Tessa Read and Boyd Walker own six Airbnb rentals in Alexandria and had 20 cancellations last week.
Airbnb sent out an email on Saturday to hosts explaining that its extenuating circumstances policy is in effect until April 14, meaning that guests can cancel reservations for full refunds and without paying penalties.
“We had six cancellations on one day, even one who was coming Friday, who canceled just a few hours before they were scheduled to arrive,” Read said. “We are in the same category as other small businesses, like hotels. Even though we’ve offered discounts and are thoroughly cleaning between guests, it’s not helping.”
There are hundreds of Airbnb rentals available in Alexandria, and many have reduced their prices.
Walker said that discounts will be given to any guests officially working with the federal or local government on defeating the virus.
“If someone needs to be here related to this issue, we’d be happy to give them a deeper discount,” Walker said. “Being a small business owner in Old Town, I am very concerned about small businesses being able to survive. When we go out, we eat at the local businesses and not chain restaurants. We don’t want them to close. That would be terribly sad.”
In response to the global disruption to travel caused by COVID-19, our Extenuating Circumstances policy now applies globally to all existing reservations with check-in dates between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020. https://t.co/nf9gC09P2m
— Airbnb (@Airbnb) March 14, 2020
Photo via Boyd Walker
City Phone Service Restored — The City of Alexandria’s non-emergency phone lines are working again after service was restored Tuesday night. A cut to a fiber optic line caused the outage, a city spokeswoman said. [Twitter/@AlexandriaVAGov]
House With George Washington Connection on Airbnb — “George Washington may have slept here, and now so could you… in the heart of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, where a house that once belonged to the first U.S. president is available to rent. The George of Old Town is a 6000-square-foot townhouse on Cameron Street, and it is available on Airbnb.” [WTOP]
Life Savers Recognized by AFD — “Recently when a colleague collapsed, his coworkers dialed 9-1-1 and performed CPR until fire department units arrived. Yesterday, AFD recognized Stefan Jaeger, Rebecca Rosario, Tammy Lafley, and Nick Canfield for their heroic acts that helped save a life.” [Twitter]
Nutcracker Returns Next Month — “Now in its 11th year, the Alexandria Community Nutcracker is continuing its own tradition of performing the famous ballet with a modern twist by including tap, jazz, gymnastics, Irish dance, and hip hop in the choreography. More than 250 dancers and musicians, from age 3 to age 18, bring the magic and eloquence of Tchaikovsky’s 1892 classic score to life on stage at West Potomac High School.” [Gazette Packet]
Bread & Water Back Open — After a devastating fire at the Belle View Shopping Center, local bakery and cafe Bread & Water has reopened. That has also allowed the company’s locations at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria and Pentagon Row in Arlington to reopen, as the Belle View store supplied each location with fresh bread and other offerings. [Zebra]
