Airbnb Answers: Pricing tools that drive host success

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Airbnb Answers: Pricing tools that drive host success

You asked: Can Airbnb offer hosts more flexibility and options to set our pricing?

 

Leading up to the last Host Q&A, you asked for more flexibility with your pricing options. We went straight to the team that plans and builds these tools to see what’s on the horizon. What we learned was surprising. It turns out we’ve built solutions for much of what you’re asking for, but lots of hosts don’t know about or use the pricing settings available. We also found out that sometimes offering certain types of discounts harms rather than helps your business. Intrigued? We were too.

 

To make sure you have the latest insights on pricing, let’s take a look at what your options are and how your feedback influences what we build.

 

Current pricing options

 

You specifically asked for the ability to set different prices according to a guest’s length of stay, or based on the days of the week (for example, charging a different price for middle of the week vs. weekend stays). We actually have tools that help you do both! You can offer a discount for stays longer than a week or a month, and you can set up custom weekend pricing.

 

You also asked about charging guests based on the number of beds they use, rather than the number of guests staying in the listing. While we understand that more beds used means more linens to clean, it’s sometimes difficult for guests to anticipate how many beds they’ll use at the time of booking. For example, not every listing describes if beds are queen sized or double, how many sleeper sofas there are, or how the beds are arranged in a room. Some guests may want to see the place before deciding if they’ll share a double bed with a friend or sleep on the pull-out couch. However, guests can accurately and confidently say how many people will be staying, and you can charge an extra guest fee to account for that. If the cost of cleaning and check-in for shorter stays is a concern, you can add cleaning fees to offset those costs.

 

How host feedback is shaping our work

 

Your feedback shows us where things aren’t working for you, and where we can do better. Based on what you’ve told us, we’re focusing our efforts on making every tool more accessible and intuitive. And we’re helping hosts understand how pricing tools work together, which rules take priority when multiple rules overlap, and how to use the tools you have for maximum benefit to you.

 

When it comes to building new pricing tools, we try to account for a multitude of host preferences while keeping things simple enough for guests to still want to book your space with Airbnb. To do this, we solicit host feedback, test new ideas, and notice what happens to bookings when we add new options.

 

Here’s a little insight into how we test and pass along our learnings to you: Sometimes we can anticipate reliable opportunities to boost your earnings. For example, you may have seen insight messages on your calendar and emails highlighting discount opportunities for specific dates that would otherwise go unbooked. When you apply these discounts, we highlight to travelers the value you’re offering and that attracts bookings.

 

Alternatively, sometimes we find that less is more—like in a recent test in which hosts added discounts for 3-6 night stays in areas we noticed travelers were searching for accommodation, and it turned out the guests who booked those discounted spaces would likely have booked the listing at the regular price for the same duration. It’s these types of insights that we pass along to you in how we build and what we recommend.

 

You always have control over the price you set for your space. And we’re committed to sharing what we learn about pricing best practices. We’re excited that Airbnb offers competitive pricing flexibility for you, a simple booking experience for your guests, and the promise that we’ll continue to listen to your ideas about how to make pricing even better.


In the latest Host Q&A, CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky answered top-voted questions during a livestream event. For questions he didn’t have time to address, we’ve introduced Airbnb Answers. Want to ask more? We’ll let you know in Airbnb Updates when the question platform will open for the upcoming June 27th Host Q&A.

291 Replies 291
Mustapha4
Level 2
Malé, Maldives

I would like if it will be option to the guest on the booking  like On/Off button especially for breakfast, or dinner, bike rental,laundry,or anything similar, so he can pay for it in advance and no need everytime to request from him payment in resolution center. it will be good benefit for the host and helpful.  Thank you.

SandyAndGreg0
Level 2
British Columbia, Canada

I'd like to use smart pricing but don't.  The algorithm doesn't seem to know that we are waterfront, while our peers are not.  

 

Could there be an adjustment percentage up or down?

I agree with many concerns expressed about Smart Pricing. I ignore it and don't like getting messages about how many people booked somewhere else. I agree I should know WHERE they booked and what they got for $10 a night. I'm sure it can't compare with our place. One reason is that all the dumpy little hotels and hostels in town have listed each tiny room separately and that's how they get business. They are not bed and breakfasts; almost nobody offers a full breakfast like we do.

 

1. Somebody suggested a system of listing our places in different classes of QUALITY, not just stars, type of home or number of rooms. Class A would be classy, include breakfast or a meal, but in manner of 5 star hotel ratings. Class B more like second rate brand hotels, decent but not so special. Class C would be a tiny bedroom in your condo or apartment, or a hotel room where you can barely find space for your suitcase or backpack. 

 

2. Hosts should be required to give full descriptions, including dimensions of rooms, and declare that they are existing hotels and not homes. ABB just allows anybody to list and doesn't really give enough options for describing what you have to offer. IE, somebody mentioned they have a basement location with private entrance. We have a living room where we put up a queen air mattress, the height of a bed, but we can't list it properly. Our only choices are a pull-out sofa or a futon on the floor in the livingroom space. There's a big difference for me sleeping on a pull-out sofa vs. a futon vs. a well-made air bed. (So what happened here, Mr. "air bed and breakfast?")

 

3. I would also like the guest to provide the names of people coming with them and whether they have accounts as well with ABB. We live in the same house where our guest rooms are and appreciate knowing in advance who they are.

 

4. I agree with the many other hosts that many more details are needed as options for pricing. However, I was stunned to find out that not everybody provides sheets and towels. It would never occur to me NOT to have such things. Most of our guests fly in from other countries and with baggage prices added to airfare, I would not expect them to carry along linens and towels. They would be better to use hotels. I have never found it a problem as a guest when I went to Europe, luckily.

 

5. I agree as hosts now in our third year that ABB needs to actually make the changes we are asking for. Many of us are feeling that the company owners are making out extremely well off the backs of those of us who work hard to keep the quality up, especially Superhosts, with not enough help with our needs.

Kelly464
Level 2
Galveston, TX

I want a better way to collect for city occupancy tax.   

Christopher414
Level 2
Newport Beach, CA

This might be complicated but a huge revenue boost to airbnb, and make my life easier.  

 

Clisk this button if you would like to allow bokings that are shorter than you minimum if your minimum is greater than the available days in your calendar.  

 

For instance.  You have a 5 day minimum for july, but have a 2 day gap between july 9 and july 11.  I see a lot of calendars with unbookable days like this.

Jean116
Level 1
San Antonio, TX

Let us list and collect our City/County Occupancy Taxes along will all the other fees! Making us ask for those taxes later is archaic! ... And hurts our customer relations! All the other booking sites allow the taxes to be figured right in so that guests see them and pay them with the rate at the beginning. If Airbnb is supposed to be new, modern, and more computer savvy than other sites, then why haven’t you set the computer up to be able to add and include our 16.75% (for example) local taxes? Homeaway, VRBO, Trip Advisor, Booking.com, and others all have the ability. Why not you, AIRBNB? Guests HATE finding out that there is more to pay than they expected! And it’s a lot of work for us owners to get them paid and to soothe the guests. Bad business guys!

Lee257
Level 1
Taranaki, NZ

I have set up an automated response when people have booked that asks to confirm how many people and how many beds are likely to be used, stating it allows me to prepare the necessary beds (we have 2 queens and 2 king singles).  Some people are booking /stating 1 guest, thinking they are booking the 1 " whole house". Not sure how we get around that confusion when I think it does clearly state to book per room. I prefer booking by room numbers, as linen( egpillow numbers and towels) is nearly the same for a queen bed(2 people) as for 2 king singles. 

Ellen133
Level 1
Gold Hill, NC

I would like to be able to have my guests pay online with their booking for a pet fee. 

BaronUnlimited0
Level 1
Rohnert Park, CA

I would like the option to put a 10% discount on certain days, and the guests who are looking can see it is discounted, rather than just lowering the price for those days.

We should like to have the option to offer a discounted price for guests who book for two or more nights accommodation.

 

Parklands0
Level 3
United States

Airbnb, it's high time to ensure that guests that never arrive cannot rate hosts on value or cleanliness etc.

 

It's also high time that airbnb set up systems of arbitration where no guest can injustly sabotage a hosts' star rating (example: irrational angry guest gives host 1 star while every other guest that year gave 5 stars).

 

And.. it's high time that any guest complaining about what had been clearly forewarned in a listing before booking would have their review flagged and edited by Airbnb if host brings complaint and presents evidence (example: listing says queen bed, but guest review says terrible without a king bed and lowers rating of host. Or listing says no AC but guest review says don't book cause there is no AC and lowers rating of the host).

 

Please Airbnb promote free speech but make the review system AND the rating system both MUCH FAIRER to protect good honest hosts that work so hard while you take your commissions from those booking.

 

For too long airbnb turns a blind eye to its valuable hosts in the easy name of free speech!

We list that we have a dog, who live visitors. Recently we had a couple with 2 kids and an unnotified baby arrive. Both kids and mother scared of dogs. Father more worried about getting cricket on TV than his crying screaming children downstairs because dog was on other side of our lounge room. Children left repeatedly unattended supposedly so we could supervise. Our dog locked out and children teasing her thru screen door. Their 3 star review was .'House smelt of pet'. Comments pet fur. Dog does not shed.  At the same time we had other super hosts staying 5 star review from them .We also had to apologise to them re the screaming. Check out 10am well documented and listed in room information. They were still feeding their children at 9.50 on our good lounge. Apparently we have no recourse to remove review. 6 Years and over 600 guests never has anyone else commented on dog smell

Freda1
Level 3
Oak Lawn, IL

I'm surprised that it's different in different cities, but in my location (suburb of Chicago, IL), Airbnb collects the occupancy taxes for us.  The tax is listed separately from our listing price and cleaning fees.  They've done this since the introduction of the occupancy tax.  Why they don't in every market is possibly due to how complicated it is to have agreements with every different municipality, but the HOW is already there.  They definitely have the ability, it's only a matter of deciding where to do it.

Anna1347
Level 2
Albany, Australia

I would love to be able to set a higher price if staying only one night. I just changed minimum stay to two nights but its a big house to clean, not really worthy. 

Teresa455
Level 1
Exeter, United Kingdom

I would like to be able to add a weekly cleaning charge for guests staying longer than a week.