4 ms·

I've definitely noticed huge cleaning fees on Airbnb increasingly often over the years. I think the solution here is removing the "cleaning fee" entirely and ju

I've definitely noticed huge cleaning fees on Airbnb increasingly often over the years. I think the solution here is removing the "cleaning fee" entirely and just including that fee in the stated price that you end up seeing on maps or in lists when you're searching.

SkipperCat 4y ago
The fee makes using an Airbnb only worthwhile if you are staying there for many days. For a single night, the cleaning fees make them much more expensive than a hotel.
- MichaelVangard 4y ago
  I imagine that's what a lot of hosts prefer. If you're a professional Airbnb host, you probably have a deal worked out with a cleaning service or you do it yourself full-time. But if you're the day-job-having Airbnb host who just rents out a single room or nearby vacation home, you probably don't want to be managing multiple check-ins/outs and cleaning multiple times a week.
- rektide 4y ago
  Which makes sense on the supply side too. Hotels have some overhead airbnb doesnt, but at least they have decicated cleaning staff that's working at some level of scale. With Airbnb, there's a huge inefficiency, in that places have to be maintained, but to do so, help staff have to travel all over the place (very inefficient). Back when airbnb was people renting out some extra space or going on vacation for a bit, they'd swallow the cleaning costs as part of the profit. But now that airbnb & others are industrialized, are regular money making operations, the whole question of how these kind of special, spread out businesses compete versus the classic centealized meant-for-the-purpose hotel re-appears, & the economic inefficiency/insufficiency of the "disurptor" becomes clearly apparent.
nine_zeros 4y ago
We need a law that says, "List price must include all fees".
- nikau 4y ago
  Welcome to Australia - its quite a shock when you travel to the US and suddenly the hotel price advertised increases with tax and resort fees and a bunch of other hidden charges.

SkipperCat 4y ago

The fee makes using an Airbnb only worthwhile if you are staying there for many days. For a single night, the cleaning fees make them much more expensive than a hotel.

MichaelVangard 4y ago
I imagine that's what a lot of hosts prefer. If you're a professional Airbnb host, you probably have a deal worked out with a cleaning service or you do it yourself full-time. But if you're the day-job-having Airbnb host who just rents out a single room or nearby vacation home, you probably don't want to be managing multiple check-ins/outs and cleaning multiple times a week.
rektide 4y ago
Which makes sense on the supply side too. Hotels have some overhead airbnb doesnt, but at least they have decicated cleaning staff that's working at some level of scale. With Airbnb, there's a huge inefficiency, in that places have to be maintained, but to do so, help staff have to travel all over the place (very inefficient). Back when airbnb was people renting out some extra space or going on vacation for a bit, they'd swallow the cleaning costs as part of the profit. But now that airbnb & others are industrialized, are regular money making operations, the whole question of how these kind of special, spread out businesses compete versus the classic centealized meant-for-the-purpose hotel re-appears, & the economic inefficiency/insufficiency of the "disurptor" becomes clearly apparent.

nine_zeros 4y ago

We need a law that says, "List price must include all fees".

nikau 4y ago
Welcome to Australia - its quite a shock when you travel to the US and suddenly the hotel price advertised increases with tax and resort fees and a bunch of other hidden charges.