Airbnb has offered to pay its hosts $250 million for two and a half months reservations that have been cancelled as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
The hospitality company, in a statement made available to the public and seen by Nairametrics, explained that the affected hosts would get 25% of their normal cancellation fee for stays booked between March 15 and May 11, 2020.
Airbnb said it recognised that there might still be uncertainty over reservations booked on or before March 14 with check-in after May 31. In this regard, in the coming weeks, it would ask hosts and guests to revisit these reservations and choose to either cancel or re-commit to it.
The cancellation policy will apply to any reservation booked after March 14, while coronavirus-related extenuating circumstances will not apply.
[READ MORE: UBA announces N5 billion for COVID-19 relief support across Africa)
Nairametrics understands that this development came as the COVID-19 pandemic is fast-spreading across the globe, leaving travellers with no other option than to call off their vacation plans, work trips, and family visits.
Airbnb’s hosts, however, got provoked by the company, for fully refunding guests that cancelled their bookings.
As the pandemic is ravaging the global economy, Airbnb’s hosts are worried that they would soon be left with no money in their pockets because guests decided not to stay, leaving them struggling to pay mortgages and other bills.
Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the infectious disease, which originated from the Chinese city, Wuhan, over 786,000 cases have been reported around the world.
While more than 166,411 infected persons have recovered from the virus, a total of 37,877 people have died.
About Airbnb: Airbnb is an online hospitality platform that connects hosts, renting out space in their homes with travellers, particularly tourists, seeking lodging for generally cheaper prices than hotels. The company offers over 7 million accommodations and 40,000 handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts.
