Airbnb (ABNB) started out as a platform for accommodations that were more affordable than a hotel, but as higher fees and cumbersome checkout tasks become more common, it poses a risk of turning customers away.
As a result, the home rental platform addresses these concerns by providing more clarity on pricing and cleaning guidelines.
“You shouldn’t have to clean house when you go out,” Airbnb CEO Chesky told Yahoo Finance Live (video above). We are setting new guidelines. And anything a host requests, we want to make sure it’s listed up front, so you know what you’re getting into before booking.”
The new guidelines come after dozens of travelers booked through the platform have complained about unreasonable cleaning requests hosts despite paying high cleaning fees.
Now, there may finally be a standard for the types of tasks Airbnb hosts can ask guests to complete before they leave – a positive development for guests who can consider the requirements when deciding to book a stay. at the hotel or a rental property in the first place.
“A reasonable task is like locking the door when you leave, turning off the thermostat, maybe not leaving food in the kitchen if the host can’t come back for a few days because the animals can get in,” explained Chesky. . “But an unreasonable task is like stripping the bed and doing the laundry.”
Chesky has also committed to making pricing more transparent. As part of his Winter release 2022Airbnb has announced that it will display total prices in advance.
For the third quarter — Airbnb’s most profitable quarter ever — the company said the average daily rate was $156.
“We need to stay affordable, especially now, because affordability matters more than ever in this economic environment,” Chesky said.
Expedia, which acquired home rental company Vrbo as part of its Acquisition of HomeAway in 2015has taken similar steps to display the total cost for guests booking a stay.
“It’s not just about transparency to make everything pleasant for everyone,” said Peter Kern, CEO of Expedia. says Yahoo Finance Live in an interview. “It’s really about customers getting what they expect and getting what they value for their money.”
Brad Smith is a Presenter at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @thebradsmith.
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