The company also said it tells hosts that any requests for departing visitors must be reasonable and clear to guests before booking. Many users took to social media to to complain a long list of tasks they must complete before leaving, comparing the experience to assigned tasks. Actors were also mock to practice.
“I heard you loud and clear – you feel like pricing isn’t transparent and payment tasks are a pain,” CEO Brian Chesky said on Twitter Monday morning.
Airbnb will prioritize the total price — instead of the nightly price — in its algorithm that determines search ranking. This means that houses with the best quality and the best total prices will be ranked higher if there are similar options in the same area. “Highest quality” refers to “a number of factors, including reviews,” spokeswoman Liz DeBold Fusco said in an email.
A short video illustrating the update shows a toggle that says “Show full price”. When activated, the price of an ad increases from $165 per night to $1,212 (before taxes) for a six-night stay. There is an option to further break down the price to see fees and discounts.
I heard you loud and clear – you feel that pricing is not transparent and payment tasks are a pain. That’s why we’re making 4 changes:
1. Starting next month, you will be able to see the total price you pay in advance. pic.twitter.com/58zodrzU3g
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) November 7, 2022
“We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today,” Chesky wrote on Twitter.
“Guests shouldn’t have to perform unreasonable payment tasks such as stripping beds, doing laundry or vacuuming when leaving their Airbnb,” the company said in its statement. Press release. “But we think it’s reasonable to ask guests to turn off lights, throw food in the trash and lock doors, as they would when leaving their own homes.”
It was unclear how or if Airbnb would apply these guidelines to hosts. For now, if a request is unclear to a guest before they book, the company will work with the host to “respond to feedback,” the Airbnb spokeswoman said.
The exact timing for the rollout of the new pricing display has not been announced.
The move takes place in a broader context repression fees often hidden by the Biden administration. In September, the Ministry of Transport said it proposed a rule to require airlines to disclose certain charges along with fare and schedule information. The Federal Trade Commission said last month that it was seeking comment on damage caused by ‘junk fees’ – described as “unnecessary, unavoidable or surprise charges that inflate costs while adding little or no value” – as the department explores a new rule on the subject.
Airbnb reports that of active listings worldwide, 45% do not charge cleaning fees. For those that do, the company said, the fee averages less than 10% of the total cost.
Listings in many countries – including those in the European Economic Area, Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and Korea – already show the full cost, including fees and any tourist tax, the company said.
While many users on social media welcomed the changes, several still wondered why the more transparent display wasn’t just a default feature rather than a switch that needed to be toggled on or off. Several asked why taxes were not included in the new total price.
In a tweet, Chesky said the company’s thinking was to follow the typical American convention of displaying pre-tax prices. He asked users if they thought the total should be after tax. The response was overwhelmingly favourable.
“It’s so, so close to being transparent and trustworthy, but with pre-tax pricing, I still feel like you’re trying to trick me,” one Twitter user said. said.
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