Charging for extra lux amenities?

[Sheila146]

Hi All,

I would love to hear from other hosts their opinion on the following issue:

We have a wood stove in our listing that is a small 1-bdrm apt in central Vienna.  This is not the primary source of heating but more for ambience and coziness.  Because we are in the city, wood and kindling are quite expensive (7€ per box), and we are finding guests can go through quite a lot of wood, which is then affecting our bottom line, because the nightly market rate in Vienna is surprisingly low (50€ to 60 for our apt depending on the season, which is just enough for it to be worth it for us to be doing airbnb at all).  

On one hand I could try putting the average cost of wood used in the base price but that would be unfair to those who don't use the wood stove during their stay, and also inflates my price in this competitive market.  Another idea is to put a piggy bank and ask guests to put in a donation to the "wood fund" when they use a significant amount, but that might seem a little miserly and unwelcoming to the guests.   I am already having to ask for the tourist tax (which I pay faithfully to the city each month) in cash at the check-in, which I warn them about in advance with the house rules as well as by emailing an invoice after they book, but hitting up guests for numerous extra trivial sums (but that add up over the month as a significant expense for us) can feel like nickel and diming.

I would love to hear thoughts and suggestions from other hosts!  I think this question can apply to other amenities such as bicycles, etc.

Thanks in advance!

Sheila

[Lawrene0]

Is it possible to ask them to bring their own wood if they wish to use the fireplace, @Sheila146? I cannot do that here - I am too remote for woodsellers to be anywhere near, and the woodstove is the primary source of heat, so I would, in effect, be asking them to pay for "utilities". But in your case, bring-your-own wouldn't seem as much like nickel and diming as a wood fund maybe? You could list the places where wood can be purchased?

[Sheila146]

Thanks for responding, Lawrine.  Most of our guests come by public transportation and so bringing wood wouldn't be an option.  Having them arrive with no wood in the apt at all doesn't seem hospitable and for many guests, carrying wood from the nearest supplier would be physically difficult.

Here is what is written in our info book, and is what we tell them verbally when showing them the wood stove:

WOOD STOVE INSTRUCTIONS

-- Construct:
-- use one wood shaving curly-Q starter from small box
-- 3 pieces of small kindling (small sticks of wood) from felt basket on top
-- one medium or even smallish piece of wood from other felt basket on top of

kindling

-- Light the wood shaving with match (will light very easily)

-- Leave the door to stove slightly open for oxygen to help fire along

-- Once it has taken, close the door but leave the vent open (it is on the door of the stove)

-- Once the main wood piece is really burning you can put another piece on top -- Then close the door and close the vent for slower burning
-- Don't leave matches ON the stove, to avoid spontaneous combustion 😄

TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL WOOD (7€ per box):

Feuerhaus Wien VI
Gumpendorfer Str. 14
1060 Wien
10-minute walk away
(vis a vis Cafe Sperl – classic Vienna cafe worth a visit – “Phil” on the other corner is also a cool cafe/bar/bookstore/vintage furniture store)

Tel: 01 / 58 57 001
Montag - Freitag 10.00 - 18.00 Uhr Samstag 10.00 - 14.00 Uhr
Tel: 01 / 58 57 001

THERE IS AN IKEA BAG IN THE APT FOR CARRYING THE WOOD, WHICH THEY GIVE YOU IN A CARDBOARD BOX WITH HANDLES

[Alexandra316]

@Sheila146 I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask people to pay for wood when they book: maybe put a line in your listing saying if they'd like to use the woodstove, you can supply wood for $X amount.

I also like @Lawrene0 's idea of just asking them to buy their own, if it's at all practical. I stayed in a condo in BC ski country where they offered one fire's worth of wood for the fireplace, then you could purchase more if you wanted to have another fire. I have a firepit at the cottage I rent here on Airbnb, and everyone has to purchase their own wood for that also.

[Sheila146]

Yes, I was thinking of the "one fire on us" idea.  When guests arrive in the evening, we try to have one going to help them feel welcome.

 Advance warning in the listing to expect to pay something for wood like you are suggesting seems like a good idea. At your cottage I assume guests have their own cars with them, and they can drive to get wood somewhere convenient?  I really think many guests we have who are middle-aged and older would not be able to manage getting the wood over. on their own.

The guests who just left used an entire box of kindling in 5 days, which means they didn't follow our instructions of idiot-proof firelighting.  That's okay, and already in the past, just on a  learning curve , to prevent this sort of waste of money in the future.

Good to know a lot of guests find it acceptable to be charged additionally for wood.

[Alexandra316]

Yes, you need a car to get to our listing: it's not in the city and the wood seller is very close to the cottage, so I can definitely see how your situatuion is different @Sheila146.

I think it's fair to charge them. I wouldn't think anything of it, and I would pay. It's a consumable item, and the guest chooses how much to consume.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Sheila146 Here they sell bundles of wood at the super market. If it really just comes down to numbers, tell the guest there is a wood stove but you don’t provide wood. To me, that’s far less offensive than what they do in Australia by charging for sheets and towels.

If I were traveling and my host said ‘get your own wood’, guess what? I’d get on my cell phone and make the call ‘Honey, you have to pick up firewood while you’re out and get me a 12 pack of Budlight bottles, a bag of spicy pork rinds and two lottery scratcher tickets

[Sheila146]

Haha, Rene, you have your "Honey" well-trained, apparently!  

I will double check the grocery store around the corner from the apt but am pretty sure they don't have wood.  Austria seems to organize its stores differently from some other countries especially US and Canada. If they sold wood at the grocery stores, it would put the firewood store out of business, is the thinking.  

Unrelated but also notable in the Austrian system, the few grocery stores allowed to be open on Sundays, usually at the train stations, have to block the aisles with tampons, diapers and toilet paper from the customers, as it is illegal to sell those items on Sundays.  The booze aisles are open.  Beware, menstruating mothers of toddlers!

[Matthew285]

@Sheila146, you have firewood stores?

That sounds very specific.

And pretty cool.

[David126]

I burn about 20 cords of wood a year so am well up on getting my own, processing it etc etc.

My thoughts, I am on site btw so you have different issues.

1. I would be concerned about letting guests use wood, most seem clueless, I sometimes show them how it works, how to set the dampers, how to clean it out etc. But leaving it to themseleves?
2. If you think the above is not an issue no harm in trying an honesty box, I remember a place I stayed in in Germany that did that for Beer, we were meticulous in making sure there was enough put in the jar. Nobody wanted to prejudice that facility.
3. Could be a minor money earner, buy in bulk sell retail. For example a bundle would cost me very little but the retail market I see is huge.

[Marie82]

@Sheila146 is there is any option Guests dont have to use wood stove and u can add an extra heating for the winter time ?? Having extra payment made by any Airbnb guests is time consuming and will end  in many cases with no payment at all or asking some of the them to use less is waste of time

I used to rent my car space and 1st ask guests to leave the cash on the table many never did and now took of from my listing and rent out to nearby office staff

Getting any extra paid by Airbnb guests is hard and time consuming and sometime not worth it