GUEST BOOKING PROCESS

To get started, please read the following information very carefully before booking your Airbnb accommodations with a

travel coupon or credits.

Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the

world. Traveling on Airbnb is a unique experience unlike traveling in a hotel or other accommodation settings. Remember,

you are staying in someone’s home. For helpful tips on how to travel as an Airbnb guest, read this article about what to do

before, during and after your trip.

Program Overview

With a company mission to help people “belong anywhere”, Airbnb strives to integrate this philosophy into how we

leverage the company’s assets for social good.

Through the Airbnb Open Homes program, Airbnb is teaming up with nonprofit organizations to provide individuals and

families with free, short-term housing on our platform. Thanks to our incredible host community, we are able to not just

provide people with a place to stay; we’re able to offer a place to call home during a time of need, celebration or

adventure.

Airbnb is excited to work with ServiceNation to help provide free housing for service year members transitioning to

Chicago, Los Angeles or Austin for their year of service.

In this guide, you will find information for:

- How to create and verify your profile on Airbnb

- How to search for listings on Airbnb (e.g. private rooms or entire homes)

- How to use a Wish List

- How to request a special discount offer from your Airbnb host

- How to book a reservation using an Airbnb travel coupon

- A list of frequently asked questions

- Contact information for Airbnb Customer Support if you have major issues or changes to your reservation

BOOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Go to Airbnb.com and click Sign Up to create your Airbnb profile and verify your ID.

All guests must have an Airbnb profile and should complete the Verified ID process before booking. For more info on

create an Airbnb account, visit the Help Center here.

Click the “Sign Up” button

Enter your name, email, password and birthday in the pop-up window.

Once you are logged in, edit your profile to complete your account. Your profile should include:

A profile photo, cell phone number, gender, and birthdate

Multiple verifications and a Verified ID

A short description about why you decided to join the Airbnb community, your interests or hobbies, or anything

else you think a host might want to know.

You will also need to add a Payment Method under Account settings – even if Airbnb is covering the cost of your

with travel credits.

Click “Edit Profile” from dropdown window

Complete your profile

2. Search for an Airbnb listing.

We’ve created a special Service Year Wish List for you to search and review listings where the hosts have expressed

interest in hosting service year corps members at a special discounted rate while you transition to a new city. Many of

these hosts are alumni of service year programs themselves such as AmeriCorps or Peace Corps.

In addition to the Wish List, there are many great features to help you find great hosts and accommodations including

features like:

● Book in advance. Try to book your Airbnb accommodations with several weeks advance notice to ensure you

can find your ideal accommodations. Finding the perfect Airbnb for your trip can take more time than booking a

hotel room especially if you want to ask the host questions and get to know them a bit before you book.

● Read the reviews. Airbnb is a peer-to-peer platform based on trust. Be sure to read the host’s reviews on their

listing page to make sure the general sentiments of other guests align with your needs. As a best practice, we

recommend you book a listing with at least 4-5 positive reviews.

● Look for the Superhost badge. The Superhost program celebrates hosts who have reached a set of

qualifications that reflect their commitment, responsiveness to travelers, hosting experience, and the quality of

their listings. So you can identify these extraordinary hosts more easily, a Superhost badge will automatically

appear on their listing and profile.

● Instant Book: If you are in a hurry or simply don’t want to wait for the host to confirm your reservation, Instant

Book listings are a great option. Instant Book listings don't require approval from the host before you can book

them. You can filter your search to only view listings that are available through Instant Book. You can distinguish

an Instant Book listing by the yellow lightning rod next to the nightly rate.

● Utilize the “Contact Host” function. Contacting the host in advance of requesting to book allows you to ask

any questions you may have, inquire about their Special Offer and make inquiries about the availability of multiple

hosts at the same time. You can do this by clicking the red “Contact Host” link under the “About this Listing”

section.

● Hosted vs. non-hosted stays. Hosts on Airbnb offer a wide variety of spaces from shared rooms, private rooms

or entire homes/apartments. Based on your preferences and need for privacy, be sure to select a room type that

works for you.

● Cancellation Policies: Airbnb allows hosts to choose among three standardized cancellation policies (Flexible,

Moderate, and Strict) that Airbnb will enforce to protect both guest and host alike. Read more about it here. Know

your host’s cancellation policy before you book.

Example of a Private Room listing (i.e. hosted stay) with a Superhost (badge) and Instant Book (lighting bolt)

How to search for a listing:

1. Log in to your account on Airbnb.com.

2. Start by checking if any of the listings on our special Service Year Wish List are available and meet your

needs. If not, expand your search more broadly across the website.

3. Entire your basic criteria: city, dates and # guests. Click search.

4. You will be taken to a page that shows all the available listing in that location.

5. To refine your search, click the More Filters button. There are many ways to refine your search

(neighborhood, # bedrooms, amenities, price range etc.).

i. Room type: choose the type of space you'd like to book (a shared room, private room, or entire

homes/apartment). If you aren’t sure what the difference is between these room types, click here

for helpful tips.

ii. Price: use the sliding scale to find listings in your price range.

iii. Size: pick the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, or beds you need.

iv. Instant Book: find places that you can book instantly.

v. Social Connections: see places your Facebook friends have reviewed, connections to hosts

through friendships, and places that are hosted by Airbnb employees.

vi. Neighborhoods: choose the parts of town that interest you the most. For detailed information on

some popular cities, check out our Neighborhoods guides.

vii. Amenities: select the amenities you would like for your stay.

viii. Property type: find a specific type of space, like a treehouse, cabin, or boat!

ix. Host Language

Additional search filters can be found under “More Filters”

3. Booking your reservation with an Airbnb travel coupon.

To book a listing, please follow these steps.

1. Go to the listing that you want to book, enter your dates & number of guests to confirm that it ’s still available.

2. IMPORTANT! If booking from the Service Year Wish List, be sure to click “Contact Host” on the listing

page. Do NOT click “Request to Book” or “Instant Book” button. If you are not using the wish list, you can go

ahead and book without contacting the host first. By clicking “Contact Host”, you are able to introduce yourself

AND the host is also able to offer you their special discounted rate. In your message, it’s very important to let the

host know you are part of the Airbnb and ServiceNation program. Here’s a sample message:

Dear [host name],

I am reaching out as part of the exciting collaboration between Airbnb and ServiceNation in

[Chicago/LA/Austin]. I am a new service year corps member from [city, state] and headed to [city] to serve

at [XYZ nonprofit]. I am really excited to join [XYZ nonprofit] because...I understand that you are

interested in hosting service year members at a special discounted rate and I was wondering if your

listing is still available for my dates? If so, I would love to book your listing while I get settled. I look

forward to hearing from you and thanks in advance for your willingness to host service year members!

Sincerely,

[your name]

Click “Contact Host” if booking from the Service Year Wish List

3. If your host offers you a discount rate, make sure you book your reservation using that special rate. See

screenshot below.

4. You can then add your coupon code on the Payment page—see screenshot below. Your coupon is assigned

only to you and good for one reservation only. If you do not use the full amount for your reservation, you

will not have access to the remaining funds for a future reservation. Your coupon expires on 12/31/16 and

will cover 100% of your booking costs -- up to $750. For more instructions on how to use a coupon, click here.

If the listing is an Instant Book, the host approval will be instantaneous. Otherwise, the host should get back to

you within 24 hours with an approval or any follow up questions.

4. Once you are booked, send a message to your host to arrange a check-in time and arrival details like picking

up the key. Then download the Airbnb app on your phone, so you can stay in the know while on the go. We'll send you

an email that includes your trip itinerary, receipt, and host contact information.

5. During and after your trip, be sure to take lots of photos of your stay, your listing and if you are hosted, grab a

pic with your host, too. Once the trip is complete, leave a review for your host on Airbnb.com and be sure to complete

the Open Homes post-trip survey.

Need Customer Support?

The Airbnb Help Center is a great resource for guests to troubleshot non-urgent questions or issues. You will find valuable

information on how to search for listings, how to book your listing and how to travel with Airbnb in addition to many other

resources.

If you need assistance, you can also email cxopenhomes@airbnb.com. Be sure to mention that you are an “Open

Homes guest”. This email is available during the following business hours -- Monday through Friday from 9:00AM-5:00PM

Pacific Time.

For urgent and time-sensitive issues, please call one of the toll-free numbers below and be sure to mention to the agent

that you are an “Open Homes guests”.

24-hour international support number: +1-415-800-5959

United States: +1-855-424-7262.

Language and Hours of Operations

These numbers currently support Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, & Russian 8:00—20:00 CET.

Additionally, we support Korean, Japanese, and Mandarin.