Charging for cleaning

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Andrew1879
Level 2
Helton, United Kingdom

Charging for cleaning

How many guests think it is a good practice to add cleaning charges to a listing?

1 Best Answer
Andrew1879
Level 2
Helton, United Kingdom

many thanks for such a full and thoughtful reply.  It answers all our concerns and we agree with your thinking. We already insist on three day minimum stays, so we are not a charity, more a couple of char 'ladies!'. thanks again

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5 Replies 5
Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Andrew1879 

You will have to factor in the cost of cleaning one way or another.  Hidden in your rates or up front as a cleaning fee.  Some guests may avoid listings with a cleaning fee, others do not mind.  In any case they will get a final quote with a breakdown of nightly rate and fees before booking.  

Some guests may think they get better value from a listing without cleaning fees, and sometimes they are right because the host is not very good at calculating and in the end may be running a charity rather than a business.  

I have not charged a cleaning fee, but still have to pay for the cleaning,  so I have had a 3 night minimum to add up for that.  Not quite a charity as it does help cover some of the running costs.

If you charge a cleaning fee and accept one nighters, that one night can come up rather expensive. On the other hand it may make up for the inconvenience and extra work following a one night stay.

In the end you would need to do what is right for your listing and your situation and you may have to test out different models to see what is the best option for you and your listing.

Andrew1879
Level 2
Helton, United Kingdom

many thanks for such a full and thoughtful reply.  It answers all our concerns and we agree with your thinking. We already insist on three day minimum stays, so we are not a charity, more a couple of char 'ladies!'. thanks again

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

@Andrew1879 I charge a cleaning fee because I pay other people to clean and that's what it costs. For me, it's the fairest way to pay the cleaners a living wage and charge guests the actual cost. Including it in nightly rates would subsidize short stays at the expense of long stays, which I don't want to do.

 

However, I will say that guests generally dislike cleaning fees, particularly guests booking low-priced dates for short stays. If off-season or midweek rates drop below the fixed cleaning fee, then instead of thinking "wow, that nightly rate is even lower than the cleaning fee, what a deal!" they think "wow, that cleaning fee is even higher than the nightly rate, what a rip-off!" It's a psychological interpretation of mathematics that is completely irrational, but that's how people seem to work.

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

I agree with @Lisa723 . Cleaning fees are actually the fairest way to  price between long and short stays. If this does psychologically irritate some guests then I am afraid thats tough as being fair is more important to me.

We have just decided to retire from cleaning and bed making. After consulting a few regular guests, we decided to add $50 AUD per stay to our $50 AUD per night or $300 AUD per week self contained flat. The flat rate means some quick cleans of an hour will be better paid than others but fits within the Australian cleaning rates as we will still wash the linen, pay for cleaning products and supply equipment. Now the task is to find a reliable thorough cleaner.