SAfety & accessibility
1. Safety concerns
1.1 What happens if I'm injured during my experience?
Your safety is our first priority. If you’re injured or require medical attention while on an experience, you should get yourself to a safe place and contact local emergency services immediately.
Once you’re safe and your immediate concerns have been addressed, report the incident to us by going to the Profile tab of your LOKO app and tapping Help & support, then choosing Contact LOKO under your trip.
1.2 What should I do if I'm concerned about the location of a place I'm staying?
If you’re concerned about the location of your reservation, contact your host to learn more about the neighborhood.
It's also a good idea to read everything the host has posted about their listing in the description, the amenities, and the house rules so there won’t be any surprises. Make sure you understand the host's cancellation policy before submitting a reservation request, too.
If current events or political strife create an unsafe situation, you can cancel your reservation and apply for a full refund due to extenuating circumstances.
2. Safety tips
2.1 What are some safety tips for guests of places to stay?
Here are some tips to help you travel with confidence.
Search and book with confidence
Get exactly what you’re looking for by taking advantage of our many search filters, like price, home type, and amenities. Found a listing you like? Be sure to read the host’s profile and listing description thoroughly—paying special attention to the amenities, house rules, and the cancellation policy.
Read the ratings and reviews
Look through feedback from past guests to help find the right fit for you. You’ll find ratings on several quality dimensions, like cleanliness and accuracy, and detailed reviews with authentic feedback. Guests can only leave a review after they’ve stayed with that specific host, so you know the feedback you’re reading is based on someone having stayed there.
Review the safety features
When you book a place on LOKO, you should review information about whether or not the host has reported smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on the property. You’ll find these details on the listing page under Amenities.
Carbon monoxide detectors aren’t common in many parts of the world, so we suggest purchasing one to bring with you when you travel, especially if the place you’re staying in doesn’t list one. Here’s one example of a portable carbon monoxide detector.
Get your questions answered
Our secure messaging tool is a safe and easy way for you to ask a potential host any questions you have before you book. After booking, you can also message your host to coordinate check-in, ask additional questions, and keep in touch throughout your trip.
Always communicate and pay on LOKO
Keep yourself, your payment, and your personal information protected by staying on our secure platform throughout the entire process—from communication, to booking and payment. You should never be asked to wire money, provide credit card information, or otherwise pay a host directly. If you are, please report it to us immediately.
Do a safety check
Once you’ve arrived, make sure you know where all relevant emergency equipment and safety information is located. If you’re not sure where something like the first aid kit or fire extinguisher is, don’t hesitate to ask your host. It’s always better to be prepared.
Research local travel alerts and warnings
Whether you’re traveling with LOKO or not, it’s always a good idea to research your destination ahead of time, and check with your local embassy in case there are any travel warnings or special requirements. For example, travelers from the United States should check with the State Department for Visa information and travel warnings.
2.2 What are some safety tips for hosts of places to stay?
Being a host of a place to stay comes with certain responsibilities. Here are some resources to help support you along the way.
Interact smartly
Always pay and communicate on LOKO. Use LOKO’s messaging system to get to know your guests and share expectations about the trip or your space.
Read profiles and reviews of your potential guests, and look for verified phone
numbers, connected social networks, and references. If potential guests don’t have any profile verifications, you can ask them to complete some.
Trust your intuition: If you don’t feel right about a reservation, don’t accept it.
Fill out your House Rules and House Manual
Completing your House Rules and House Manual helps guests know what to expect. Include anything you’d like people to know before they book—for example, whether (or where) smoking is allowed, whether certain areas are off-limits, your wifi password, or if guests should take off their shoes before coming inside.
If a disaster affects your area and you’d like to help by hosting people in need of emergency housing, you can list your space for free.
Set requirements for your listing
You can require guests to complete certain verifications before they book, such as Verified ID.
Adding a security deposit to your listing can also help protect you in the event of an accident, like spilled wine on a rug.
Read LOKO’s Responsible Hosting articles
We encourage hosts to think carefully about their responsibilities. Hosting offers rich experiences, but it comes with a certain level of commitment. We’ve compiled responsible hosting articles that can help you start learning what it takes to be a host in your region.
3. Accessibility
To make it easier for people with disabilities and other accessibility needs travel on LOKO, we've taken action to make our website and app more accessible, and created ways for hosts and guests to showcase and search for accessible spaces.
3.1 Accessibility in our website
We've begun researching how people with limited vision use screen access technology to use our website. We've learned a lot about what's working and what isn't, and we've created a team dedicated to educating our engineers and designers about how to create online experiences that everyone can use.
3.2 Spaces with accessibility features
Hosts can highlight features of their home that make it more accessible for guests who use wheelchairs, canes, or other mobility aids. If a home already has things like a well-lit entrance or wide hallways, hosts can add these as features to their listing. Additionally, LOKO requires hosts to show photos of any accessibility features mentioned, so that guests will have a clearer idea of what might fit their needs.
Guests can easily search for places that will be a good fit by using accessibility
features. For example, guests can filter search results so they only see homes with an elevator or an entrance without steps.
We ask hosts and guests to work together to figure out if a space will work. We expect our hosts to be open to discussing accessibility details with guests, and sometimes make small adjustments to help a guest safely and comfortably move through a home.
Additionally, in the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act and state
disability access laws may apply to some hosts with five or more listings. We encourage hosts to visit ada.gov and contact an expert who can advise you about your listings. The ADA National Network and its regional ADA centers may also be able to help hosts with questions.
3.3 Assistance animals
We recognize that assistance animals are not pets, and that they serve a critical
function for their owners. If an assistance animal is housebroken and under control, a host is required to accept it (even if the host doesn't allow pets), except for limited health and safety reasons.
3.4 Nondiscrimination Policy
Our community is built on the principles of inclusion and respect, and we don't support discrimination of any kind on LOKO.
We understand that not all homes will meet a guest's needs, but hosts can't turn a guest down just because the guest has a disability. To report discrimination of any kind on LOKO, report your issue to us.
3.5 Contact us
We're continuing to work on making LOKO more accessible, and are here to help. To get help using LOKO, or to report a home that was incorrectly described as accessible, contact us to get in touch with a member of our team.