10 ways to protect your business during Covid-19

The safety and well-being of you and your guests is of the utmost importance to us. We’re here to support you as we all navigate through Covid-19 and its impact on your business, our industry, and the global economy. Here are 10 ways you can better attract travelers looking to book during this time.

Follow local guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting — Cleanliness has arguably never been more top of mind for travelers. Keep your homes up to local regulatory recommended standards for cleanliness and update your listing description to give travelers peace of mind that you've made every effort to ensure they have a worry-free stay. After you adopt these extra cleaning protocols, be sure to let travelers know in your description and headline. 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.
Be flexible about cancellations — In the ever-shifting environment, many travelers are hesitant to book stays because they’re worried they may have to cancel last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. Consider updating your cancellation policy to allow for more flexibility so travelers can book with better peace of mind.
Update your calendar availability — To put yourself in the best position to book future travel, sync your calendars so your listing’s availability is accurate, confirm all rates for future booking windows, and open up your booking availability for at least a year out.
Offer self-check-in and keyless entry — If you don’t offer self-check-in or keyless entry already, consider updating your policies and adding instructions for these features to your welcome instructions. After you do, highlight self-check-in and keyless entry on your listing descriptions as an additional perk.
Update your amenities — Make sure your listing includes all of the amenities you offer, especially if you have fast Wi-Fi or other features that make your home perfect for long-term remote work, or have a pool or play area to help keep children entertained.
Highlight your safety features — We anticipate travelers will want to rent homes with safety features such as secure, deadbolt locks to protect their privacy during this time, as well as fully stocked first-aid kits in case of emergencies. Also consider adding the phone numbers and addresses for nearby hospitals and health care centers via your property editor so guests know help is nearby if they need it.
Give discounts for long-term stays — People often travel to be near family and friends during hard times, and typically stay for a while. Consider updating your rates to offer discounts for long-term stays to help attract those travelers.
Reduce your minimum stay requirements — On the opposite end of the spectrum, travelers can also require shorter stays during times of uncertainty. Update your minimum night stay to ensure your home shows up in search results for short-term trips as their demand increases.
Stay mobile — Download our owner mobile app and enable Instant Booking to more easily manage your business and respond to travelers without the delays in communication that can happen when using a desktop computer.
As always, be respectful to travelers regardless of origin — While it's reasonable for you to protect yourself and your property, please be respectful if you ask travelers questions about prior travels to areas currently impacted by the virus. If you cancel based on the traveler’s country of origin, we'll remove your listing from our marketplace, consistent with the principles of our Inclusion Statement guidelines.

Questions? We’re here for you.

Head to our help portal for answers to frequently asked questions about Covid-19 and how to mitigate its impact on your vacation rental business.

We thank you for your continued partnership and the efforts you're taking to keep yourselves and your guests safe. We're fully confident that together we can and will weather this storm — and come back from it stronger than ever before.