Airbnb adds cleaning fee to new ‘total price’ of bookings in search results after people complain listings are misleading

Airbnb’s total price toggle will show the total price of a listing, including all fees, before taxes.Airbnb

  • Airbnb is updating its platform to show customers the full price of a listing before booking.

  • The price will include additional charges, such as cleaning, which are listed separately from the nightly rates.

  • Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, tweeted that he had heard concerns from customers that “pricing is not transparent”.

Airbnb guests will soon be able to see the total cost of their stay, including cleaning and service fees, before taxes, as part of improved price transparency on the platform.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted that he heard guests “loud and clear” that pricing on the platform is not transparent and that “payment tasks are painful”, so the platform is making four changes from December.

The first is that customers will be able to see the total price of a home, before taxes, when searching. The full breakdown of service charges, discounts and taxes will also be visible.

The platform also prioritizes total price in search rankings, over overnight rates, which have been criticized for a lack of price transparency as they do not include additional charges. Chesky tweeted that “the highest quality homes with the best total prices will rank higher” in the search.

Early next year, Airbnb said hosts on the platform will have new pricing and discounting tools to understand the “end price” customers will pay so they can set competitive prices. Guests can also get tips from Airbnb on “reasonable” payment requests for customers, and will need to show the requests to potential customers before booking.

“You shouldn’t have to do unreasonable payment tasks like stripping beds, doing laundry or vacuuming,” Chesky tweeted in an Airbnb Updates thread. “But we think it’s reasonable to turn off lights, throw food in the trash and lock doors, just like you would when leaving your own home.”

Airbnb customers have taken to social media to complaining about chores lists of some Airbnb hosts who require guests to run the dishwasher, wash the sheets, and mow the lawn while paying hundreds of dollars in cleaning fees.

In May, Airbnb discussed fee transparency on its platform, explaining that hosts set cleaning fees and nightly rates based on the size, location, capacity, and amenities of their listing.

“Hosts should set their own cleaning fees because everyone is in a different position when it comes to cleaning,” Airbnb said, adding that there’s a difference between cleaning a studio apartment and a five-bedroom home. “Also, some hosts choose to clean listings themselves to save costs, while others hire professional cleaners.”

According to Airbnb, 45% of its listings worldwide have no cleaning fee, and for those that do, the average is less than 10% of the total cost of stay.

“We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today,” Chesky tweeted. “During these difficult economic times, we need to help our hosts provide you with great value.”

Read the original article at Business Intern

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