Is anyone blocking the day before and after booking due to Covid

So I’m opening up again in September and I have blocked the day before and after each booking. This is losing me a lot of business. I am planning on running an HEPA machine for the first day and then clean the 2nd. I just stayed in an Airbnb that didn’t do that.

I’m losing key days and weekends by doing this and leaving weird gaps on the calendar that probably won’t get filled. Who’s still doing thisl or have you all gone back to check out in AM and check in late afternoons? Am I being overly careful?

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I block a day before and after as well but it’s worked for me since the booking has to be a min of 5 nights. I can see it being an issue with shorter stays.

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I was doing it for COVID, but now am just doing it because it makes my life easier. I raised my minimum stay to 3 days, and don’t allow check-in/check-out on Saturday. It usually results in 3-5 day stays over a weekend, which works well for me.

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I have a one day buffer in between bookings for extra covid precautions and just in case there’s any issues that need addressing. I have min stays (3-5 nights depending) and don’t allow check-ins on Saturday or Sunday and no checkouts on Friday or Saturday.

I still will often have gaps midweek on Tuesday/Wednesday since many folks like to check in Thursday and checkout Monday but I’m fine with that.

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Yes I was blocking days. During the earlier days of covid I blocked two between stays as I didn’t even want to go in the room the first day. Then evidence seemed clear that it’s not infecting people from surface contact and I went to one. Now I’m doing back to back and only manually blocking. In the summer I can easily air the room with high air circulation. This winter I may put the buffer day back.

As you may recall, I do lots of one nighters and back to back so having buffer days does affect my business but I don’t depend on this business to pay the bills. Depending on what you want and what you get the suggestions above of only allowing stays of a certain length or not allowing check in and outs on certain days may help you.

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YES. And as part of the checkout instructions, I ask the guests to leave all the doors open and turn up the thermostat in the mini splits so we don’t air condition the outdoors. We don’t depend on the money to survive but I do depend on good health so it’s worth it to me.

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Yes blocking days. Not worried about losing bookings as my life does not depend on AirBnb. My life does depend not contracting Covid though…

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I am now blocking night before/night after again. I started my summer blocking to allow time for particulates to fall out of air.

June & July booked before vaccines were available to all adults.

I had some odd gaps but worked out ok. Vaccines more available when August started booking so removed gap.

Delta variant now more common so back to blocking night after/night before. Sept & Oct usually book as long weekends so the gaps won’t create booking issues.

Odd event this year: This year I started with 2 new king & 4 new standard pillows (max 2 guests). I purchased 4 new standard pillows (super sale) & stowed in vacuum bags under the bed. The original standard pillows are gone. Secret pillow stash opened & in use. I guess guests didn’t want to use slept on/breathed into pillows?

Btw—who crawls on the floor to find pillows hidden under the bed? They got into my awful toilet paper stash too & left it alone. (TP scarce, off brand purchased & stored in plastic under bed box for personal/emergency)

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Yes, I don’t rely on the income but it’s a nice source. The cost for insurance is 3x my homeowner’s insurance so the first two months of income covers that. Then I hit my slow season Nov - March so I’m trying to increase the income. Since my Airbnb doesn’t have a full kitchen (kitchenette with paper and plastic dinner ware (no sink in kitchenette) my place doesn’t lend itself to long stays too.

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I plan to lock up all of my supplies plus not leave full boxes of tea coffee, just a basket and enough paper and plastic wear for each stay. I then plan on putting any unused stuff in box, date it and then re-used 2 weeks later.

As for pillows - wow - crazy what people will do. Someone switched out and took my sheet set but left theirs. I have enough pillows to rotate every two weeks. I also have bed bug liner, pillow case liner and sheet that I plan on washing for each guest.

I lock off 1br 1ba & store personal items & refills in those rooms.

I left the pillows & emergency TP under the bed in case someone reports they ruined a pillow or somehow there isn’t any TP. So they were for guest use — eventually. Oh well, less than $20 in pillows. I probably spent more on that awful TP.

I’ve been blocking day before/after ever since starting here in May.
My general view here is that it’s all about the weekends plus a day or two. Occasionally will get a few weekdays only.
So, it’s not impeding business here.

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Using the block one day before and after setting doesn’t block 2 nights between bookings. The “one night after” doubles up as the “one night before”.

Air bnb makes this very confusing, but the setting only blocks one night between bookings, which is how it should be worded.

If you want 2 nights between, you have to use the “block 2 nights before and after”.

Still blocking 2 days and keeping the 3 night minimum.

I’m doing almost as well and less frazzled than when I was no minimum, and one day turnaround. Same day was never gonna happen!

I wondered if shutting off IB would cause bookings to slide, and I still think the idea that you can better vet guests through inquiries is a comforting fiction, but it’s going so well I may leave it on Inquiry.

I think there’s a guest demographic out there that actually enjoys having a little chat with the host and not booking like a hotel. People are telling me about their travels, family visits and career plans in these inquiries. It’s sort of charming.

I am getting increasing explicit mentions from guests that a high rating is important to them.

My trend of guests with Asian names continues. Nothing one can draw conclusions from of course, but I am concerned that folks are still experiencing discrimination and negative comments in more public settings. Unfortunately I will not be surprised to see increased Middle Eastern discrimination as Afghan refugees enter the U.S.

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I’ve never used IB and the majority of my guests have seemed interested in communication before committing to a booking. Also I have a home share, and guests often want to get a sense of the host they’ll be staying with.

Some of my solo travelling female guests have told me they would never IB.

Yes, I’m blocking 2 nights between kind of still for Covid, but mostly for my own schedule. I’m away more for my other work these days and I found that the more generous turnaround time reduces stress. Also reduces Airbnb income, but there’s that other work.
No minimum stay here. Most of our guests are two-nighters anyway, and I don’t mind the odd one-nighter using us as a waypoint on a longer trip. The latter are often my favourites anyway: a bit more interesting in general, and not as messy as those who settle in for a self-described well-deserved weekend away.

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Compared to the demographic composition of the US I get a disproportionate number of non white guests. This month alone I have 8 bookings: one Patel, one Wang, one African American, two hispanic couples, two females traveling solo, one white male traveling solo. I’d say that’s a very typical month. Of course I do things in my listing to attract a diverse group of guests and I’d say it’s working.

I love IB but I’m getting plenty of inquiries from people who have no prior reviews. I have that setting turned on where I require a good review to IB but people with no reviews can still RTB.

Remember years ago when there were so many posts about search ranking? We never seem to get those from newbies any more. Is demand so high that everyone is getting all the bookings they want? Those of us who have been doing this a long time have a big advantage in that regard.

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I agree. I wouldn’t set a longer minimum than I have already. I do miss the “ninja” one-nighters who sometimes don’t even use the shower!

My experience is that 4 nights seems to be kind of threshold, where the cleaning required goes to another level. Most of the towels are used, the crumb situation in the kitchenette may be code red, there’s more likely to be something sticky on the trash can or on the floor, etc.

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Sadly most of us are targets—some people more than others.
Wear a mask; get called sheep or denied service
Wear scrubs: get verbally assaulted for Covid continuing
Of color: the list is too long

Sadly it never ends

In the 1960’s Sly & Family Stone song, Everyday people:

“There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one
For living with a fat one, trying to be a skinny one
And different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo-bee”

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There are so many new listings in my area (they get a new listing boost for a little while) my listing is buried BUT I’m getting booked!

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