PORTLAND, Ore. — For close to a year now, Andrew Dang has been renting out the guest house on his Southeast Portland property through Airbnb.
"I've had pretty consistent bookings," Dang said. "I'm a real estate agent so I know the ins and outs of this so it's been easy for me so far."
Dang's two bedroom, one bath rental typically goes for between $70 to $150 a night.
"It's supplemental income and it's nice," he said.
But Dang is putting his own satisfaction on hold to help those on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight. He is doing this by offering up his guest house for free.
"With everything going on around the world in Italy and Spain, it's sad and I hope it doesn't happen in our community and I'm trying to do what I can."
Dang and other hosts are working with Airbnb to connect healthcare providers, relief workers, and first responders with places to stay. This will allow those essential workers to be close to those who need help while safely distancing from their own loved ones.
"There are free stays, paid stays, and discounted stays," said Airbnb spokesperson Laura Rillos. "Airbnb is waiving all fees associated with this."
Rillos said the program, outlined on their website, was launched in late March. There are 100,000 properties available across the globe.
"We really have to thank our host community," said Rillos. "We have seen them step up time and time again whether it's after a wildfire or some natural disaster and now with this pandemic they're saying we have space available and we want to be able to help in any way that we can."
You can count Andrew Dang among those stepping up. He is more than happy and willing to provide his Airbnb property to an essential worker at no cost.
"It's a guest house and nobody is using it," Dang said. "I think I should offer it up and help in some way."
In addition to what Airbnb and its hosts are doing, Hilton is teaming up with American Express to donate 1 million hotel rooms across the U.S. to medical professionals leading the fight against the coronavirus. You can find more information here.