Bathrooms: shared, private, and ensuite. Official definitions?

[David1922]

I've looked around but have not been able to find anything definitive on how AirBnB defines these.

If we're renting our upstairs to just one party at a time, and the bathroom up there is dedicated to them throughout their stay (i.e., we stay us the one in our master bedroom), does that qualify as a private bath? Or is it shared because we're present in the house?

Shared seems to run the gamut from multi-stall/shower/sink hostel bathrooms to sharing one or more with the host to multiple parties of guests sharing a bathroom with each other (and potentially the host).

Is there an official AirBnB definition of these three qualifiers?

[Matthew285]

@David1922 where do you have to define the type of bathroom?

I thought hosts have to define the type of place (Shared room, Private room, Whole place) and say how many bedrooms and bathrooms. I didn't know hosts have to define what type of bathroom each bathroom is. Where does that happen?

However, if you are just asking how you would define it in the description, then what you just explained seems perfectly clear: There is a bathroom near their Private Room that is for the guest's exclusive use. The hosts will not use it, and there are no other guests to share it with.

[Monique275]

I believe this is a new feature to add private bath to your listing because it definitely is there as an option.  I have the same question for my house because we have a Jack and Jill bathroom but the whole house is being used by the guests. To me if they are in the entire house, all bathrooms are private. But, there is not an option for ensuite or Jack and Jill.  A define would be helpful for both room only and houses.

[Sarah977]

Private bathroom means there is a bathroom dedicated solely for the guests' use. Not shared by the host or any other guests. Whether they have access to other common spaces in the house is immaterial. If it's a whole house listing, of course the bathrooms are private, unless you rent out separate rooms in the house and unrelated guests (not on the same booking) have to share a bathroom.

[Jill474]

When I questioned the bath being down the hall, my host told me that a “private bath” means separate from the host. However, they have another room that if it had been rented out, we would have shared a bathroom with the other guests. To me, that is NOT a private bath. 

[Ana1136]

@Jill474 maybe they have other bath for the other guests if they even rent the rooms separately. And yes, if only you use that bathroom it is a private. 

[Jill474]

This was her message to me when I asked about it being private but not en suite.

“Correct, the rest room is private. Just not attached to the room. It will be my husband and I and my nephew that is staying with us right now. But no one will be in your bathroom but you guys. It is considered private therefore exclusive to only our AirBnB guests. I hope that helps.”