Optional Essentials

Optional Essentials

This new requirement put on AirBnb hosts - "Essentials - especially towels and sheets" is not showing regard for hosts who are sharing their homes and are not into a hotel business with professional laundry facilities. For hosts who have to arrange towels and sheets for every single guest, this Essential Amenities requirement will lead to an additional cost for the guests. I have been renting cottages for a while and never had anyone complain about bringing their own towels and sheets, so why are we making the guests being forced to pay for something like this when they can easily bring these essentials and keep their vacation cost down. 

The idea I have is the following "Hosts should be allowed to supply towels and sheets as an extra option with a fee attached to it". This way, the guests who can bring their linens and towels do not have to pay for it unnessarily. And the guests who would like the host supply these essentials, can pay for the same. Everyone is happy!

14 Comments

I am glad im not the only one voicing my opinion on this.

Thank you for weighing in on this. Hopefully AirBnB sees this and realizes that this is not a simple free add on without significant host/guest impact.

 

Sarah977
Level 10

@Bruce-and-Alison0   Something can't be listed as an "essential" for hosts to provide and then expect the guest to pay for it. It would make more sense, if airbnb is going to consider them an essential amenity, to have them available for those who require them, but offer a discount for those who bring their own.

Or, the platform could introduce a new category called "housekeeping cottages" or whatever they are traditionally known as, where towels and bed linen were not listed under essential amenities.

What would be ideal would be when guests books they can choose linen if required and price would be adjusted

Sarah977
Level 10

@Bruce-and-Alison0   I understand that that would be ideal for you and those who have accommodations in places where these things are not normally provided, but not for most hosts and guests. For instance, I live in a touristy beach town in Mexico where there are thousands of rentals from hostels to inexpensive private bedrooms, to huge mansions that sleep 15 or more and rent for thousands of dollars a night, and there is not one place that doesn't provide bedding and towels.

I really do understand your objection to this being a requirement, I've read enough comments from those who live in places where this is not traditionally provided, I just think that the vast majority of listings on the platform provide this and the majority of guests expect it and would be shocked if they were required to pay extra for it, it would be like being charged extra for toilet paper or a bar of soap.

I also agree that airbnb should not make this an essential requirement, as it is obviously not expected in some areas, either by hosts or guests.

 I suggested that it might be more productive to lobby for a separate category that folks like you could fit into rather than trying to get airbnb to remove that "essential amenity", simply because I don't foresee as being successful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really do understand your objection to this being a requirement, I've read enough comments from those who live in places where this is not traditionally provided, I just think that the vast majority of listings on the platform provide this and the majority of guests expect it and would be shocked if they were required to pay extra for it.