在奥巴马政府时期一位前美国医务总监的指导下,爱彼迎正在为房东推出一套全新的清洁标准。
这项“强化清洁行动”可归纳为两项预防措施,当取消因疫情实施的“就地避难令”和旅行业复苏后,希望能让房客安心入住,也为房东提供资源。
“我们从诸多迹象看到,新冠大流行将重塑消费者的需求和偏好,我们也听到了房东群体的反馈,他们关心并需要更多资源,”爱彼迎的一位发言人告诉《财富》杂志。“我们相信,在爱彼迎提供的指导和资源支持下,参加‘强化清洁行动’将成为房东向房客展示他们重视清洁卫生的最佳方式。”
作为该行动的第一项措施,清洁规程概述了家中每个房间的清洁程序,提供了预防新冠病毒的具体信息。其中,针对新冠病毒的指引包括:设定出租等待期、使用个人防护装备(口罩和手套)、在物体表面使用监管部门批准的消毒剂和摆放洗手液等。房客可在Airbnb的房源中搜索遵守规程的民宿。
第二个新功能被称为“预订缓冲期”,帮助房东在两次出租之间留出房源空置期。房东可承诺,前后接待两批房客之间必须相隔一段时间,除了打扫卫生,房间里不会有其他活动。该功能会自动拒绝在此期间的预订,目前间隔时间设置为72小时。这一概念最初来自爱彼迎发起的“为前线人员提供住宿”计划,通过该计划,世界各地的房东已经为医务人员和急救人员提供了超过20万个住处。
虽然这一行动纯属自愿加入性质,但爱彼迎相信,即便仅仅是为了赢得房客的好评,大部分房东都会遵守行动政策和要求,因为在任何时候,评论对房东吸引房客都至关重要。
该公司的清洁规程参考了美国疾控中心公布的标准,以及前医务总监维韦克·穆尔蒂博士的建议。穆尔蒂曾领导美国应对埃博拉病毒和寨卡疫情,他在一份声明中表示:“作为一个社会,我们需要遵守公共卫生官员提出的社交距离建议,同时也要想办法维持和加强人与人之间的联系。”
在疫情大流行期间,爱彼迎只能算是勉强维持了财务健康。从各项商业预测和对公司高管的采访可看出,公司前景将从形势严峻进一步陷入“末日危机”。新冠病毒来袭之前,这家总部位于旧金山的公司的财务健康状况就已经面临着问题,虽然清洁规程似乎暗示着隧道尽头的一丝曙光,但无论是商务出行还是休闲旅行,任何类型的旅行估计在2020年都不会出现反弹。
尽管如此,爱彼迎仍表示已经看到了回暖迹象,称本地和长租预订都在增加。该公司目前在220多个国家开展业务。“旅行中的风险永远都不可能完全消除,人们对于新冠病毒的认识也在不断加深,”公司发言人表示。“我们相信,一旦取消‘居家令’和允许安全外出,人们就会想要再次出行,只是大家的健康卫生意识会更强。”
除了清洁行动,爱彼迎还采取了其他措施保护房东利益。据报道,该公司的三名联合创始人在今年3月与几位国会议员进行了交谈,至少会确保美国房东(通常以个人业主身份报税)有资格申请小企业管理局的紧急贷款。(财富中文网)
译者:Emily
在奥巴马政府时期一位前美国医务总监的指导下,爱彼迎正在为房东推出一套全新的清洁标准。
这项“强化清洁行动”可归纳为两项预防措施,当取消因疫情实施的“就地避难令”和旅行业复苏后,希望能让房客安心入住,也为房东提供资源。
“我们从诸多迹象看到,新冠大流行将重塑消费者的需求和偏好,我们也听到了房东群体的反馈,他们关心并需要更多资源,”爱彼迎的一位发言人告诉《财富》杂志。“我们相信,在爱彼迎提供的指导和资源支持下,参加‘强化清洁行动’将成为房东向房客展示他们重视清洁卫生的最佳方式。”
作为该行动的第一项措施,清洁规程概述了家中每个房间的清洁程序,提供了预防新冠病毒的具体信息。其中,针对新冠病毒的指引包括:设定出租等待期、使用个人防护装备(口罩和手套)、在物体表面使用监管部门批准的消毒剂和摆放洗手液等。房客可在Airbnb的房源中搜索遵守规程的民宿。
第二个新功能被称为“预订缓冲期”,帮助房东在两次出租之间留出房源空置期。房东可承诺,前后接待两批房客之间必须相隔一段时间,除了打扫卫生,房间里不会有其他活动。该功能会自动拒绝在此期间的预订,目前间隔时间设置为72小时。这一概念最初来自爱彼迎发起的“为前线人员提供住宿”计划,通过该计划,世界各地的房东已经为医务人员和急救人员提供了超过20万个住处。
虽然这一行动纯属自愿加入性质,但爱彼迎相信,即便仅仅是为了赢得房客的好评,大部分房东都会遵守行动政策和要求,因为在任何时候,评论对房东吸引房客都至关重要。
该公司的清洁规程参考了美国疾控中心公布的标准,以及前医务总监维韦克·穆尔蒂博士的建议。穆尔蒂曾领导美国应对埃博拉病毒和寨卡疫情,他在一份声明中表示:“作为一个社会,我们需要遵守公共卫生官员提出的社交距离建议,同时也要想办法维持和加强人与人之间的联系。”
在疫情大流行期间,爱彼迎只能算是勉强维持了财务健康。从各项商业预测和对公司高管的采访可看出,公司前景将从形势严峻进一步陷入“末日危机”。新冠病毒来袭之前,这家总部位于旧金山的公司的财务健康状况就已经面临着问题,虽然清洁规程似乎暗示着隧道尽头的一丝曙光,但无论是商务出行还是休闲旅行,任何类型的旅行估计在2020年都不会出现反弹。
尽管如此,爱彼迎仍表示已经看到了回暖迹象,称本地和长租预订都在增加。该公司目前在220多个国家开展业务。“旅行中的风险永远都不可能完全消除,人们对于新冠病毒的认识也在不断加深,”公司发言人表示。“我们相信,一旦取消‘居家令’和允许安全外出,人们就会想要再次出行,只是大家的健康卫生意识会更强。”
除了清洁行动,爱彼迎还采取了其他措施保护房东利益。据报道,该公司的三名联合创始人在今年3月与几位国会议员进行了交谈,至少会确保美国房东(通常以个人业主身份报税)有资格申请小企业管理局的紧急贷款。(财富中文网)
译者:Emily
Airbnb is pushing out a new set of cleanliness standards for hosts, developed with guidance from a former U.S. surgeon general in the Obama administration.
The Enhanced Cleaning Initiative boils down to two prevention measures, both of which are meant to provide assurance to guests and tools for hosts once shelter-in-place mandates owing to the spread of COVID-19 are lifted and travel can resume.
“We have seen signals that the COVID-19 pandemic will shape consumer needs and preferences and heard feedback from our host community that they care about and want more resources,” an Airbnb spokesperson tells Fortune. “We believe that enrolling in our Enhanced Cleaning Initiative, with guidance and resources provided by Airbnb, is the best way for hosts to show guests that they take cleanliness and sanitization seriously.”
The first is a cleaning protocol, outlining procedures on how to clean every room in a home, with specific information on COVID-19 prevention. Coronavirus-specific guidance includes instituting a waiting period before entering the home, use of personal protective equipment (masks and gloves), and the use of disinfectants on surfaces and hand sanitizers that are approved by regulatory authorities. Guests will be able to search for Airbnb listings that subscribe to the regulations.
The second is a new feature called Booking Buffer, enabling hosts to establish a vacancy period between stays. Hosts can commit to keeping their residences empty for a set period in between stays, with no activity other than cleaning. Reservations will be automatically blocked during that time frame, currently set at 72 hours. This concept was first conceived for Airbnb’s Frontline Stays project, through which hosts have offered over 200,000 places for medical workers and first responders around the world.
The initiative is entirely optional, but Airbnb believes most of its hosts will comply with the policies and requirements of the program—if only to stand out among the robust guest reviews that are crucial for hosts to attract guests at any point in time.
The homestay company’s cleaning standards were informed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s published standards as well as counsel from former surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy, who previously led U.S. responses to the Ebola and Zika outbreaks. “As a society, we need to observe the physical distancing recommendations made by public health officials while finding ways to preserve and strengthen human connection,” Murthy said in a statement.
Airbnb’s financial health during the pandemic has been touch and go at best, with business forecasts and interviews with company executives projecting an outlook from grim to apocalyptic. The San Francisco–based company’s bottom line had already been hurting before COVID-19 struck, and while the cleaner standards protocol suggests a hint of light at the end of the tunnel, travel of any kind—business or pleasure—is not expected to rebound in 2020.
Nevertheless, Airbnb, which operates in more than 220 countries, says it has already seen signs of upticks, including increases in local and long-term stays. “Risk in travel can never be fully eliminated, and the knowledge around COVID-19 is still evolving,” says the company spokesperson. “We’re confident that once stay-at-home orders are lifted and it is safe to travel again, people will want to travel again, but with greater awareness for health and cleanliness considerations.”
Beyond cleanliness, Airbnb has taken other steps to protect its hosts. In March, the company’s three cofounders reportedly spoke with several members of Congress to ensure at least U.S. hosts—who often file their taxes as sole proprietors—would be eligible to apply for Small Business Administration emergency loans.