How Home Exchange Booking Habits Changed During the Pandemic

The tourism industry was unarguably the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with covid vaccination drives and active infection caseloads happening, the industry started to slowly come out of the pit.

But things were not the same in most industries hardest hit by the pandemic, including home exchange—also known as house swapping—which is a vacation alternative where you mutually agree to stay at someone’s home while they stay at yours, although sometimes you don't have to do a reciprocal exchange.

Whether you have a holiday home or a vacation house in the suburbs to exchange, you had to adapt to the pandemic times and the changes in guests' booking habits. Each home is attributed a number of points, called "Guestpoints" in home exchange. You earn points by hosting other members, and can use those points to stay at other homes.

To earn more points and discover more of the world in an authentic way by living like a local in a vacation house swap, you need to be on top of your game and provide good service yourself.

In this article, we highlight and discuss the changes that were happening in home exchange due to the Covid-19 pandemic:

Pandemic Home Swapping Trends and Habits

1. Last Minute Booking Was the New Norm

Gone are the days when people would book an exchange vacation house month back. With frequent lockdowns and waves of covid outbreaks, the word was not stable during covid. When covid cases dipped, that’s when people would think about going out on a vacation. 

So, if you were looking to find the right exchange partner, then you had to be ready to accept the booking at the very last minute.

As medical experts believe there was a significant risk of subsequent outbreaks happening, you had to expect tough localized lockdown measures. In simple words, the vacationers couldn’t plan ahead as they could before the pandemic. The fear was what if covid cases surged in the area and movement was restricted again?

If you had the opportunity and flexibility to add last-minute booking with your vacation home, it was best to mention it in the description of your listing on a home exchange platform.

2. Flexibility Was a Must

As an owner of a vacation house, you had to be flexible during the pandemic. That's because there could be additional demands from your guests due to the COVID-19 situation. 

Some of the demands might include asking you to completely sanitize their entire house before their arrival and observe social distancing protocols. During the coronavirus pandemic, it was a legitimate and important demand, and you had to respect it for your own safety and their safety as well.

Moreover, you had to be flexible to rebooking due to any unexpected change in circumstances occasioned by the pandemic, such as new restrictions in an area.

3. Cleanliness & Hygiene Was Imperative

Cleanliness and hygiene were a mantra to fight and survive the coronavirus pandemic. So, if you wanted to drive more bookings for your exchange vacation house, then you had to highlight the best features of your house, as well as the cleanliness and hygiene commitments in the exchange house description.

Where applicable, you could mention that your property is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, therefore safer and far removed from the masses and public gatherings, which helps to stay safe from COVID-19.

You could also offer to give your guests a bag of sanitizer, face masks, and gloves just to make them feel safe while booking and staying in your home exchange. Or, you could request guests to accept or arrange for de-sanitization of the house after they left.

To get more bookings, it was necessary to highlight all the measures you had in place to ensure cleanliness and help prevent coronavirus infections in your home exchange.

Conclusion

Ultimately, everyone had to accept the realities of the pandemic and adapt accordingly to stay safe, while also enjoying the benefits of vacation home exchange like savings on hotel costs and a unique vacation experience that isn't available via traditional lodging options. 

The aforementioned were some of the ways home exchange bookings changed during the pandemic.