April 2020
In April 2020 the pandemic had frozen global travel. Airbnb lined up $2 billion in two deals on terms it did not publish, then announced an optional cleaning protocol for hosts. In Britain it blocked bookings for all but key workers and essential stays before the Easter weekend. Expedia Group said it was raising about $3.2 billion, and an Advocate General at the European Union's Court of Justice said a housing shortage could justify permit rules for short lets, in a case from Paris.
A look back, written in October 2026 from sources published in April 2020. Stay Gazette opened in July 2026.
The Money · 6 April 2020Airbnb Raises $2 Billion in Two Deals as the Pandemic Freezes TravelAirbnb said on 6 April 2020 that Silver Lake and Sixth Street Partners would invest $1 billion, and on 14 April that it had commitments for a $1 billion term loan. Airbnb published neither price. Of the first deal, $5 million was marked for a Superhost relief fund.By Dana Whitfield · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Host Life · 27 April 2020Airbnb Announces an Optional Cleaning Protocol and a 72-Hour Booking BufferOn 27 April 2020 Airbnb said a Cleaning Protocol for hosts would launch in May, with a required 24-hour wait before entering a home. Hosts who could not commit to it could block reservations between stays instead.By Tammy Brooks · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Pictures on this page. 1. Photo: 888 Brannan St, San Francisco at night by Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). 2. Photo: Cleaning products sold out at Morrisons, Merrion Centre, Leeds (5th March 2020) by Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).
What else was reported in April 2020
- 9 April 2020From 9 a.m. on 9 April, Airbnb blocked bookings in Britain unless they were for key workers or another essential stay, until at least 18 April, after hosts were criticized for advertising isolation retreats; Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston said he expected all providers to do the same. Reuters (as published by Yahoo Finance)
- 2 April 2020On 2 April, Advocate General Michal Bobek of the Court of Justice of the European Union said in a non-binding opinion that a shortage of long-term housing could justify requiring authorization for repeated short lets, in appeals brought by two owners of Paris studio apartments who had been fined after the city investigated lets on Airbnb. Court of Justice of the European Union
- 23 April 2020On 23 April, Expedia Group, whose brands include Vrbo, said it was raising approximately $3.2 billion of new capital: a $1.2 billion private placement of perpetual preferred stock, with the equity investment coming from funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management and Silver Lake, and approximately $2 billion of new debt financing. Expedia Group (press release filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission)
- 10 April 2020Airbnb moved its Experiences business online, with activities from 30 countries hosted through Zoom, and pitched the service as a way for hosts to earn income during the Covid-19 disruption. Agence France-Presse (as published by The Jakarta Post)
- 2 April 2020BBC News reported on 2 April that Cornwall Council in England said some holiday agencies were illegally offering accommodation during the lockdown, and that the council was writing to all holiday accommodation owners and letting platforms in the county. BBC News
- 23 April 2020The Verge reported on 23 April that Brian Chesky had canceled $800 million of marketing spending and had told Bloomberg Businessweek that Airbnb was prepared to go public and would be ready when the storm cleared. The Verge