When you book a Airbnb, you will notice that there is usually a cleaning fee. Since many houses are private residences and not hotels, this makes sense.
But an Airbnb hostess went even further by forcing her guests to do chores before departure.
In response to criticism, she decided to change her policy. Asking guests to keep the house reasonably tidy is one thing. But most would agree that expecting them to do laundry or mow the lawn is a bit too much.
The hostess, Melissa Forrest, has ten houses in the south California listed on Airbnb. Instead of chores, Business Intern reports “she believes in extra cleaning fees if a guest leaves a big mess.”
Forrest wrote, “Asking the guest to do chores like mow the lawn or put all the linens in the washing machine is unreasonable and ridiculous. The host takes advantage of the situation. When guests are asked to do chores but not even given the supplies needed to do them, like detergent to do laundry or wash dishes, it’s even more ridiculous. These hosts should be embarrassed.
She added: “One thing we have learned over time is that hospitality should always come first. When we started five years ago, we asked customers to do certain tasks – like taking out the trash and removing the sheets from the beds and putting them on the floor – before they left, because we learned how to do it through our mentor. Now that we’ve grown as hosts, we don’t think any tasks – big or small – should be asked of guests.
Forrest pays his cleaners based on the size of the house and the amount of cleaning to be done. If the sink is full of dirty dishes, pots and pans, Forrest charges customers “an additional cleaning fee on top of our standard cleaning fee.” Customers are informed of this rule in advance so that there are no surprises.
The hostess noted that to avoid housekeeping fees, some travelers will go the hotel route. But, she concluded, hotels also add fees on top of the cost of booking.
“A hotel will only have one bed and won’t charge a cleaning fee, but may charge a daily resort fee,” Forrest explained. “We don’t see cleaning fees pushing customers away.
She also posited that you can’t compare hotels and resorts with short-term rentals. “These are completely different products. You could see the advantages and disadvantages of each type of product. An Airbnb home will have a full kitchen but will charge a one-time cleaning fee.
What has been your experience with cleaning fees for Airbnb rentals?
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