Guest Fees

[Jillie1]

No wonder I'm not getting so many bookings!  I've just done an exercise to see how much  my place actually costs to a guest for a long stay, these were the  figures:

Room value:                        2,877 

Less 12% discount:            (345)

                                                  _____

                                                   2532

AirBnB service fee               436 (?!)

My cleaning fee                       25

                                                  _____

Total cost to guest          £2993

                                                 ______

I really wasn't aware AirBnB charged so much to guests for booking and am shocked. I know they charge hosts 3% but to charge all that commission to guests is ridiculous!  

What do other hosts think please?  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Jillie1 

hosts and guests both think service fees are too high. I understand Airbnb can't run a platform, customer support, and payments for free, but to charge 25% of each booking  ( without the top limit ) is a lot  😞

I've heard that some other booking platforms have a top limit fee, so if the booking is for 4000€ they will not take 1000€ fee but less, I think around 450€ is the limit.

[Jillie1]

Many thanks Branka & Silvia for your thoughts and info.  

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Jillie1 @Branka-and-Silvia0 

I host a lot of long-term guests and looking at my monthly payouts the gap between what the guest pays and what I (host) receive as payout has seemed to be anywhere from 13~19% 

[Mika8]

@Jillie1 I get other figures when I try to book your room (much less aribnb fees.. are you sure you did not copy the figures wrong?

[Jillie1]

No I didn't copy the figures wrong sadly Mika.

[Mika8]

@Jillie1 I tried your listing (unfortunately I could not upload an image nor copy paste the figures)

but in short

room value 2755

                       - 331

cleaning          32

fees                 341

total              2797

you see, when I try to book, the fees are similar to the discount, and not 1/4 more.

[Jillie1]

Hi Mika - well all I can say is I copied exactly what it quoted.  It worries me that you've got a different price and my cleaning fee is actually £25 not £32 so it looks like there's a bit of random billing going on somewhere?!

[Mark1723]

I Have sent _6_ requests (see below) to AirBnb Management at:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/feedback

without so much as a single response!!

I hate to say it but I'm beginning to think that AirBnB is being intentionally deceptive and underhanded on the this guest surcharge issue.

FWIW I also have a VRBO (HomeAway) account. They disclose their charges honestly and with no hassle.

My prior message (sent _6_ times!)

---

AirBnb Management at:

After more than a year as a Superhost, I just became aware that AirBnB is charging my guests an additional 13% on top of the fees I have offered to the public! I am sure you will respond that “This is explained in your intro package” or some such nonsense, but I consider your failure to disclose these charges plainly and clearly to me, on each reservation,  to be downright deceptive. It reflects very poorly on AirBnb in my opinion and smacks of intentional dishonesty.

Further, I just spent over an hour discussing this issue (with two different Allyssia’s) on the support line and was told that the only way for me to determine what _my_ guests are actually being charged is to log in, as a prospective traveler, and book a fake reservation! Are you _kidding_ me??!! If AirBnb has any modicum of honestly and fair play, you should immediately begin disclosing all actual charges on the reservation. Failing this, I consider your pricing and disclosure methodology dishonest, deceptive, and possibly illegal.

I am sincerely hoping that this incredible shortcoming in AirBnB disclosure is simply an oversite, that this message will result in the immediate correction of the matter and that, henceforth, my reservations will reflect the accurate amounts my guests are being charged, including any and all AirBnB fees, clearly and with no confusion or deception.

Please let me know of your response to my request ASAP.

Mark *sensitive information hidden*

[Helen350]

@Jillie1 , @Mark1723

 It's EASY to know what the guests pay. Go to your own listing, enter a booking date, check in & check out, plus the no. of persons. - A flash comes up with the breakdown of costs: basic price, plus cleaning fee, plus booking fee; then you get the total also.

I've been a host 3 years come February, & I THINK we used to see the full breakdown of charges to the guest & our payout/Airbnb's payout on the bottom left of the message page..... Now, we only see OUR payout & the bit that Airbnb take off that.

My budget rooms get a £3  fee added on my £20/21 rooms for one, & a £5 fee added on my £30/31 rooms for two, so a lot less than 25% @Jillie1 ! - I've often thought the fee/commission must sound astronomical on rooms which cost 3,4,5, times as much as mine! - 3,4,5 times the cost = 3,4,5 times the fee!

One of the reasons I charge as little as I do, is that I'm mindful of the end cost to the guest. If Airbnb charged lower commission fees, I feel I could charge a bit more!

[Jillie1]

Hi Helen - this was a very old thread and the problem wasn't seeing the fee.  I see your place is a room within a property, not a private self contained 2 bedroomed flat with a sofa bed in the sitting room enabling 5 guests to stay.  That price I listed above by the way was also not the price per night but a booking enquiry for several nights!

[Helen350]

@Jillie1 Ah right! - Forgot to view date! Popped up cos Mark had just commented... Mind you, my point about my (tiny) booking fee relative to my low prices still is useful in showing what proportion/percentage is charged... I don't think the type of room(s) makes any difference to the booking fee ... I quoted mine just so folk could see the proportion of booking fee relative o room charge.