In a tourism-centered country like Spain, where more than 85 million foreign visitors visited last year and the sector carries billions of euros, drought is not just a domestic problem. It worries neighbors and local officials. It is also worrying that at the doorstep of the summer campaign, platforms focused on holiday rentals such as Airbnb or Holidu decided to make a strange move: publishing letters to homeowners from areas affected by the restrictions advising them not to take holidays. Advertise swimming pools even if there is a risk that the advertisements may lose their appeal.

Purpose: To prevent possible disappointments of tourists visiting Spain, which is most affected by drought, and complaints from homeowners.

Airbnb has a letter for you. The news spread Catalan Newspaper: Airbnb sent a letter to hosts encouraging them to update the description of their homes and, if necessary, include water consumption restrictions set by the Generalitat in the rules. The platform published a statement on its website on Monday suggesting a similar idea.

“Currently, among other measures, the drought plan in Catalonia prohibits the filling of swimming pools in municipalities in emergency situations,” the platform reminds, explaining that it has taken measures to prevent problems on this ground: “Airbnb is “proactive” We contact homeowners who have pools and prevent unexpected “We guide them on how to report this in their records to avoid problems or possible cancellations.”

“Disable service”. Airbnb isn’t the only one writing letters to hosts. A similar decision was taken by Holidu, which issued a statement a few days ago reminding that parts of Spain are experiencing a “serious drought problem” that has led to restrictions on water use in Andalusia and Catalonia. “We recognize that this is a situation beyond your control, but it is important that you understand that water restrictions will impact your guests’ stay.”

That’s why Holidu advises its users to leave out the pool from their home’s description if it’s not available during the summer months. “Disable the service in your property settings until it is available again,” he advises. The platform also offers the ability to temporarily delete pool photos, change the description, and add a label warning tenants that they may face restrictions on pool use, irrigation, and even consumption of water reaching the home during their stay.

Avoid disappointments and complaints. Another problem remains: that of tourists who book houses with pools in some parts of Catalonia or Andalusia and face the possibility of not being able to swim. “Given that this situation is out of your control, guests will not be able to benefit from an important advertised service, which could impact their booking decisions,” he hypothesizes. That’s why he recommends that landlords compensate them “between 5 and 25% of the price they paid.”

“We rely on the reactions of other channels to the same situation. Other channels, for example Airbnb or Booking, may impose compensation at their discretion if a satisfactory solution is not found,” says Holidu.

That’s not his only advice. They are also encouraging landlords to accept free cancellations from guests who rented homes with pools before the restrictions were known, and are asking them to rethink the value of their rentals in the new drought scenario. “A property with a pool rents for a much higher price than a property without a pool,” he recalls.

But… Is it that important? The answer was recently given by a British tabloid newspaper. Daily MirrorIn an article lamenting that water cuts in Spain left visitors in “Third World conditions”, he cited the specific case of a tourist who reportedly could not use water freely. The house he rented in Malaga.

“My Airbnb host just sent me a message saying that our apartment booked for July will not have water between 23:00 and 07:00 because it is not raining. Is this normal?” wrote the tourist in a Facebook group.

OCU encourages notices to be left in writing and, in the case of advance reservations, to notify hosts via email. Also note that if the customer chooses to cancel the booking, it should be the owner “not the platforms” who is responsible for the refund.

Picture | John Fornander (Unsplash)

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