Supporting Host athletes at the Games, and more news

Hi everyone,

The Olympics kick off in Tokyo this month, and we are supporting the athletes there in an entirely new way. Airbnb is partnering with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and you might be surprised by some of the world-class athletes who now count themselves as Airbnb Hosts! Read on for Olympics news, tips on how to open up your space to guests with accessibility needs, and the launch of our new policy hub.

Supporting athletes is the centerpiece of our nine-year, five-Games partnership with the IOC and IPC. This month, we’re introducing more than 200 new Online Experiences hosted by Olympians and Paralympians to give fans the feeling of front-row access from wherever they are. Many of the 200+ athletes joining our hosting community this summer are household names (hello, Scottie Pippen and Brandi Chastain), and each and every one is as entertaining as they are inspiring. I hope you’ll be able to join me in participating in one of their experiences. You get special complimentary access if you’re a member of a local Host club (here’s how to find and join a club near you!).

Two-time Paralympian sprinting champion Jonnie Peacock is one of more than 45 Paralympians hosting an Airbnb Online Experience and one of the 1.2 billion people in the world with some kind of disability. Working to make travel inclusive of people of all abilities is essential to achieving our mission of belonging. This includes those with physical and mental disabilities as well as those with accessibility needs, such as the elderly or families with young children.

As a Host, you have the chance to help foster this sense of belonging—and attract more guests—by making your space more accessible. You may not realize your listing already has accessibility features, such as wide doorways and shower grab bars, or that you can add some of these features without much effort or expense. Learn how you can support guests with mobility needs and how to update your listing to include accessibility features, and check out our photo tips on how to showcase your space to the 70,000+ guests with accessibility needs who search on Airbnb every month.

In my May Host Update, I shared some improvements we’d be making to give you easier access to Airbnb’s policies, and now I’m excited to share that we’ve launched a new policy ‘hub’ where you can get details about our Host and guest policies, on desktop and mobile, without needing to call Community Support. You can get the latest on our updated policies around parties and reviews, for instance, and a whole lot more.

That’s what’s top of mind for me this month. I’ll be in touch again in August, and until then, you can find me in our Community Center (I love seeing Host-to-Host connections get stronger and stronger there!)—and in front of a television, rooting on the Olympians and Paralympians. I’ll be cheering for your success, too, as always.

Warmest wishes,

Catherine