New Pet Fee

[Greg1402]

AirBnB's new Pet Fee option seems slick and would save from collecting outside the initial reservation BUT AirBnB is restricting the Host from charging specific amounts per pet and even goes so far to limit the amount a host can collect based upon the lowest nightly price.

Why limit your hosts so much AirBnB? We make money for AirBnB and this is an attempt to control the hosts.

Just to be clear, I can turn OFF our ability to allow pets. But if I turn that option on, then I am now restricted to setting the price within the platform. At some point we offered one night stay at $89 and that Is the limit allowed for a pet fee. We were collecting $25 per pet per night, thus 2 pets for 2 nights would be $100. Honestly more pets or more nights requires more cleaning.

Frustrated for what I originally thought would save some extra time spent collecting pet fee monies.

Has anyone come up with a solution or work around? Thanks for any advise or feedback.

[Keryna0]

Also feeling confused and frustrated. I do not feel it should be a flat fee, more like an "extra guest" fee. Or at least we should have the option to decide now we want to charge it?

[Shelly17]

Yes, I just found the pet fee and was very excited, until I saw that it is a flat fee. It does not make sense at all. Someone staying 1 night with 1 pet should not pay the same as someone staying multiple night with multiple pets. This is too restrictive to the hosts. I don't want to be too expensive for that person staying just one night with one pet, but don't want to sell myself short on the others. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Greg1402 @Shelly17 @Keryna0 

... and that's not all 🙂 There are other "catches" discussed on another post https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Up-to-5-dogs-for-1-single-pet-fee-per-booking-No-way/td-...

[John89]

What I can't wrap my head around about this pet fee system is that Airbnb is essentially creating a conflict with guests and host on every single pet booking. And we hosts do not want to have to chase down money that should have been straight forward transaction on the platform.  From a management perspective this is a monumental **bleep** up.  What company would want to anger it's customers?  But that is what's happening.  I charge 15$/night/pet and when a potential guest with two dogs books my cabin, they will see a 15$/stay charge! They would think that's great and agree to the price. Only to find in the fine print, ie pricing, that their 5 night stay will cost them an additional 135$!!! That's outrageous and they would rightly be angry and never want to use airbnb again. From my perspective I now to monitor and follow up on almost every guest to collect the added money. Unbelievable that this isn't fixed.

[Mikki0]

From announcements, I can see that charging a pet fee is offered, but I can't find any place to set it. In the pricing - standard fees and charges, there is no place to set a pet fee as the instructions indicate. 

If the fee is flat and limited, i would also set a security deposit  and use that for above and beyond pet fees.