Here is a message I received on the airbnb inbox from an air bnb guest who is also a host, so the confusion seems to be across the platform.
"Hi Dragonfly Hill!
I am a graduate student from the East Coast planning to visit LA for my spring reprieve! I'm looking forward to exploring the city for the first time and am consider moving there after finishing my degree this summer.
I've lived in a cooperative and social justice-centered house before and am interested in possibly joining your community, if I were to move to LA!
In regards to the logistics of this booking, I noticed the room is listed at $45/night, but when I went to book, the price per night increased. Would it be possible to have the original pricing and prorate the cleaning fee?
I look forward to possibly meeting you all and learning more!
Thanks,
******
Yesterday at 12:39 PM"
And here is my response:
"The cleaning fee, (our labor) is our biggest expense and requisite in making your stay comfortable and pleasant. The base fee for this room is usually $70 a night, plus cleaning fee. (Airbnb has gone from listing the base price, to listing the average price, which is often misleading when we've lowered prices for our low season. We have no control over that.)
The cleaning fee is already prorated, that is, guests who stay longer, pay less per day because it means we have to clean the room less frequently. The actual cleaning fee (I should have said "cleaning cost" - note mine) is much higher than what we're charging, because it of course also includes cleaning all of the common areas.
We believe that domestic labor is underrated and under appreciated in our society, and that we bring to our work incredible (unrecognized) skill and attention. We expect and hope our guests understand this.
We sadly have had especially bad experiences unfortunately, with activists who seem to discount our labor even more than the larger society. This is our livelihood. We are a team of 5 people who work very hard to provide outstanding accommodations at already discounted prices in a city where the cost of housing and the standard of living is very high.
We specifically state in our listing description that guests really should not request a discount because you are discounting our labor. Please assure us that you understand this, and we will consider approving your request. Otherwise, we really would rather have guests that understand the value of what we provide and appreciate compensating us for our efforts. "