How is charging more for children cleaning fee not discrimination?

[Diane1098]

I understand children can be untidy at times. But, isn’t it discrimination to charge an extra cleaning fee because a guest is travelling with children? For example, 2 nights normal cleaning fee is $50, and host would like to charge an additional $100. Plus additional guest fee which I totally understand and have no issue with. Thank you for your opinions and thoughts. 

[Lawrene0]

Did the host mention that extra "children's cleaning fee" in the listing so that you were able to see it before you booked, @Diane1098 ? If so, you're stuck with it, if not, you are not obligated to pay it, and you might want to cancel and find something with no hidden add-ons. It doesn't bode well for your stay.

You might want to cancel either way. Stay somewhere in which your family is a perfect fit. 

Although I do not charge extra for children, if your host disclosed it, I can see her reasoning. You say untidy; I have seen sticky and prone to accidents in which they soil and break things and their parents are cool with it all. That host may have had enough. Even so, she's not for you if she is adding undisclosed costs to your stay. 

[Diane1098]

No, extra fee for children not mentioned in her listing 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

her cleaning fee is 34€ and she is charging 17€ for every person after 2 regardless of age. There is no mention of an additional cleaning fee for kids nowhere in her listing so she can't charge it additionally except if your kids did something that required additional cleaning (like spilled juice on the sofa, smudged chocolate on the carpet, or something like that)

Both you and your host have many excellent reviews and not a single bad one except the reviews you two gave to each other. You mistakenly booked for 1 and showed up with your sister and 2 kids, she thought you did it on purpose to save money ... and from here everything went downhill. It's a pity.

[Diane1098]

Yup. Even tho I told her I was arriving with my sister and 2 kids. It went downhill as soon as she barged in and freaked out demanding more money. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

hm... she had to come to make 3 additional beds and give you more towels. You could pay the difference for 2 additional guests (2x17€= 34€ per day) and everything would be fine. At least that's what I would do and expect.

[Sarah977]

@Diane1098  Children can be more than "untidy". A host just posted here the other day about a family who let their kids scribble all over the walls, the floor, the furniture and the bedding in the host's brand newly renovated house. They had to repaint the whole place and throw a bunch of stuff out that couldn't be salvaged. And just because a guest has children, that isn't an excuse to leave a place untidy or with sticky handprints all over or let the kids eat on the couch or the in the bedroom. But so many guests with children don't take responsibilty that I imagine that host has learned by experience and taken steps to adress it in the form of an extra cleaning fee.

Don't get me wrong, I like kids-I raised 3 and have 6 grandkids. What I don't like are irresponsible parents.

You booked for one, arrived with 4, didn't bother to inform yourself of travel restrictions (yes, that's your responsibilty, before you book) the host refunded you in full, and now you're trying to harrass her further for discrimination? Let it go.

[Diane1098]

So travelling for a parents death isn’t considered essential travel? I informed host of my sister and her 2 kids travelling with me when I booked. A message must be included during the booking process, which is when I notified her of who I was arriving with and in what kind of vehicle. Looks like I’m all in the wrong. Easy solution is to avoid Airbnb all together since good hospitality isn’t a priority 

as with ANY guest of ANY age, damages to property (including more than usual clean up) can be charged after the fact. Why punish and accuse all people of the same age group because of a couple bad apples? 
All my reviews are good and mention how clean and quiet I am. I have travelled with my sister and her kids before and we always leave it tidy. 

[Sarah977]

@Diane1098 Notifying a host in a message of how many people are going to be coming isn't how to book. You need to enter the correct number of guests in the booking form so you are charged correctly.

And you are incorrect in thinking that all a host has to do is charge for damages and they'll be reimbursed. It would be nice if that were the case, but it isn't.

No one here nor your host is in charge of the Covid govt. restrictions. If the place you are travelling to doesn't consider a parent's death to be essential travel, that's really unfortunate, but not your host's fault. As I said, you should have checked the directives.

I have a really hard time believing the host stormed in mad about you showing up with 4 people if she was already aware of your guest count. Nothing in her other reviews indicates that other guests have had any issues there and she has left nice reviews for all her past guests.

On the other hand, I see you have left another long, quite nasty, critical review for another place you stayed, where that host also had nothing but good reviews.

You're right, Airbnb may not be the best choice for you.

[Diane1098]

I did check PH authority regulations before travelling for my dads passing, and it is considered essential. I also checked in with my doctor prior to leaving. You can believe what you want. I pretty much got my answer to my question. Asking for additional charges NOT mentioned in hosts listing isn’t right. 
In regards to the other long review I have left in the past, it wasn’t a negative review. I simply shared some tips for others to make their stay a bit more comfortable. It would help if you read everything and the listing before judging me once again so negatively. 

[Sarah977]

@Diane1098From your review:

  "This place is an old kids camp, and it still feels like I’m camping. It’s very basic. The women’s bathrooms cleanliness is questionable, the peeling paint in the sinks was nasty and I couldn’t bare to stick my face in there, eek".

The host clearly states that the place is an old girl scout camp and it is also clearly listed as a hostel-type situation. So there is no need for a guest to say this as if it wasn't obvious from the listing description. And the other reviews for this listing make it clear that past guests have understood the nature of the listing and enjoyed their stay.

At the end you mention that it's budget-priced, yet seem to have expected something more than that.

Your wording about the cleanliness is unnecessarily nasty. A simple "More attention to cleanliness in the bathroom would have been appreciated " would have been adequate.

If you are disturbed by something during your stay, you are supposed to let the host know, so the host has an opportunity to correct it, not say nothing and then slam them in the review. Had you asked the host to please clean the bathroom better, they most likely would have done that.

[Diane1098]

Nope. I was simply sharing my experience and offering ideas of things to pack. You are insinuating and assuming incorrectly. You didn’t see the bathroom, going barefoot wouldn’t have been pleasant. I believe I left 4 stars. If it “seems” I didn’t get what I expected, perhaps the expectations part of the reviews should be made public? It was indeed what I was expecting. I expected a budget hostel, and got it. I just was sure to pack accordingly. 

[Sarah977]

@Diane1098  I am not contesting your assessment of the bathroom cleanliness. You were there, I wasn't.

Nothing wrong with offering tips to future guests on what would be useful to bring. 

You're defending your review without acknowledging the nasty way you stated it, the fact that most hosts and other guests would consider it to be a negative review, nor the fact that you should have mentioned it to the host at the time and given the host a chance to do a better cleaning job.

[Debra300]

@Diane1098,

It's your chose whether to continue using Airbnb, but this thread just reinforced that the following should be part of best practices when making a reservation:

1. Be sure to enter the proper number and types (adults and children) of guests when doing your booking search.  The results will be just the listings that are set up to host the travelers.
2. Have all adults signup for their own Airbnb account.  When entering all of the guests on the itinerary, the adults' names and contact information will be visible to the host (and they will also gain a guest rating for the stay if the host leaves a review for the primary guest).  
3. If you live in or are traveling to a location that has travel restrictions, be sure to confirm or provide proof that all parameters have been met, and any necessary  appropriate permissions were obtained (in St. Lucia all travelers to the island must have an approved Travel Authorization Form from the government, and must send a copy to the host).

[Elena87]

@Diane1098 

How is charging more for children cleaning fee not discrimination?

Apparently there is a backstory to this seemingly innocuously framed yet loaded question.

Why not present a full disclosure when posting to avoid being tainted with prevarication traits?