On December 10, 2020, California announced new travel and lifestyle restrictions to help protect hospitals from being overwhelmed by the state’s ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases (over 40,000 new cases and nearly 300 deaths per day). The state is divided into five regions (Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, and Northern California), with regulations for each region depending on hospital ICU capacity.
One new restriction that is effective statewide is that hotel and short-term rental lodgings are not allowed to make or honor reservations for people coming from out of state unless they have documentation proving they are coming for an essential purpose like health care or infrastructure work. There are strict penalties for violating this rule.
Overall, hotel chains are doing the right thing and giving refunds to those who have suddenly found themselves with reservations they can’t use. Small hotels are doing so as well as they can, in most cases. But two very large companies, Airbnb and VRBO, are both telling guests that refunds are not guaranteed.
Since the middle of March, Airbnb’s stance has been that guests choosing to make reservations this year understand that the pandemic may disrupt travel and take that risk on themselves. They allow hosts to do what they’ve always done—choose their own refund policies and enforce them at will. VRBO has a similar policy, which it currently spells out on its page about coronavirus concerns: “Review the property’s cancellation policies. They apply even if your reservation is affected by COVID-19.”
In the same light, VRBO’s “Book with Confidence Guarantee” explanation specifies that the guarantee was designed to protect guests “from fraudulent listings and property misrepresentation. It does not cover cancellations due to unforeseeable circumstances, such as COVID-19.”
So if you are choosing to attempt to travel in this time, and not just to California but anywhere, consider carefully the refund policies of the companies you patronize.
Photo: An Airbnb host checks the latest updates on COVID-19 and its impact on tourism and hospitality policies. Credit: Some pictures here / Shutterstock.com