The holidays are a great time to travel, see family and enjoy different sights, and the 4th of July is no exception. Airbnb has released safety tips for hosts and guests traveling to Virginia to celebrate the holiday safely.
Whether you’re an experienced Airbnb traveler, a seasoned host, or celebrating the holiday with a large group of friends or family, safety should always be a top priority.
Hosting on Airbnb is a big responsibility and so is staying in someone’s home as a guest, particularly with a big group. It’s also important to keep these tips in mind if you’re participating in one of the 40,000 Airbnb Experiences offered — whether it’s paddle boarding, a cooking class, surfing and more.
With that in mind, Airbnb is providing the following safety tips to help ensure the holiday is a success for hosts and guests alike.
For those traveling via Airbnb during the 4th of July →
- Add Additional Guests to Your Reservation: Traveling as a group? If so, be sure to add other members of your party to your itinerary.
- Include an Emergency Contact: Though negative incidents are incredibly rare, adding an emergency contact to your account is easy to do and helps our Community Support team contact your designated contact in the event of an emergency.
- Communicate Your Plans in Advance With Your Host: If your Airbnb listing has a grill, take a moment to communicate with your host on how to use it, clean it, and stay safe while your barbecue. And if you’re planning to use fireworks, ask your host in advance if that is permissible and be sure to familiarize yourself with local laws beforehand.
- Be Respectful of Your Neighbors: Be sure to check out your listing’s House Rules for things like quiet hours, rules around playing music, etc in order to ensure a seamless trip.
- Check Out Water Safety Tips: Whether you’re planning to swim in the pool, ocean, or lake — take time to read up on local water safety tips, as every body of water is different. An accidental drowning can happen in a matter of seconds, so adults should always be fully focused when supervising children who are in or near any body of water.
For those hosting on Airbnb during the 4th of July →
- Keep Safety Info & Equipment Handy: It’s important that hosts equip their homes and guests with the safety essentials needed in the event of an emergency. This includes things like a working smoke and carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, and a first aid kit.
Get to Know Guests in Advance: Our secure messaging tool gives hosts the chance to get to know guests and answer or ask any questions that come up before or during the trip. Messaging is also a great place to coordinate things like check-in or provide local recommendations, as some guests will be experiencing Virginia for the first time. Hosts should strive to find out specifically what’s bringing their guests to Virginia and use that information to provide the most personable and safe experience possible. - Set Clear Expectations: Listing descriptions should let potential guests know about the unique features and amenities of the home. Outlining quiet hours will be particularly important during the holiday celebrations, as many guests will be watching the fireworks or attending events downtown that could have them getting back on the later side.
For all Airbnb users →
- If Anything Isn’t Right, Reach Out: In the rare event that an issue should arise, our team is available 24/7 in 11 languages to support hosts and guests in Virginia. We offer things like rebooking assistance, refunds, reimbursements, our $1 million USD Host Guarantee, and Host Protection Insurance program to help make things right.
- Always Communicate Through the Platform — Never Offline: Bad actors may try to take advantage of the surge in activity during popular travel times likes this by luring people into offline scams where Airbnb can no longer monitor or protect hosts. Hosts and guests can help protect themselves from these scams by staying on the Airbnb platform throughout the entire process — from communication, to booking, to payment.
For more tips on how to be a better host you can visit Airbnb’s website here
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