New fee structure

[Carolyn-And-Stephen0]

This is absolutely a horrible decision on AirBnN’s part. It completely penalizes the host.  We have been hosting for over 10 years and a Superhost for the entire time.  I will be thinking hard about staying on with AirBnB bead on this policy change. It adversely affects the host too much.  Especially on the Income tax and Rooms& Meal Tax

[Shelley159]

Running the tool means you choose to change from the split to the single fee at that moment @B162 

Everyone is changed to it on 15 September (October in the EU), whether they're ready or not. Those who didn't update prices will lose money.

If you run the tool now, don't lower any prices. You're on the right fee structure now. Guests pay almost the same as before and host payouts are the same.

As you've proven, if you lower any prices manually, host payouts and guest payment are no longer in line with what they were before you changed the fee structure.

[LeighAnn2]

I agree. Terrible decision. 

[B162]

Who feels bullied?  I certainly do! 

other than a banner on your host dashboard no other information could be located. I clicked the link and clicked the second, automatically I had new pricing.  I panicked as I believed the date 15 September was the commencement of single fee migration.  I went into my calendar and reverted back to normal pricing until 15 September. NEXT I get a 10 day booking with 15.5% fee, equivalent to approx 2 nights free for the guest.

Airbnb could not show me and written communication the migration is effective immediately. A wasted frustrating morning of dancing around specific facts.  They are so loose it’s ridiculous. 

I’m Ready to move away from Airbnb forever, it’s a complete and utter disgrace how they treat hosts regard this particular issue.

BEWARE… I’d love to hear others who’ve experienced the same

[Elaine701]

@B162 

There's no need for panic. If you did it correctly, there should be no tangible difference in the price the guest sees, nor any difference in your payout. 

Some hosts are confused because they didn't realize that Airbnb was previously adding 14-15% to your price and charging guests  for it. 

Now, they've eliminated that 15% and the 3% they were charging hosts. 18% off your sticker price. 

But they've replaced that with a more standard flat fee of 15.5%. so it's actually a slight decrease. And more like the rest of the industry. 

So again, if your calendar price was properly changed to compensate, everything should look the same and nobody will notice. And you can always tweak your price to adjust further if you want. 

I hope that helps. Good luck and happy hosting. 

[Shelley159]

You did the right thing by changing to the single fee when prompted @B162 

What went wrong, was you forgot about the guest portion of the service fee that had fallen away, and manually changed some prices as if it was still there.

Just undo the manual changes that you made before any more bookings come through.

[LeighAnn2]

Same. Please let me know if you find a good alternative. I have a feeling this change is a huge tech opportunity for a new startup. Platforms come and go. 

[Elaine701]

@LeighAnn2 

Oh there's lots of alternatives. Booking.com, Expedia (VRBO, etc), Novasol, and literally hundreds of small more obscure players.

Each has pluses and minuses, just like Airbnb. But perhaps the one thing Airbnb has over all the others is that they're the largest and most well known globally, and if you're listed on Airbnb, you are exposed to a truly global audience. And that results in bookings. They are by far the most productive platform in terms of bookings. 

But all of them require work. All have their irritations and stupidity. None of them are easy.

And in the final assessment, you'll find that all of them are equally if not more expensive than Airbnb, after taking in all the fees and hidden charges, and all the bait and switch stuff. 

Nonetheless, as a long term host that's been with all the majors, I always recommend that hosts sign up with as many other platforms as they can tolerate. This way you learn how the business actually works and where the land mines are. 

Then you'll be able to assess what works for you and doesn't. 

I'd only caution about closing your Airbnb listing. It takes a few years to establish a review history and good ratings, which is extremely important in this business. But you'll also be surprised at what you learn by having comparison to other platforms (and their drawbacks). You shouldn't be too quick to give up your Airbnb history. It's valuable. 

Anyway, good luck and happy hosting. 

[Mary-Ella0]

I thought this new fee change only affects folks using a separate reservation platform to book? 
I read through the announcement and it doesn’t appear to affect people that have one property/their own home. The rate stays the same at 3% if you fall into that category. I did not accept the change so I believe I will not be affected.  

[Greystone0]

@Mary-Ella0  - for US based listings the date for this change for ALL remaining listings is Sept 15. Previously, those on a PMS were already changed to this method (at least that is my understanding).

We are just one owner/one listing and will be on this new model starting Sept 15 whether or not we update our pricing or agree.  

I don't see a listing with your profile so unsure where your listing location is, but the dates are different for other locations, Europe seems to have Oct 15, for example.

[Mary-Ella0]

@Greystone0 I am in Boston’s south end neighborhood. 
I will give them a call and ask specifically because I really thought that people in my category were not included with this fee change 

[Vincent236]

I agree100%!….as for I will inform my future guests in my listing so that they could clearly understand the structure of my pricing and why it would increase so much.

[Elaine701]

@Vincent236 

I'd be a bit cautious about mentioning it in your listing. 

As has been explained and proven many times now, it will be very difficult for guests to see any difference from the previous model. It's as if nothing changed at all.

So explaining or apologizing for something that makes no difference and guests don't see will only be confusing, don't you think? 

I think a better way might be to just carry on as before. It's not like anyone will notice any difference anyway. 

Good luck with that. 

[Vanessa2864]

There's another interesting consequence of this new "simplified" fee structure. Guests will no longer see an "Airbnb service fee" on their booking breakdown. Not because the fee has disappeared - it hasn't - but because it's now charged entirely to the host.

That's why some italian hosts have decided to do something rather unusual: they're now stating directly in their listings and rental agreements that Airbnb keeps 18.91% of the rental price as its commission.

It's their way of restoring a bit of transparency and helping guests understand why accommodation suddenly costs more, even though the host isn't making a single extra euro.

[Elaine701]

@Vanessa2864 @Vincent236 

Ok, so when your electricity or telephone internet or water  supplier or laundry service or property taxes  decide to change their fees, will you also inform your guests of this? 

Do you ask your local supermarket how much they pay for that loaf of bread you're about to buy? the transport costs and the electric bills of the bakery that makes it?

You know, transparency and all. 

If so, I'll try to keep an eye out for guests like this. I sense they're likely to be problematic. 

Oh, and by the way... If you choose to charge more than you need to match the previous price, and then explain it away to your guests by claiming Airbnb made you do it, then that's not very "transparent" is it? And frankly, I doubt most guests would care. They either are willing to pay the price you set or not.

And explaining it to someone who really couldn't care less does sound a bit guilty.