Guidance for Future Reservations

The travel industry continues to be disrupted by COVID-19 control measures, affecting millions of Airbnb hosts and guests around the world. We are committed to gathering important feedback from our community to shape our ongoing response, and have held hundreds of listening sessions in more than 30 countries. We have heard from many members of our community that advance notice on forthcoming changes is incredibly helpful for both hosts and guests who are evaluating future plans. 

Our Extenuating Circumstances policy for COVID-19 currently applies to reservations booked on or before March 14, 2020 for check-ins through May 31, and we’ve been receiving questions from our community regarding reservations in June and beyond. We are continuing to monitor the situation and review official guidance from governments and public health organizations, and on May 1st we plan to communicate an update about reservations made on or before March 14, 2020 for stays in June 2020. We plan to continue these updates on a monthly basis going forward. 

During this time of uncertainty, we encourage hosts and guests to consider rescheduling or modifying reservations where possible to avoid cancellations. Guests with reservations in June that want to cancel may choose to wait until the first of the month for an update. We also advise that travelers check their reservation’s cancellation policy, which may already be “flexible” or “moderate” and allow for refunds regardless of application of the Extenuating Circumstances Policy. 

Here’s what hosts can do:

• Keep the dialogue going with guests. Some guests may need extra assurance right now—hosts can consider reaching out to discuss concerns in advance. 
• Cancel penalty-free by April 30. For those unable to host or who can no longer accommodate short term stays, through April 30th hosts can now cancel any upcoming reservations this year booked before March 15. Hosts won’t pay a fee, have their calendars blocked, or have their Superhost statuses affected.

Here’s what guests can do:

• Ask their host about rescheduling their reservation. If a guest’s travel plans are impacted by COVID-19, we encourage them to communicate with their host about the possibility of rescheduling. 
• Check our Help Center to see if their reservation is eligible for a refund. We will continue to regularly update our Help Center page with the latest information about our Extenuating Circumstances policy. Guests should also check their host’s cancellation policy. 

To get the latest information on our COVID-19 response, from policy updates to resources for hosts and guests, please visit www.airbnb.com/covid19.