Dear Airbnb Programmers: Please Create Custom, Dedicated Extra Service Fee Spots (Dogs & More!)

Marcy1
Level 10
Eugene, OR

Dear Airbnb Programmers: Please Create Custom, Dedicated Extra Service Fee Spots (Dogs & More!)

Hi Community!  After many years of hosting, I finally decided not to allow dogs because of the cumbersome addition of adding the extra service fee after the booking occured. After not reading or hearing an answer to "why no dog fee" (not in forums or FAQ), I would like to uplevel the suggestion to something even bigger: that Airbnb program in optional spots that can be customized by the host for extra services that can be added to the initial instant book, request or inquiry. Perhaps better yet, if an extra service box is ticked, then those would be bounced into the inquiry mode so that expectations between guest and host could be worked out before the booking occurs (i.e. dog size, what time meal will be prepared, what time education or tour arranged).

 

Say for example, a guest would like to bring their dog: they tick the dog box and a fee is either added or not (if none), but then the host or guest can start a dialogue or send a saved response including information/expectations. This makes for an easier way to bring that extra service to the guest. Currently, adding a service afterward is cumbersome to many guests. We've had guests unable to navigate the email link, we've forgotten to add the extra service fee, and we have been unable to collect the extra service fee at the time of booking because the guest has not fully paid airbnb for their stay. I understand that there is a way to add a extra fee or alter the reservation after it is made, but I'm interested in a platform that includes extra services upfront, at the time of the booking, and am fine if Airbnb takes a cut of that to make it more inclusive. (I just don't like requesting the money for the extra service of hosting a dog after the reservation has been made.)

 

Other services such as a meal, hands-on learning, or pick-up from the airport could also be added into this custom service field. Services such as the experiences that are offered in a limited number of cities could be added to any person who is hosting. These services could differentiate or add to the experience and the specifics of time could be worked out during the inquiry phase of the booking.

 

After listening to the last two Q&A's it seems that this is the direction of making airbnb a robust, upfront _but easy to use_ platform for both booking a stay, having a local experience and standing out as a host.  

 

PS. I'd love to see this or at least the dog fee issue get added to the next Q&A  (and I'd love for the questions for the next q&a be compiled from the last two long lists of questions so that hosts could actually see and vote on which ones we'd really like answered rather than starting the process over with thousands of similar and non-compiled questions scrolling by--but that's another thread).  😉  Marcy

17 Replies 17
Gillian19
Level 10
St Leonards, Australia

@Marcy1 I agree that it would be great if they could select the box and it would charge them. But HomeAway has the capability to set up individual fees, and I have one set up for a pet fee, but still no-one is being charged. So I guess it also has to be obvious to people when booking thet thy need to tick boxes as well as mention it in their request as to the size and number of pets. It may seem initially like an easy thing to implement, but when you think it through it becomes more complicated.

True, many don't read much of the listing--but then others do seem to read everything.  SInce my airbnb is at my home , I mostly have had people asking how to add the cost of the privilege of bringing their dog-- think most people realize the added cleaning.

 

 I do know that on another airbnb i co-host, where we are not on site, people are less forthcoming about bringing their dog; that, however,  is out of my control.  In both cases, on site or vacation rental, it would be nice to have the up-front option for guests and hosts. 

Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

Agreed.

@Gillian19 But somehow people when travelling buy the right tickets, yeah? Then they are able to tick the right boxes because they know that otherwise they will not fly. So I guess it is the hosts who should start implementing rules.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

Hi to you in poland!! What do you mean about hosts implementing rules? I'm talking about a pet or custom field for any extra services provided to the guest.  =;") 

Herman2
Level 2
Hacienda Heights, CA

I created a small room with private bath, private entrance and small patio for the dog.  Although I meant this for pet owners, I would like to be able to rent it without the extra fees for cleaning and having a dog to someody who just needed a room.  I cannot really understand why it is so hard for them to incorporate that when it is just the same as charging cleaning or charging extra money for extra guest.  Unless they have that option the room I created would only probably only show up for pet owners because of extra cost.

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

YES, Airbnb seems to be unaccountably ignoring repeated and numerous requests from hosts for this feature.

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Marcy1@Lisa723@Herman2@Marzena4@Gillian19

 

Thank you for starting this topic Marcy. You are certainly not alone in wanting the ability to add a pet fee/extra service fee on to your listing.

 

I am not sure if you have seen the Host Voice idea regarding this topic. Our Product Team have responded to it and the good news is that the team are actively working on a solution to enable hosts to include individual charges for special services, such as extra cleaning for guests with pets or other features of a listing that may require more effort from the host. To view the full response, take a look here.

 

It is great to hear more about how you would like this to work Marcy, if anyone has anything to add or additional ideas on how you think this feature could work, please do share. 🙂

 

Thanks,

Lizzie 


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Thanks for checking in lizzie and sharing the link to another community forum pet fee thread--with at least 8 pages of "here here's" by other hosts. I don't doke that one but have seen many, many of these same pet fee discussions.

 

Until there is a pet fee or (better yet a custom extra service ) selection box, why there isn't one would be a good question to be answered officially by airbnb on their FAQs. On the community hosting platforms, it appears that we're just going round and round agreeing with each other that it would be a nice feature to add , that other hosting platforms provide the tool, etc.

 

I like the community forum for getting answers from one another and sharing,  I do believe this issue does require action from or at least an answer from airbnb execs why it had not been remedied or if not why not. 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Marcy1,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes, this is certainly a popular request. To be honest, I am not sure why it hasn't been implemented before, but as a result of the idea shared in Host Voice this was able to show how much the community wants this feature to be introduced, which I think is amazing.

 

The good news is that the team are working on a solution for this and hopefully it won't be long before it is launched. 

 

I hope more of our community will go to Host Voice and support ideas. 🙂

 

Thanks again.

Lizzie


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hi Again! @Lizzie in London! This is the first I've heard of "host voice" -- what is it and is it different than the airbnb community ? I see it on the drop down menu, should i have put my discussion there instead of all discussions? Thanks, Marcy

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Marcy1,

 

Aw no problem.

 

Host Voice is an ideas board that lives here in the Community Center. It is a place where our community can share their ideas and support ideas for new Airbnb features or improvements to existing ones. The most supported ideas will be shown to our Product Team to review and respond to. This is exactly what happened with the Pet Fee idea and the link I shared with you above, take you directly to the idea with the response from the team. 

 

To take a closer look and perhaps support some of the idea and/or create a new idea here is the link: Host Voice. (Click on the 'Featured' tab in HV to see the ideas with responses from the team).

 

You will also find Host Voice in the drop down on the top menu bar, here in the CC:

 

Screen Shot 2018-03-15 at 17.21.12.png

 

I hope this helps.

 

Thanks,

Lizzie

 


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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Hi again @Lizzie !

Has the host voice been a up and running as long as the community/hosting area or was this an add on later? There's been a cry out for pet fee since on the community hosting pages for years (at least since 2013 when I joined)!  I'm seeing that host voice has responses from administration on whether plans are underway or not.  I like that! ! But no ability to uptick   (at least not on my phone). I don't like that--is ot a bug?. The response from the product team is a BIG improvement from just feeling like we're going round and round.

 Perhaps i missed the memo" but an all points bulletin email could be sent to hosts letting everyone know that it is best to put up ideas in "host voice" rather than the community /hosting area or direct hosts who go to the hosting discussion area to post ideas in the host voice and ask questions in community hosting.   Thanks again,  marcy

Pete28
Level 10
Seattle, WA

I believe (but could be wrong) that if the dog is classified as an emotional support animal then you would not be able to charge an extra fee. It seems a rising trend to buy the necessary certificate so that you can then take dog on plane, hotel etc.

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

It is an easy fix and has been actively discussed for many years, just another field, could be pet fee, taxes whatever, fixed amount or a percentage.

 

As an aside it would be much cheaper for a Guest to buy an Assistant Animal tag from Amazon for $10 than pay any likely pet fee. Not that a tag is actually needed.

David