About Extra Guest Fee

[Patrick664]

Hi all,

Just now when I was looking at the base price breakdown of an apartment, I saw that the extra guest fee is included in the base price.

I'm not sure how this extra guest fee works and would be grateful if somebody could clarify it for me......

My imagination is that, if I let someone else sneak into the apartment, such that more guests are living in the apartment than what's specified in the booking, then I'll have to pay the extra guest fee.

I'm not sure if I got it correct. If it is indeed correct then does it mean I don't have to pay for the extra guest fee in case nobody sneaks in?

Thank you very much!

[Lyle9]

@Rowena29 that is actually very helpful and good advice. I do still think it should be listed in the policies just as a courtesy so it doesn't come as a surprise when someone begins to make the actual booking. I have read other posts where people have suggested to use this behavior as a way to advertise lower and then make even more money - and that is something I have a problem with. As long as it is disclosed and clear, then I understand why it is done. 

[Rowena29]

Hey @Lyle9 I'm interested to hear what you mean when you say it should be listed in the policies... Which policies? Do you mean in the house rules of a listing ( an awful lot of guests don't' bother to read past the first line)

I think a lot of the problem is airbnb poor education of guests AND hosts. Prospective hosts are told they can create a listing in under 10 mins.  I created mine over 10 MONTHS ago, tooks me weeks and am still tweaking, fine tuning etc.  And there are heaps of guests that really haven't a clue how airbnb works. It's not unusual for guests to think that i'm their personal maid and will be there daily to clean up after them for example

There is also the difference between what a host creates within the confines of the airbnb pro forma template  and how airbnb choose to promote itself via  those listings on its platform. 

There's heaps of things hosts don't like about the way airbnb does some things, but unfortunately they're usually not inclined to listen to our suggestions.

  I personally think airbnb should be far clearer to guests about entering the right number of guests from the get go. adn the right dates  (Something I can't understand actually - why people search for a place without entering the right number of guests from the start - particularly with a larger party - saves you trawling through all the pIaces that are far too small. In the area where I list, if i enter dates  for 2 guests I get around 300 hits.  If I increase to 8 guests, it's down to 56, and then If I filter by bedroom and say I want 4 bedrooms, the choice is down to 26.  A LOT less looking to have to do)

I have personally been on the receiving end of several disgruntled guests who have booked for 1 or 2 but actually have a party of 8 and are VERY  cross to discover it's going to cost more money. It's a lot of talking and time wasting and angst. I could certainly do without it.

(And for the record, I barely break even with the extra money I charge per extra guest and I suspect many hosts are the same.  I actually PREFER to have smaller parties -smaller groups are usually FAR  less wear and tear on my house and use far less water and electricity. The last group of 8 I hosted just for a weekend went through nearly an entire  gas cylinder  - this typically lasts my family of 6      3 months. I think they must have had the hot water running almost 24 hours a day. I've definitely run at a very substantial loss with those extra guests adn I very much doubt it would have happened with only 3 or 4) 

  I'm sure there are some less than desirable hosts out there, but I honestly find it hard to believe there are many with the mindset of "advertising lower and then making more money"   That might be how airbnb itself is approaching things, but I truly doubt many hosts think like that. Most hosts wonder why searches don't just enter the parameters they're actually after from the get go.

Hope that makes sense

Cheers

[Tammy243]

I think what he means by policies is the description of the property in the ad.  

[Candice144]

I prefer not to book with hosts who charge an extra guest fee. Simply because it hikes the price up too high when booking. When I do an Airbnb it’s usually because I’m with my family so it’s nice not to be in separate hotel rooms.

However I’ve run across 5 bedroom homes with 5+ beds then charging an extra fee per person, per night. One listing I ran across would’ve bumped my total up around $1000. Like why even have a home that’s going to hold a large number of guests and then charge extra for what it’s made to hold? In that case it’s basically better to get separate hotel rooms with daily cleaning service and a free all you can eat breakfast. 

And I totally get what the people here are referring to when they see a listing and how it can be deceiving when there’s extra guests. How so? Well you see a listing with a reasonable price, then you begin to add in the guest number and it’s no longer showing the reasonable price. So then as we are browsing through listings it’s like ehhh, what are other options. 

Just some thoughts. I get that hosts would like a profit but with that extra guest fee, sometimes you just completely miss out on a booking. 

[Alan1058]

It is there to charge less to people who don't want all the rooms.

I have three guest rooms, but I don't want to do three listings, I only want one group of guests at a time. I am entirely happy to have a couple come and stay, or a big family using all the guest rooms. I would charge the big family more than the couple who are only using one room. So, I have a base price for up to two people, and an extra guest price (which is less than half the base price) so if you come as a party of 6 you pay what you might expect for a house for 6.

If I only charged the rate for the full house then I would miss out on meeting interesting individual/couple guests who would otherwise go for apartments.

[Candice144]

I see Alan. From my perspective, there's no need to book a house with extra rooms if there's not use in the extra rooms. With a hotel, I am not going to book a 2 bedroom suite with 4 beds when I am only in need of one bed. I get that you are trying to be flexible to allow for all types of bookings but why would one couple need all those extra rooms? I have seen listings that don't charge an extra guest fee and their homes are the same size as homes that do charge an extra guest fee. Speaking from a guest perspective, I'm going with the listing that does not charge an extra guest fee.

And maybe your extra guest fee is reasonable, but with some homes, it's not. Especially if there's a 4 bedroom that sleeps 8. The host may charge after 4 guests. It's like why? It's likely that people are sharing beds anyway 4 bedrooms are still going to have to be cleaned.

[Sarah977]

@Candice144  It isn't true that all the bedrooms would have to be cleaned and bedding in those bedrooms all washed if there are only 4 people staying rather than 8. Many hosts, if someone only needs to book for 4 in a place where the maximum guest count is 8, will ask the guests how many bedrooms they require, and lock off the not-needed bedrooms. This avoids people saying they are 2 couples who will require 2 beds, but then sleeping or napping in the other bedrooms- if they do that, the host would want to get paid as if there were 8 people, because they would have double the cleaning and laundry work.

There are other costs associated with having more guests, as well, not just bedroom cleaning, which is why hosts will have an extra guest fee over a base number. Toilet paper, towels, soap, shampoo, water, hot water for showers, more lights and electricity being used in more bedrooms, more coffee, tea, and whatever else the host provides as amenities- obviously 8 people are going to use up twice as much of all this as 4 people.

Make sense?

[Candice144]

I am looking at some of your locations and your scenarios must be very specific to your location. I have never encountered a space where the host has asked me how many people will be using the rooms and/or have locked off extra bedrooms not in use. This just isn't done in California. 

My main point I am making is  to book a 4 bedroom house that sleeps 8 guests should have the price point the same as booking the same 4 bedroom house and only having 3 guests. It should be pretty obvious that if you are 3 guests to a 4 bedroom house it is going to cost you more for that extra room. 

Having a 2 bed hotel room with 2 guests is going to have the same price point as a 2 bed hotel room with 4 guests.

And pretty much it's a loss for those hosting on Airbnb if someone chooses to go with a hotel or with another host. 

[Sarah977]

@Candice144 You are, of course, looking at this from the point of view of someone who books for larger groups. But if you were someone who was booking a house that can accommodate 8 people, but their party of people was only 4, they might very well consider it unfair if they had to pay as if they were 8. 

I'm sure the hosts who charge an extra guest fee for a number over a certain amount have found that it works for them. If they experienced that it was a loss for them, in terms of not getting bookings, they wouldn't be doing it. And there are places that charge a set fee up to the maximum number or guests that the place sleeps, so you are free to choose those places rather than the ones with extra guest fees. 

Airbnbs are all run very individually- one size doesn't fit all and there are no rules about how hosts choose to price their places. And guests are free to choose a place that works for them.

[Sarah977]

@Candice144  Unless you have gone through every listing in the state of California that accommodates 8 or more, and input the number of guests, I don't see how you could know that "this just isn't done in California", based on the simple fact that you've never encountered it before. I don't think any of us knows what percentage of hosts in what locations charge an extra guest fee or not.

Extra guest fees are usually not very high- they just cover all the things I mentioned above- extra utilities, extra linen and towels being used, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, coffee and tea and other food items. The host isn't making some huge profit off extra guests fees, they are just covering their expenses. 

[Candice144]

Actually quite the opposite. I have stayed in a number of Airbnb’s in California that don’t charge an extra guest fee. Why? Because if you’re staying in a home that sleeps 8, that’s what the price is for. If you have less people, guess what, you’re still going to be charged for a space that sleeps 8. Most people out here aren’t booking a home for  2 people that’s meant to sleep 8. 

And for places like Las Vegas, the extra guest fee is outrageous. 25 per person per night. When I see a listing that can sleep 14 and the extra guest fee after 6 or 8 is bumping up the price to $500, that’s definitely not a charge to cover cost. That’s just people being money hungry. 

In any case, we will respectfully agree to disagree on this subject. 

Several guests on this thread have been trying to get hosts to see their perspectives (seeing that guests are the ones that keep Airbnb going)... but it’s more of an explaining and justifying your fee rather than seeing perspectives and taking in feedback. 

Airbnb will start to phase out if prices become outrageous. 

[Rowena29]

@Candice144 I hear what you are saying but it's pretty much like what @Alan1058 says below.  you say 
"you see a listing with a reasonable price THEN you begin to add in the guest number" italics mine - this is what is causing you the grief IMO -

if you have  a specific number of guests why on earth would you not enter that vital detail right at the beginning of the search? If you enter the number of guests - say 6 - combined with the maximum price you are prepared to pay, you will only be shown listings that fall within those parameters.  It would save you a great deal of time when you are browsing apart from anything else. as well as avoid confusion.  

different hosts choose to set up in their listings in different ways to suit their style, their area, their home.  For instance I have a 4 bedroom house which can sleep 8. My  BASE price is for 2 people and I often get couples staying - I simply lock off the other 3 bedrooms. If I ONLY advertised for the full price that would accommodate 8, I'd probalby only get booked 10% of the time which wouldn't be enough to cover my internet connection. Also I don't really WANT maximum guests with every booking - the more guests there are, the more wear and tear and damage there is likely to be in my experience.

Having a minimum base price actually can make things more flexible for guests.  I have a couple booked for peak season at Easter.  They THINK they may have extra guests coming but are not sure. They love the flexibility of begin able to add more guests and pay extra only when and if it comes to it  - they are not locked in to paying a huge premium price and then find they have no need for the extra rooms they've already paid for.    When they searched the filters they used were number of guests, (2) type of accomodation (house), number of bedrooms (4) number of beds (7)  price range ($$$). The platform is essentially a search engine TOOL - it's up to the user to enter the important elements at the initial search phase

I agree with you however, sometimes a hotel is a better option for guests - it depends what you want. A large home is not always cheaper than a hotel but often has far more options and versatility. If that's not useful to the guest, then a hotel is definitely a great option.

[Candice144]

I know how to book and enter in the number of guests. And to be clear, nothing is causing me grief. Additionally, I usually enter the number of guests. However sometimes when I am booking through the app, I forget to add in the guests in the search. Then when I add in the guests, obviously any price adjustments show. There is no confusion and I don't need a walk through or orientation. 

I am simply saying if you want to charge for extra guests, just know you are potentially losing out on bookings. Simply put. If I am between two homes that sleep the same amount of people, I am going with the one that does not charge for extra guests because often than not, it comes out cheaper.

And I'm puzzled with your idea of "not really wanting a maximum amount of guests." If that's not what you want then why even put that option? 

Lastly, refer to my response to Alan so I don't have to repeat myself.

Overall I am giving feedback from a guest perspective so that you know how many of us like to spend our money.

100% those who do not charge for extra guests have the upper hand.

[Rowena29]

@Candice144 

If you want to address a person specifically then you need to add the @ icon as I did with your name  otherwise it's unclear who you are addressing and also they will not get an alert that you have responded.

In response to your questions to clarify - what I actually stated was "Also I don't really WANT maximum guests with every booking" with the explanation of why right next to it,  not as you erroneously repeated "not really wanting a maximum amount of guests"

Everyone's experience is different, I most certainly am not losing out on bookings charging extra for extra guests - I have tried both ways and my bookings plummeted to 5% when i charged for a base price of 4 over 2. 

You personally as a guest may elect not to consider listings which charge extra, for extra guests, but in my experience of hosting, in the country and location and style of listing I offer  - the vast majority of  guests expect  to pay  small amount extra  pp per night for extra guests in exactly the same way as it would work in a hotel

You seem to have taken offence at my suggestion that you enter the appropriate number of guests right from the start of the booking process. I am unclear why this is so offensive as I still believe this would solve everything, but if it  appeared rude that's regrettable.

This is a world wide forum with guests and hosts of varying degrees of experience and knowledge -  no one knows your previous experience or knowledge,  everyone here is just trying to advice and help.    

[Mika8]

@Candice144... simply give the total number of guests in, when you search for homes .. then you'll see the total price directly.