As travel returns, many hosts are strategizing about how best to welcome guests again. The things that guests—and hosts—need to feel comfortable are changing, so we spoke with two Superhosts in Mexico City to understand how they plan to host after lockdown.

Superhost Alessandra runs La Palomilla, a seven-room bed and breakfast and Airbnb Plus listing in the La Roma neighborhood. About seven miles south, Superhost Omar owns two colorful apartments in the Coyoacán area, where Frida Kahlo was born. Neither has hosted since March, when the government shut down the city.

To prepare for future stays, they’ve been busy adapting their hosting strategies. As you reflect on your own strategy, here are eight ideas to consider weaving into your hosting routine:

When a guest books a room, Alessandra reaches out to discover where they’re traveling from and what time they’ll arrive. If the guest prefers self check-in, “we have a key code access,” she says.

Alessandra intends to keep relying on Airbnb messaging or other messaging apps to communicate with guests before and during their stay—with one noticeable change. “We’re going to increase the communication via SMS and the [Airbnb] platform, so they feel like it’s a closer experience and they don’t feel abandoned,” she says. 

Tip: Updating your pre-saved message templates can help you respond to guests more quickly.

Omar also already offers self check-in, but he’s ready to try new ways of hosting virtually. He says he’s planning to record a custom video greeting for each guest to receive when they check in—something like: “Welcome! We are your hosts, Omar and [my wife] Silvia. We hope you have a great time. We know it’s a difficult time, and we appreciate you being here with us.”

Our best hosts know that part of the Airbnb experience is greeting guests upon arrival, but they also understand it’s more important to stay physically distant right now. So—Alessandra and Omar are finding new ways to thank their guests. For example, when guests arrive, “instead of giving them cookies in the dining room, we’ll leave them in the rooms,” Alessandra says.

“In the past, I loved to give guests a farewell gift,” Omar says. “A friend of mine makes these delicious cookies out of blue corn.” He would deliver them himself, typically on the last day of a guest’s stay. “It’s going to change a little bit,” he says. “I’ll have the cookies delivered by messenger or courier. I want to still keep them happy.”

Since Alessandra and Omar have each removed the physical copies of house manuals from their spaces, they now make sure to send digital versions. “Once I receive a reservation, I immediately send guests the guidebook and also the house manual,” Omar says.

Alessandra does the same: “We made a PDF [of the house manual], which we send to guests as soon as they reserve.” She also edited her website to reflect her own safety precautions, including sanitizing room keys and removing extraneous items like throw pillows and notepads from rooms. Once she receives a booking, “I send guests the link of the [COVID-19] measures we’re taking for their assurance,” she says.

Omar is revamping his gifts for guests. “I used to leave them a welcome basket with fresh fruits, chocolates, and Mexican candies,” he says. “Now this basket is going to turn into a cleaning kit for each one of the guests.” In each kit, he’ll include “a couple masks, a couple of small bottles of hand sanitizer, gloves,” and the like. 

Omar will also leave a larger bottle of hand sanitizer for guests in the apartment, and let them know where to find the cleaning supplies. “It’s all about creating the necessary confidence to feel at home,” he says. Alessandra is also supplying hand sanitizer in the reception area, as well as in each room and every bathroom.

In order to properly clean and sanitize their spaces, Omar and Alessandra say they’ll leave time between guests. “My plan is to prepare a cleaning manual … fully aligned with what Airbnb just released,” Omar says. Alessandra has already committed to our cleaning protocol, and Omar plans to do the same.

Alessandra is also committed to maintaining a higher standard of cleanliness. “We have one-day turnover service between one guest and another guest,” Alessandra says, “so that the room completely ventilates” before cleaning and sanitizing. 

Tip: If you commit to our enhanced cleaning protocol, be sure to leave a cleaning summary behind for guests, or share it digitally.

Previously, Omar and Alessandra’s guidebooks featured dining, shopping, and other suggestions that aren’t as relevant now. Alessandra updated her guidebook to recommend different activities.

“We’re definitely thinking of sending them to more outdoor adventures,” she says. She suggests that guests check out Xochimilco (“the Mexican Venice,” she says) or go to the pyramids, adding that she’ll remind guests to “take extra [hand sanitizer], take the bottle from your room, wear a mask, and take gloves.”

Omar is also modifying his guidebook to include restaurants that offer pickup and delivery. As outdoor dining resumes, he’ll add those options too.

When it comes to virtual hosting, Omar has big plans. Since he has removed the physical copy of his house manual, he’s going to “automate the way guests log in for wifi,” leaving QR codes for guests so they can connect to wifi automatically. He’s not stopping there, though: He wants to “implement QR codes for every amenity we have.”

For example, he plans to print QR codes with instructions for things like using the washing machine and unfolding the sofa bed. He even intends to leave a QR code for guests that will open his digital house manual. 

Omar and Alessandra both say they remain hopeful that travel—and life—will go back to normal someday soon. Until then, they’re each dedicated to offering the same high level of hospitality that they always have—while wearing a mask and gloves.

“Things are changing,” Omar says. But he remains positive about rethinking the way he hosts: “It’s just a matter of adapting and embracing.”

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.