Introducing Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol for UK hosts

• Developed in partnership with leading experts in hospitality and medical hygiene, Airbnb’s industry-leading Enhanced Cleaning Protocol is now available to UK hosts.
• The protocol includes a five-step cleaning process, room-by-room checklists and more as hosts prepare for the reopening of touristic travel. 
• Travellers, hosts, and policymakers can reference the cleaning guidelines to help support the safe reopening of communities and travel. 

Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol—the first overarching standardised guidelines for cleaning and sanitation in the home sharing industry—is now available to support hosts and authorities in advance of the reopening of touristic travel in the UK.

Speaking about the reopening of tourism in Parliament, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden, recently stated that self-contained accommodation could be at the front of the queue given its “lower risk”. 

Airbnb’s guidelines are informed by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and developed in partnership with leading hospitality and medical hygiene experts, including 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. 

The protocol for hosts in Europe was also informed by guidance from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and includes a recommended three-hour wait period before entering a listing to clean. In the UK, Airbnb has worked with a broad range of partners from industry and government, including being appointed to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce – Visitor Economy Working Group, established to develop guidance for the safe reopening of DCMS sectors, and collaborating with the wider tourism sector on  cross-industry guidance to accommodation providers in the UK. 

All hosts in the UK can access the enhanced cleaning educational materials through the Resource Centre, 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 sanitise, and what supplies to have on hand. 

To enrol their homes in the Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, 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 so guests know they are committed to an enhanced cleaning and sanitisation routine.

If hosts are unable to commit to our cleaning protocol, they can also choose to opt into a new feature called booking buffer. This creates a longer vacancy period between stays with no activity to take place other than cleaning, which should follow recommended guidelines. Reservations will be automatically blocked during that time frame for 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 Cleaning Protocol builds on Airbnb’s 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, 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 Airbnb’s Enhanced Cleaning Protocol, visit airbnb.co.uk/cleaningresources.

*Based on Airbnb internal data referring to guest reviews on a stay’s cleanliness as of May 31, 2020; ratings out of a total of 5 stars.

About Diversey: 

Diversey’s purpose is to protect and care for people every day. Diversey has been, and always will be, a pioneer and facilitator for life. We constantly deliver revolutionary cleaning and hygiene technologies that provide total confidence to our customers across all of our global sectors, including: cleaning products, systems and services that efficiently integrate chemicals, machines and sustainability programs. This makes us unique among leading global hygiene and cleaning companies. Everything we do has our customers’ needs at its heart and is based on the belief that cleaning and hygiene are life essentials. With over 95 years of expertise, we safeguard our customers’ businesses, contributing to productivity improvements, lower total operating costs and brand protection. Diversey is headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, USA. For more information, visit www.diversey.com or follow us on social media.