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As a travel writer, I've covered Airbnb in the time of coronavirus extensively. So I was well aware of the platform's new three-tiered options for enhanced cleaning during the pandemic.
The first and most stringent option is Cleaning Protocol, in which hosts enroll and participate in a learning and certification program and also maintain a 24-waiting period after a guest checks out before entering to clean a listing.
The second option is the Booking Buffer program, which is less rigorous on the cleaning side, but requires a longer time cushion between guests: 72 hours. Hosts have a third option: to participate in neither of these new standards and instead continue their existing procedures. Each Airbnb listing reflects the host's choice with a badge up top (or a lack of one).
The listing I selected bore no new badge, indicating it did not participate in the new programs. I might have preferred to see that badge, but given limited inventory, I felt comfortable without it because I understand from public health professionals that the main risk of virus transmission comes from people-to-people interactions and not from surfaces. So, I felt that any environment, inhabited at a given time by my family alone, was an acceptably safe choice.
Additionally, at the time of my booking, the home had a perfect 5.0 score from reviewers across all categories including cleanliness. By the time of my visit, it had dipped to 4.97 from 30 reviewers but still received a 5.0 for cleanliness. "This property is so clean," one reviewer noted, adding, "well appointed, cozy, and charming!"
Plus, it was in our budget: Our final booking broke down approximately like this: $295 nightly for three nights ($885), plus $185 cleaning fee, plus $151 service fee, plus $123 occupancy and taxes. Grand total: $1,344.
This is substantially more than we would have paid for one of our favorite desert hotels — such as the Avalon Palm Springs — but again, we didn't consider a hotel an option at this time. However, the fees can greatly inflate what seems like an otherwise affordable price.