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This AirBnB cleaning fee thing will get out of hand...

Bateshorn

By Bateshorn
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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9853

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Posted

It will get out of hand and we will all be lucky to live through it.

Airbnb taking a closer look at cleaning fees.

I will say, when I was in San Antonio a couple of weeks ago, I had a $100 cleaning fee, yet, I was basically responsible for starting the house cleaning process (strip beds, take out garbage, empty fridge, start towels, run dishwasher).

Spoiler

Maybe it was sudden sticker shock. Maybe it was the escalating return to travel after more than a year at home. Or
maybe it was just a long time brewing. Whatever the cause, a firestorm over fees on Airbnb erupted recently on social
media, prompting the company to pledge a review.
Many users pointed out that the vacation rental platform, which was seen as a cheap alternative to hotels when it
launched in 2008, had become so laden with extra charges that hotels sometimes seem like a better option.
“We gotta stop airbnb,” wrote one Twitter user who included a screenshot of a $99 listing that would total $413.95 for
two nights with fees and taxes included. That tweet was liked nearly 212,000 times and generated thousands of
comments.
The resulting outcry was enough to merit a response from Airbnb, which offered a defense of its pricing transparency, an
explanation about how fees are set and a promise to review the issue.
Nate Blecharczyk, one of the company’s co-founders, said in an interview this week that the cleaning fees had always
been part of the experience. The social media reaction, he said, was new.
“In response to that, we’re definitely going to take a second look at this issue in partnership with our hosts,” he said.
Cleaning fees are set by hosts so they can adjust to their needs, though the company pointed out that Airbnb offers tips
to “keeping the amount reasonable, and suggest they consider not charging cleaning fees at all.” In the early days of the
pandemic, the company announced an enhanced cleaning process for hosts to follow.
“We also know that guests really want a clean property,” Blecharczyk said. “We definitely don’t want to compromise the
quality of the cleaning by constraining what hosts can be reimbursed for here.”
Worldwide, according to the company, 45 percent of listings don’t charge a cleaning fee, and for those that do, the cost
on average is less than 10 percent of the total reservation.
Service fees, which are set by Airbnb, and occupancy taxes, set by local governments, also add to the total — but the
company noted that those and cleaning fees are always visible before it’s time to pay.

In the meantime, some users continued to complain. “We clearly didn’t drag Airbnb on Twitter enough bc these prices
are outta pocket,” one Twitter user wrote early Tuesday morning.
The fee frenzy erupted a week before Airbnb unveiled more than 100 updates meant to make it easier to use the site and
become a host. Changes include adding more tools for flexible searches, making cancellation policies more clear and
doubling the number of customer support agents this summer.
“The most important thing is you can reach us,” Blecharczyk said, noting that the company didn’t have enough customer
support staff last year. “Last summer was a real challenge because we weren’t expecting the rebound to be so fast.”
Airbnb says it continues to expect an “unprecedented” recovery as people have more flexibility to work remotely, travel
when they want to and stay in places longer.
“What we’re seeing in travel is the biggest travel rebound, not just in years since I’ve been doing this, but probably the
biggest travel rebound in nearly a century,” co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said on “Good Morning America.” “So
people are clearly ready to travel around the world and certainly around the country.”

 

 

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'stache

'stache 21729

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I don't give a shit as long as I can search by total cost. I hate when the price is good and shows up higher on the lower cost list to see that the price is actually double with the cleaning fee. I think VRBO last time I checked lists by total cost.

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midtown

midtown 3341

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2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

I don't give a shit as long as I can search by total cost. I hate when the price is good and shows up higher on the lower cost list to see that the price is actually double with the cleaning fee. I think VRBO last time I checked lists by total cost.

Este.  But agree the fees price them out of the lodging market in some cases.

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midtown

midtown 3341

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33 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Does anyone actually believe that an enhanced clean is actually occurring?

In AirBnbs'?  No.  In hotels, especially those internationally?  Yes.   My last two hotel stays you couldn't walk 10 feet without someone cleaning something.   But now that science is saying it's completely unnecessary my guess it didn't really matter and will quietly fade.   Some people will still wipe down every surface but that's on them.

Edited by midtown
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LABEVO

LABEVO 928

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25 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Unlike on the Uber/Lyft thread, the cleaning fee thing actually has me checking hotel prices again. I cost shop until i get to the price/location place I want to be.  Free-market, ftmfw.

this. especially in major cities. 

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4636

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Posted

They had something outrageous at our last AirBnB for cleaning, and it wasn’t cleaned for shit when we arrived.  We cleaned it up and kept it clean during our stay, and it was left considerably better than we found it. Disappointing af.  
 

4 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

We've been finding houses to rent on AirBnB and then reaching out to the owners. A couple have said they'll rent us the house off the platform to save money all around. 

We’ve done this several times. 

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52-80

52-80 19047

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1 hour ago, 'stache said:

I don't give a shit as long as I can search by total cost. I hate when the price is good and shows up higher on the lower cost list to see that the price is actually double with the cleaning fee. I think VRBO last time I checked lists by total cost.

i was thinking about turo'ing a car recently.  listed $200 per day.  total per day came out to $700 or something.  lol

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Enchubben

Enchubben 5502

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Not surprising. Lots of people with these as investment properties and got hammered the last year plus and are trying to recover lost income.

Also lost on people is the amount of tax imposed on short term rentals that owners pass on. Can be as much as 20% in some areas. 

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21468

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5 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

I never got the value of an AirBnB over just maxing out Marriot points and then taking free vacations with the fam. I don't know, good luck out there, I guess.

Large groups who want something with a nice kitchen.  It also used to be significantly cheaper to get a 5 BR house and split it 4-5 ways than to get 4-5 hotel rooms.

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F250

F250 28623

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7 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

I never got the value of an AirBnB over just maxing out Marriot points and then taking free vacations with the fam. I don't know, good luck out there, I guess.

I also do Marriott points but it can handcuff you depending on time/location. In some cases you are limited to the Marriott box locations depending on time/place of stay and that isn't really an option. The other option is using another hotel rewards system but then you end up splitting your points. AirBnb used to be a much better bang for your buck even if you didn't get rewards but that might be changing.

 

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RPM

RPM 26167

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1 hour ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

We've been finding houses to rent on AirBnB and then reaching out to the owners. A couple have said they'll rent us the house off the platform to save money all around. 

It's been several years but my last trip to Colorado I negotiated a 3 month deal with the owners off the books.

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SmokeyTheBear

SmokeyTheBear 5562

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2 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

How do you get their contact information?

"contact host" button. Start a dialog on what you are wanting, move it to email and go from there. We've also done it where they advertise on airbnb but also had their own site or other site they advertise on. 

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Zepol87

Zepol87 9155

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11 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

"contact host" button. Start a dialog on what you are wanting, move it to email and go from there. We've also done it where they advertise on airbnb but also had their own site or other site they advertise on. 

Yea I have done this a few times in Mexico and Florida. Saved some money but it was always longer than a week stays

 

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Sbbruin

Sbbruin 21690

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13 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

"contact host" button. Start a dialog on what you are wanting, move it to email and go from there. We've also done it where they advertise on airbnb but also had their own site or other site they advertise on. 

I recall trying to do that (I think on VRBO), but every time I put in my cell or email, it scrambled it so as to avoid this "off market" business.

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conVINCEd

conVINCEd 21468

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9 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

I recall trying to do that (I think on VRBO), but every time I put in my cell or email, it scrambled it so as to avoid this "off market" business.

Thank you for your interest!  I can confirm the house has the following:

8 plates

6 cups

7 bowls

5 towels

3 washcloths 

0 twin beds

9 chairs

Let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

 

Jenny

p.s.  The 512 is 🔥 right now, so book quickly.

Edited by conVINCEd
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MonkeyDoughnut

MonkeyDoughnut 10098

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1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

They'll get caught and booted off in short order.

Let's see... boot them and get zero revenue or....turn the other cheek and likely get some future revenue from them.

Most people won't bother or want to go "off-book".  The bigger risk is one side getting scammed without any Airbnb protections (could happen anyway).

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RPM

RPM 26167

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9 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

I recall trying to do that (I think on VRBO), but every time I put in my cell or email, it scrambled it so as to avoid this "off market" business.

Ate 1 s3vin Fiv3 tu won thirteefiv3 oh ate

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Lol how? 

There are measures in place to mitigate this behavior.  

 

 

40 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

I recall trying to do that (I think on VRBO), but every time I put in my cell or email, it scrambled it so as to avoid this "off market" business.

Like this.  But also actual teams that review the behavior.  Always going to be ways around it for the truly dedicated though.

 

32 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Let's see... boot them and get zero revenue or....turn the other cheek and likely get some future revenue from them.

Most people won't bother or want to go "off-book".  The bigger risk is one side getting scammed without any Airbnb protections (could happen anyway).

The bolded is correct.  

 

32 minutes ago, RPM said:

Ate 1 s3vin Fiv3 tu won thirteefiv3 oh ate

This one always makes me laugh because a lot of people just aren't smart enough to decode it.

 

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UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2198

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40 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Let's see... boot them and get zero revenue or....turn the other cheek and likely get some future revenue from them.

Most people won't bother or want to go "off-book".  The bigger risk is one side getting scammed without any Airbnb protections (could happen anyway).

We offer to direct book after the first stay to make sure they aren’t someone who will trash the place. We had on group of “10” ram the car in front of them in our driveway, put it in reverse, and then hit it again, damaging our garage door. AirBnB insurance paid for that. 
 

I don’t know where y’all are looking, but most of my competition here in Galveston are pretty reasonably priced on cleaning. What we charge is what our cleaning crew charges us.  Thing is, everyone wants the place to be clean, and we can’t rely on the guests to clean it, so it doesn’t matter if someone stays 1 day or 100, all the linens have to be changed, everything has to be mopped and wiped down.  The cleaning fee is a small % of the stay for us with anyone staying longer than 4 days, which is most of our guests. 

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BurntOrange&White

BurntOrange&White 39268

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Just now, UT_OB1 said:

We offer to direct book after the first stay to make sure they aren’t someone who will trash the place. We had on group of “10” ram the car in front of them in our driveway, put it in reverse, and then hit it again, damaging our garage door. AirBnB insurance paid for that. 
 

I don’t know where y’all are looking, but most of my competition here in Galveston are pretty reasonably priced on cleaning. What we charge is what our cleaning crew charges us.  Thing is, everyone wants the place to be clean, and we can’t rely on the guests to clean it, so it doesn’t matter if someone stays 1 day or 100, all the linens have to be changed, everything has to be mopped and wiped down.  The cleaning fee is a small % of the stay for us with anyone staying longer than 4 days, which is most of our guests. 

no thank you.

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RPM

RPM 26167

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6 minutes ago, jeevsie said:

Had a reasonable cleaning feel last year in colorado.  After we left, owner refunded it because she said we did such a good job she wouldn't feel right charging us.

I hired a cleaner before I checked out. Owner refunded my fee after inspection. Could have backfired, but I saved $30. This was pre-Covid.

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Jerry Callo

Jerry Callo 8646

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Never done AirBnB, but I've been more than happy with VRBO.  Just stayed 3 nights in New Orleans at $195/night and $95 cleaning.  Knew everything up front.  If the cleaning fee would have been $200 or more, we might have just picked someplace else.  Total cost is what matters to me.  

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JMFP

JMFP 1117

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With the kids we have to get two rooms when we stay somewhere so up til recently it's always been cheaper to VRBO, but last trip to we took it was better for us to to just get two hotel rooms. We usually just take the camper (unless its freezing) and stay in it.

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BearSchlong

BearSchlong 8072

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My neighbor at the canal house I just rented for 3 nights (VRBO) at Marathon and I were talking, he started out by renting the place from the owner using VRBO but liked the place so much he negotiated a few weeks each year direct with the owner, and did the same thing with his fishing guide.  Each evening we would be sitting on the patio and they would pull up in the boat and offload fish, the guide would filet a few, they'd get a quick shower, and take off with some fresh mahi or wahoo for the restaurant to cook.  I meant to get the owner's info but forgot, I may just contact him directly.

Just checked my cleaning fees from the last 3 VRBOs and fuck, I got screwed on 2 of them.  $150 for a place in South Beach, and $250 for that place in Marathon.

Glad this thread got started.  I'll start negotiating this shit down before booking from now on.

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