside the set cancellation policy. We’ll refund our Traveller Service Fee in full for all cancellations. 

17 March 2020

• We’ll waive all cancellations related to Covid-19, so they do not affect your ranking metrics or Premier Host status and you can focus on what is important.
• We’re grateful for the loyalty of our partners and thank you for your patience during this time. We know you may have questions regarding your Premier Host status and want to share more information related to cancellations. Cancellations waived due to Covid-19 will not impact your Premier Host status. Right now, we’re focused on helping our customers with immediate travel concerns. We’ll continue to share updates and information and thank you for your patience and support.

16 March 2020

• As of today, if you use your dashboard to manage your properties, you no longer need to call customer support to get a cancellation waived. If you need to cancel a reservation due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), please refund the reservation in full through the reservation manager.
• As of today, if you use software, you no longer need to call into customer support to get a cancellation waived. If you need to cancel a reservation due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), we recommend that you refund the reservation in full through your software.
• Review guidance from local health officials for cleaning and sanitation standards to make sure that you and your guests are safe during upcoming stays.

13 March 2020

• Travellers are feeling uncertain about future travel due to the coronavirus (Covid-19). This is a good time to review your cancellation policy and consider adopting a flexible or moderate policy. You can always change your cancellation policy as the situation changes.