Pet fee

Mark1723
Level 5
Irvine, CA

Pet fee

I HAVE REPEATEDLY REQUESTED THAT AIRBNB INCLUDE A PET FEE FIELD IN THE GUEST REGISTRATION APPLICATION.

WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY TO ME!

AS IT IS, THE ONLY WAY TO COLLECT PET FEES IS THROUGH THE "SEND OR REQUEST MONEY" FEATURE IN THE RESOLUTIONS AREA.

FIRST, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF THE GUEST IS BRINGING ANY PET(S)?

NEXT, HOW IS THE GUEST SUPPOSED TO KNOW TO PAY THE $10/NIGHT PER PET FEE I WISH TO CHARGE?

PROSPECTIVE GUESTS RARELY READ HOUSE RULES AND SIMPLY DON'T SEE THE PET FEE INSTRUCTION!

I CAN'T, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, FIGURE OUT WHY AIRBNB HAS BEEN SO INTRANSIGENT ON SUCH AN OBVIOUS NEED THAT IS SO INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TO RESOLVE!

_PLEASE RESPOND!_

44 Replies 44

@Mark1723  Oh really? Plenty of hosts charge a $50 pet fee. And more. It's you who is out of touch.

But go ahead and keep declaring that you are right and others are wrong- it's obviously incredibly important to you.

 

 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

Simple, charge a bit more and that should cover the occasional pet damage. Or do not allow pets. End of story, and politicking.

@Fred13 Simple perhaps but unjust and unworkable! Why charge extra to all guests? That just  increases overall charges, presumably without providing extra services for guests without pets. This essentially just makes us less competitive.

 

The fix is what we have _finally_ accomplished; the ability to add an optional pet fee for guests with pets!

 

This is the real, sensible, and simple solution some of us have been fighting for!

 

Many people have been begging for this addition for years, finally Airbnb added it. I am however more a fan of a general fee to cover the 'unexpected' than a specific one. 

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi there @Mark1723,

 

We’re really pleased to share some details with you that were recently announced! In the coming weeks, Hosts will be able to add a Pet fee to their listing. 

 

We have been listening to Host feedback, just like yours, so please do let us know how you like the new service by sharing your thoughts here on the Community Center once it has launched. 

 

Thanks again,

Nick

@Nick I'm delighted to hear this! It took longer than it should have IMO, but at least it finally got on the radar. Good stuff!

Thanks for the update feature and option.  However, we really need to be able to customize it more than just we charge a fee or we don't...  For example, we allow one small dog under 30lbs to stay for free and ask that our guests let us know they plan to bring them when they request to book.  Anything outside of that we charge an extra fee per night.  (So if they bring two dogs we charge a fee for the second dog each night or if the dog is over 30lbs we change a nightly fee. We don't allow cats or other pets so being able to specify what type of pet would be very helpful too.) 

Jeff761
Level 3
Bristol, PA

Or ... you could have spent the "last 2 years" using a channel manager and had your Pet Fee implemented without all the time, ranting, and wailing, with the added benefit of instant API-based calendar sync between platforms and other useful features. 

Each of us are Running a Business.  Air is just a booking platform.  None of them have every feature a host wants.  it is ultimately up to us to simply say, "I want to do X" and then get it done.  It is all fine to "ask Air or any OTA" for a feature, but it is far more expedient to simply make our own solution

Case in point - VRBO does not have "Maximum Nights".  We want to limit them, to prevent a VRBO Instant Book from getting tenant rights.  Did we request the feature?  Yep.  Then, 1 min later we blocked "a day here and there" only on VRBO and VOILA - we have a solution.  They can IB and for no more than 3 weeks. 

Problem solved, and we can focus on things that matter - driving occupancy and maximizing revenue. 

Or, perhaps we could rant for years about "why oh why!" on a vrbo forum?  

Mark1723
Level 5
Irvine, CA

Or we could team up, apply pressure, make some noise, and get the changes we want implemented!

(Just like lots of us have managed to get done with pet fees!)

 

Tedious, inefficient, and time consuming "work arounds" may work for you, but they certainly will never work for the vast majority of hosts!

Charles1292
Level 1
Portland, OR

Charles8:24 AM
https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/what-you-need-to-know-about-hosting-pets-463 says you can add a pet fee. "Add a pet fee" button takes you to the base listing page and doesn't show where to add fee.
Please tell me exactly how to add as this article does not.
 
Airbnb Support8:29 AM
Hi Charles. Thank you for reaching out to us. This is Jahmarley from Airbnb's community support team and I hope that this message finds you well.

Before I proceed, let me just thank you for being one of our Superhosts! This badge speaks volumes of who you are not only as a host but as a person. We appreciate you taking the hospitality and service you have provided in our community to a whole new level! Keep up the good work!
I understand that you would like to know when you will be able to add pet fees to your listing. The feature to add pets fees haven't been fully rolled as yet but by December 6, 2021 you will be able to charge guests a pet fee that will be included in the base price for any stay.

Many thanks for the update @Charles1292

 

I’m really looking forward to utilizing this new feature.

 

Meanwhile, I’m thumbing my nose at all the know-it-all “Negative Nellies” that claimed AirBnB would never listen to our requests to add a pet fee feature.

to my delight, they were _wrong_ and I was _right!_ 😁

@Mark1723 We know you are right - I just can't figure out why anyone would think otherwise. Sadly the pet fee does appear to have upset many hosts who allow pets because it is a fixed amount per stay rather than a nightly rate per pet. This is apparently causing some pet friendly hosts to think again about taking pets. Perhaps you need to start a new shouting campaign to have this changed as well.

Jeremiah26
Level 2
Denver, CO

I recently added the pet fee and so far none of my guests with pets have been charged it. I do now see when searching for a stay there is a plus sign to add your pet, I just don't think most people ever use that. Sometimes with insta-book they end up getting the place without including their pet.  When an inquiry is sent I just do the calculation and send a special offer including the fee.

John89
Level 3
Fort Frances, Canada

I couldn't agree more!  I really like airbnb but this last rollout of their platform update is infuriating.  I can't wrap my  head around what they were thinking when they made the pet charge per trip as opposed to per night.  How much do I as the host put in that field?  It is simply ridiculous and this is the first indication that I have found the the company has grown out of touch.

Henry239
Level 2
Oregon City, OR

I am glad to see the option for a pet fee, but as others have also said, it's being done in the most unhelpful way possible. My bed & breakfast has always charged a daily pet fee with no problems and it's listed on our own website and with other OTAs. But with airbnb, we've always had to go through the Resolution Center or ask the guest for payment with their credit card. Neither is pleasant and asking guests directly for a pet fee when they think there is no fee is very awkward and uncomfortable for all concerned. This new option, however, only permits a one-time fee per stay, rather than a daily fee. In other words, what will happen is that airbnb guests will think they owe only the $35 they paid when they booked, rather than the actual fee that all other guests must pay. And why not? That's what airbnb is telling them. Thus, there will be no way to tell them that their fee will actually be higher. All this to say that hosts like us are put back in the exact same uncomfortable position as before - either getting into a potential dispute with a guest who paid a flat fee in good faith or just taking the flat fee and saying nothing, which is unfair to other non-airbnb guests. Airbnb needs to add a "per stay" or "per day" fee option and actually fix this situation.