Which is safer, hotel or Airbnb?
May 27, 2020, 8:33 pm
#31
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May 28, 2020, 12:39 pm
#32
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I personally would opt for a hotel, but I am not a fan of airbnb in normal times (funnily enough, due to cleanliness). But you can never guarantee anything.
Jun 8, 2020, 8:51 am
#33
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For me personally I think a hotel, but as always you have to protect yourself at all cost. So I say wiping down every surface with a disinfection wipes, bring your own antibacterial hand soap, and do not drink from their glasses. If you can find those travel size Lysol would be great also because you can spray the bed down.
Jun 8, 2020, 4:13 pm
#34
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For me personally I think a hotel, but as always you have to protect yourself at all cost. So I say wiping down every surface with a disinfection wipes, bring your own antibacterial hand soap, and do not drink from their glasses. If you can find those travel size Lysol would be great also because you can spray the bed down.
Jun 9, 2020, 7:32 am
#35
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I'd favour a chain hotel. The chains have lot more to lose if there is even a suggestion that they facilitated or did not take steps to prevent the transmission of the virus. They have to do the right thing and be seen to be doing it.
Jun 9, 2020, 7:35 am
#36
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Actually I had a stay at an Hampton By Hilton last weekend and the post-stay survey focused on that: did you feel safe ? What did we do that help take steps to prevent transmission and what would you wish we did more ?
Jun 9, 2020, 8:18 am
#37
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I'm actually avoiding chains precisely because of their strict policies. Which is ironic, because normally that's the reason why I always aim to stay at chain hotels. However, these days it's quite annoying that even if I stay in a low-risk area which is almost back to business-as-usual, I have to bear all the nonsensical rules created by corporate HQ somewhere in the US, based on a situation at the other side of the planet. At this moment, small local businesses can provide much more relaxed experience, adjusted to whatever is the epidemological situation in the hotel's location, rather than trying to apply one-size-fits-all approach to properties worldwide.
Jun 12, 2020, 7:48 pm
#38
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Doesn't really make a conclusion, just general principles.
Use plastic zip bags for personal items that others may handle. That includes your driver’s license, credit card and key. Bring extra bags to put these things in after you disinfect them. Handle your own luggage, or arrange for no-contact delivery.
READ MORE: This chart can help you weigh coronavirus risks this summer
Disinfect surfaces following CDC guidance. If housekeeping is available, opt out. Request that decorative pillows and duvet covers be removed before your arrival.
Lowest-risk options for dining: bring your own food or do room service or no-contact delivery. Outdoor dining can be a reasonable option, but if you dine inside, make sure there’s reasonable ventilation and adequately spaced tables.
Bring enough masks or face coverings for each day, or bring detergent to wash between uses. You’ll also need hand sanitizer or hand wipes, a surface disinfectant, paper towels and disposable disinfectant wipes.
All this helps, but remember: Even doing everything on this substantial list still may not eliminate your chance of getting the virus. The bottom line is, we don’t recommend nonessential travel for everyone right now. You may need a vacation, but COVID-19 never takes one.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/...g-the-pandemic
Strategies for a safer stay
Once you’ve determined the management is doing all it can, you need to do all you can to minimize exposure. Wear a face covering and practice social distancing in common areas. Minimize time in enclosed, less ventilated spaces, like elevators. Avoid contact with “high-touch” surfaces in shared spaces, like the elevator call button, door handles, and dining tables and chairs; they are less likely to have been disinfected between each individual’s touch. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after spending time in common areas. If gyms and pools are open, remember to social distance, wear your mask, and wipe down equipment before and after use.Use plastic zip bags for personal items that others may handle. That includes your driver’s license, credit card and key. Bring extra bags to put these things in after you disinfect them. Handle your own luggage, or arrange for no-contact delivery.
READ MORE: This chart can help you weigh coronavirus risks this summer
Disinfect surfaces following CDC guidance. If housekeeping is available, opt out. Request that decorative pillows and duvet covers be removed before your arrival.
Lowest-risk options for dining: bring your own food or do room service or no-contact delivery. Outdoor dining can be a reasonable option, but if you dine inside, make sure there’s reasonable ventilation and adequately spaced tables.
Bring enough masks or face coverings for each day, or bring detergent to wash between uses. You’ll also need hand sanitizer or hand wipes, a surface disinfectant, paper towels and disposable disinfectant wipes.
All this helps, but remember: Even doing everything on this substantial list still may not eliminate your chance of getting the virus. The bottom line is, we don’t recommend nonessential travel for everyone right now. You may need a vacation, but COVID-19 never takes one.
Nov 10, 2020, 4:40 pm
#39
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So a new study of mobility data identified hotels as among the 3 most risky places for spread.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...urce=applenews
But at reduced occupancy, some of the risk may be mitigated:
The study mainly seems to focus on restaurants, the biggest source of spread. So they suggest for instance reducing occupancy by 20% could reduce spread by 80% without losing as much business:
Problem with hotels is that even if they reduced occupancy in hotels, there is no visibility into it. You can look at all the tables in the restaurant, see if they're fully occupied or they're about half occupied or have the tables distanced.
You can also see in a plane if middle seats have been blocked off.
But you can't tell in a hotel as easily if the rooms on both sides of your room as well as rooms opposite your room are occupied. Nor understand if the HVAC systems are connected between the rooms.
Airbnb could have similar problems, especially if they're in an apt. or condo building. You wouldn't think though that the HVAC systems are connected though maybe condo conversions of say old apartment buildings may not have the same kind of separation of air flows between the units as more modern buildings.
The study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature, also found that about 10% of the locations examined accounted for 85% of predicted infections.
But at reduced occupancy, some of the risk may be mitigated:
The study mainly seems to focus on restaurants, the biggest source of spread. So they suggest for instance reducing occupancy by 20% could reduce spread by 80% without losing as much business:
The models produced in the study reported Tuesday also suggested that full-blown lockdowns aren’t necessary to hold the virus at bay. Masks, social distancing and reduced capacity all can play a major role in keeping things under control.
Capping occupancy at 20% in locations in the Chicago metro area cut down on predicted new infections in the study by more than 80%. And because the occupancy caps primarily only impacted the number of visits that typically occur during peak hours, the restaurants only lost 42% of patrons overall.
Capping occupancy at 20% in locations in the Chicago metro area cut down on predicted new infections in the study by more than 80%. And because the occupancy caps primarily only impacted the number of visits that typically occur during peak hours, the restaurants only lost 42% of patrons overall.
You can also see in a plane if middle seats have been blocked off.
But you can't tell in a hotel as easily if the rooms on both sides of your room as well as rooms opposite your room are occupied. Nor understand if the HVAC systems are connected between the rooms.
Airbnb could have similar problems, especially if they're in an apt. or condo building. You wouldn't think though that the HVAC systems are connected though maybe condo conversions of say old apartment buildings may not have the same kind of separation of air flows between the units as more modern buildings.
Nov 11, 2020, 7:15 am
#40
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My current understanding is that you're much more likely to get COVID from sharing the same air as someone who is infected than you are from coming in to a space after a COVID positive person has been there. So I'd say AirBnB, but only if it is a standalone unit since I can clean the surfaces myself when I arrive if I feel that I need to and not have to share common areas or elevators with anyone else. Though if the only option available was AirBnB units in apartment then I'd probably be more likely to give hotels a look since they have more things that they control than a crowded apartment building.
Nov 11, 2020, 2:05 pm
#41
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Are hotels even doing regular housekeeping now?
There were reports that hotels were encouraging guests to skip housekeeping.
Cynical response was that hotels were cutting costs like no breakfasts and using the pandemic as an excuse.
There were reports that hotels were encouraging guests to skip housekeeping.
Cynical response was that hotels were cutting costs like no breakfasts and using the pandemic as an excuse.
Nov 11, 2020, 3:12 pm
#42
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Frankly, I can't see myself paying a regular hotel rate without recieving something as basic as housekeeping.
Nov 11, 2020, 4:42 pm
#43
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 179
The obvious better choice is an Airbnb where you have the whole house to yourself. People are wrongly fixated on sanitizing surfaces - the vast majority of COVID-19 cases are causes by breathing in the virus, not touching it. You should still wash your hands and be mindful about touching your face, but the risk is much lower than sharing spaces with other people where aerosols are breathed out and breathed in. People need to follow some epidemiologists on Twitter or something and stop relying on information from February when we didn't know much about how the virus spread. The top four places the virus seems to spread are: 1) restaurants 2) gyms 3) coffee shops 4) hotels. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/h...nfections.html
Nov 11, 2020, 4:55 pm
#44
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This can not be assumed for all strains of covid. The first wave of covid in Singapore was reported to have started by a visitor from Wuhan, who attended a church service. They got cameras everywhere and managed to trace Patient 1. No one got sick who was in the same church service with Patient 1. But the 1st locally infected person sat in the same chair & church 2 days later.
Nov 11, 2020, 6:34 pm
#45
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I have stayed at several Hilton properties (mostly Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden Inn) in the US since Covid hit, most recently in October. All of them have had robust cleaning procedures, masks required, and plexiglass screens at the front desk. Each room is sealed with a sticker after cleaning so you know no one has entered since then. They are NOT doing housekeeping during your stay as a matter of course, but you can request it if desired. I didn't partake of hotel breakfast, but I noted that you could purchase a plated breakfast at the HGI--no buffet.