Hosts share what accessibility means to them

Airbnb continues working to make travel more inclusive for guests with disabilities and accessibility needs. As people around the world mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we are sharing insights about accessibility from our Hosts and an update on our work to help guests find and book stays and experiences that meet their needs.

Airbnb’s global community of Hosts is passionate about fostering connection and belonging around the world. For Hosts with disabilities and Hosts who have loved ones with disabilities, making travel more inclusive takes on special importance.

Deidre, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Deirdre, Host of an experience in South Africa, is a mom to a “warrior on wheels” and is an advocate for accessible travel. She loves meeting guests from around the world, both through in-person and online experiences, and being able to share her love for her country and its wildlife.

What does accessibility mean to you?

For me, accessibility means that every person has a fair and reasonable opportunity to experience the things they would like to. Accessibility is the result of the conscious preparation of an environment to accommodate persons of varying abilities as far as possible without barriers.

What do you want your guests to know about accessibility?

Accessibility is not one-size-fits-all. What may be accessible for one person with a disability may be inaccessible for another person with a similar disability. Access to information is vital, both from Hosts and guests, in order to plan ahead for the best possible experience or stay.

Stefano, Mantova, Lombardia, Italy

Stefano, an architect, turned a historic home into a bed and breakfast. Stefano, who identifies as a disabled person, invited friends with vision, hearing and mobility disabilities to help him design the home.

What does accessibility mean to you?

To think, to manage, to create places where EVERYONE can access and live.

What do you want other Hosts to know about accessibility?

It takes effort and the ability to use their imagination, but making your home accessible can be easier than one might think.

Loren, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Loren, who recently retired after serving as Marketing VP for Ability360 and spending 20 years in the hospitality industry, welcomes guests to his Arizona community. A quadriplegic for 38 years, he has remodelled his listings with accessibility features similar to those in his own home.

What does accessibility mean to you?

I would say what accessibility means when it comes to travel, hospitality and Airbnb, is the ability to travel with the least amount of stress related to accessibility or independence. Certainly that entails preplanning for the traveler, but it also is important for the Host to provide accurate information about the type of accessibility features being offered. So often, communication is the first part of accessibility. Being able to read guest reviews and ask the Host questions can potentially relieve some stress. But accessibility, even a little nugget of it, certainly means freedom to me.

What do you like about hosting on Airbnb?

Of course, of late we have very much liked the economic benefits of the Airbnb platform. But it is also the challenge of making affordable stays accessible for people in wheelchairs and to try your best to make the calendar available for those who really will take advantage of the accessibility.

An update on Accessibility Review

Last November, we introduced a series of updates to help guests with disabilities find and book accommodations and activities that meet their needs, including Accessibility Review, a process designed to help ensure guests have clear information about a listing’s accessibility features, such as a step-free guest entrance and shower grab bars.

We’ve made great progress since launching Accessibility Review last year. Through this process, Hosts of stays submit photos of the accessibility features in their home, which are then manually reviewed by a specialised team of Airbnb agents before the feature appears on a listing page. To date, Airbnb agents have reviewed and confirmed the accuracy of more than 150,000 accessibility features in nearly 100,000 places to stay around the world,* with the following countries leading the way with the most listings with confirmed accessibility features:

• United States
• France
• Italy
• Mexico
• Brazil

For more information on Accessibility Review and our continued work to improve accessibility across our product and platform, visit airbnb.com/accessibility.

*As of May 2022