Up front pricing trial (including fees and service fees)

Answered!
Christie-and-Clint0
Level 4
Rochester Hills, MI

Up front pricing trial (including fees and service fees)

I am very concerned as a host about this new trial that makes my listing appear almost double the price per night in search forums.  Everyone knows that price is one of first things people look at when searching for a property to determine whether it is within their price range or budget. By putting the additional charges out front, my concern is that people will automatically skip certain listings and not even bother to open them or read about them because they appear to be out of their budget.

 

It is also very difficult for hosts to do are market research regarding the going rates for cleaning fees etc..  when everything is lumped together.  You can't even see the breakdown unless you try to book the place.  My opinion as a host and a traveler is that people want to see the price per night at the most attractive cost.  I feel that pricing everything up front is misleading to people who may not realize the fee structure and breakdown as it makes it appear on outside that the "hosts" are setting these higher prices which is obviously not the case. I hope to go back to the old price advertising structure sooner than later.

1 Best Answer
Sean119
Level 10
Blue Hill, ME

100% with you, and you can see my post about it here  Re: New Upfront Pricing is BAD

 

Now, they compounded the error by removing prices on both the listings and the map.  Guests need to click on each icon, enter the date, and then they are finally given a price.  Seriously?   Like many hosts, AirBnb isn't our only hosting platform so when those guests book and fill our schedule, that's less opportunity for AirBnb to get their cut.

 ABB pricing3.png  

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30 Replies 30
Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

The mentality behind this 'trial' surely must be based on the believe that most people are too dumb to A - see a Base Price and then note the additions to that Base Price and B - then decide whether to book or not based on the absolute (total) price.

 

Normally most businesses do not try to accommodate those challenged by too low of an IQ by 'playing the bearer of bad news' by highlighting the highest price possible first. 

 

I just logged into my place, at first it showed a new higher price ($695 > $822 ??) by taking into consideration even Airbnb's fees, but when I logged in again and it went back to the old ways of just showing the base price. Strange.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Ralda95  "There is a reason that the airlines and hotels do not includes fees, etc in their pricing."

 

??? Everytime I go to book a flight, the price shown is the total price, including taxes. I can see the breakdown if I click on that price, but the listed prices are all inclusive.

It depends on the laws in the country you are booking.

 

In the UK and EU prices must include all fees upfront. In the US this is not the case. I have actually been caught out by this when booking a hotel in New York. I didn't pay attention and booked it based on the nightly price. The additional fees added were enormous.

 

I much prefer to see a nightly price inclusive of all fees. Otherwise you can make the nightly price look cheap but load the fees on at the end. It also makes it easier to compare the actual prices when viewing the list of properties.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

. There is an inherent reason, prices of certain numbers are more attractive than other ( X.95 being a classic example) and other denominations like say increments of 2, 5 and 10 are easier to calculate. A price like I first saw in my place just now of $822 is called an odd price and one I want no part of. 

Randy-And-Gwen0
Level 1
Loon Lake, WA

Great Information, I saw a slight decline but never gave it much thought.  I am thinking about sending a email to all my return guests so that they are aware the per night and cleaning fee has not changes from the prior year and it is the Airbnb Platform that has changed.  Based on the conversations I am not seeing where anyone has determine how to turn this off?

 

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hiya @Christie-and-Clint0 @Randy-And-Gwen0 @MartinandMalou0 @Tony-And-Una0 @Adrienne186 and everyone else,

 

I just thought I'd update you on this test - it is now concluded. We want to thank you all for your excellent and incredibly valuable feedback on this. 

 

The article about this test will be deprecated in the near future: Why your nightly stay may look different)

 

Many thanks,

Stephanie

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Please follow the Community Guidelines 

@Stephanie maybe I missed it but nowhere in the article you linked to does it say the trial is concluded.

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

@Mike-And-Jane0 - sorry, it was my mistake, have updated.

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Please follow the Community Guidelines 

@Stephanie deprecated? Is this a posh way of saying updated or is it predictive text gone mad?

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

It's a product way of saying closing down/removing as it will no longer be relevant. @Mike-And-Jane0 

 

I had written "it's a posh way of saying chucking out" but thought that wasn't very helpful either.

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Please follow the Community Guidelines 

Tracy777
Level 2
Manchester, United Kingdom

I am now very confused.  I have a property in the UK and one in Spain and had opted in to the all-inclusive pricing strategy.  I can't find anywhere that suggests I am either in it or out of it.

Are you saying it has now been removed worldwide?  And if so has the associated increase been removed from my prices?

Lisa5632
Level 2
Sedona, AZ

well,  I would agree if it were not "across the board" ... but since it is across the board and affects all AirBnB listings, I understand why they won't let individuals 'opt out' as that would cause unfair advantage. 


John-and-Audry0
Level 3
Nevada City, CA

I'm fine with the all-inclusive pricing as long as ALL listings come up this way - so the guest is comparing apples to apples.  I also feel Airbnb showed tremendous disrespect by not notifying hosts (at least I wasn't notified) about this before they implemented it.  I just discovered it one day, having no idea it was in place.  Then a few days later it was back to the old pricing display.  Excellent way to annoy your hosts Airbnb.  

Ralda95
Level 2
Scarborough, ME

I am delighted that the "test" is over.  I have had two new bookings since the "base" price has been reinstated. 

 

Consumers using Airbnb, at least in the US, are accustomed to seeing the base price- that is the price the host has chosen and approved.  The user knows there are fees associated and they can see a complete breakdown of what those fees are prior to booking.

 

The all-inclusive pricing test simply tagged the price with a note that said it included fees but there was not breakdown until it was booked.  

 

Visually, my property listed at $335/night became $457/night (for a 3 day stay) The user assumed that was  the base price and it's Maine in the winter......  I had no inquiries on my property during the "test"

 

Airlines and hotels show base price.  If one of them changed that to include fees, taxes etc it would give their competitors a huge advantage.  That's why they don't do it!

 

It is also important to note that the Airbnb customer service centers were not fully aware of the change.  When I called, my customer service person couldn't figure out why my base price wasn't showing and had to contact another help team for assistance.  This took a week of back and forth until the other team informed her of the change.....  

Again, why fix something that is not broken?

 

Last week (during showing total price, not just base) we had someone book via VRBO because they were 'cheaper' in comparison.