Hosts charging a nightly Resort Fee - Payable directly to host upon check in or no stay

Hosts charging a nightly Resort Fee - Payable directly to host upon check in or no stay

Hosts charging a nightly Resort Fee - Payable directly to host upon check in or no stay is a way for hosts to make more money with each booking. 

13 Replies 13
Jenny
Community Manager
Community Manager
Galashiels, United Kingdom

Hi @Ben4894 

 

Welcome to the Community Center.

 

Asking for payments off-platform is generally not allowed, but I did find this article, which states that Resort Fees can be charged.

 

It also states that these fees must be detailed in the listing description and included in the price breakdown prior to booking, and they are usually charged before the stay, at check-in, or within 48 hours of checkout.

 

This means that guests should always read the listing description and price breakdown very carefully, so that they are aware if these fees could apply before committing to booking a listing, and giving them a chance to find another listing without the fees if needed.

 

Should a Host try and charge for a fee that is included on the fees that Hosts can charge directly, but which hasn't been detailed and agreed as above, then I'd recommend that the guest contacts Airbnb Support for assistance.

 

Jenny

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Please follow the Community Guidelines

Why is it that you cannot charge a resort fee per night? The only two options is a flat fee for the entire stay or a percentage of the entire cost of the booking. The resort I have my condos in bills us an amount per night, but AirBnB does not give us an option to charge that way.

@Ryan3018   If your condo bills an amount per night for the resort fee, then that amount could be added to your nightly rate and explained in your listing.  My nightly rate (at another property not on Air) is higher than my competition and I stay well booked -- but I explain to my guests what they are getting for their rental that is above and beyond the competition.

That’s really not a convenient way to to do that. Most people when searching are comparing nightly rates first and foremost before they ever read the unit description. they will most always gravitate to the lower rate. It’s better to have that broken out for them like the cleaning fee. Doesn’t seem too hard to offer a way of changing a resort fee rate per night in addition to the flat rate or percentage rate option. They have that option in the tax section. Why not the fees section? 

Gillian166
Level 10
Hay Valley, Australia

@Ben4894  no one is forcing you to stay in an airbnb with excessive fees. Don't want to pay a cleaning fee, resort fee, pet fee, or tolerate a strict cancellation policy? then find a host who doesn't do these things. 

@Gillian166  Your right no one is forcing me to start at an Airbnb, but  don't you think I should know about it?  Don't you think it should stated in the listing that the host will charge a mandatory "Resort Fee" at the time of arrival.  Failure to pay the host the 'Resort Fee" cancels the booking. 

You really think people are going to arrive at their Airbnb property and say I'm not going to pay the ($20-$40 per night) resort fee to the host and find another place to stay?  I think you will find most people will pay the host and say screw Airbnb, never going to use them again for not telling me there's an additional fee.  

 

It's like the hosts that charge a cleaning fee and what the guests to do the cleaning before they leave.  Do you really think this makes for a great Airbnb experience?

@Ben4894  I have no clue how the resort fee works, but surely it's included in the price you pay when booking? 

 

and yes, I agree, if there's a sep fee this should 100% be disclosed in the listing. And no, it wouldn't make for a great experience, and you have the review process to make your thoughts heard. 

Again, you are implying that every airbnb host is behaving like these one or two bad hosts you keep finding (or possibly, it's the same person). You might also be correct that in this current age of irrationality many people might indeed think "I had ONE bad experience, therefore they are ALL like that".  Thankfully this isn't true, and I can honestly say that my airbnb experiences have, on the whole, been far more valuable to me as a traveller than any hotel experience (of course there are exceptions, i've probably only had 1 truly bad hotel experience in my life).

Here's how Resort Fees work.  Select and book a stay at an Airbnb property.  Pay.  Arrive at the property and be told there is an additional $20-$40 per day  MANDATORY resort fee which must be paid directly to the Host at check-in or no stay.


I've been staying at Airbnb's for years.  And like many others the experience is rapidly getting worse.  Once place had rats in the kitchen cabinets.  How the Host did know know they were there is beyond me as we found nests.  Another place was supposed to be right on the beach.  And that's what the pictures showed.  In reality there was a freeway at the front door and all of the photos were carefully cropped to mislead.  Car/truck traffic all day/night long.

 

Last place I stayed was terrible.  One shower didn't have hot water, the stairs were unsafe, and the host gave us a list of cleaning chores to complete before checking out. (Took well over an hour.) 

 

Reports of misleading and deceptive Airbnb listings are occurring much more often.  At the same time I'm finding,  just as others are reporting the more and more guests are pigs.  

 

I like staying at Airbnbs and that is where I look first to book a stay.  But for my last 5 stays, just as others have posted, hotels are the better option.  Airbnb needs to do something to improve guests stays or they will contiune to lose business.

@Gillian166  I believe that Ben4894 might be better suited to a hotel, but I'm sure he'd find something in the hotel charges to complain about as well. 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Ben4894 why are you even looking at Airbnb? If you find it so expensive and unfair why not just stay in a hotel? I have significant issues with the prices Claridges charges so guess what - I don't book a room with them. But I don't then go on websites complaining about why it is so expensive!

@Mike-And-Jane0   Why do you find it acceptable for an AIrbnb host to charge a "Resort Fee" which is payable directly to the host at check in?  Is this something you do? 

@Ben4894 no we don't do this as we are not in a resort. I find any fees charged by hosts to be acceptable as long as they are fully disclosed in the listing.

I really do not get what your gripe is. Why care about a $10 per night fee and a $100 cleaning fee if it adds up to the same as a $100 per night fee and a $10 cleaning fee. The only thing that matters is that you will pay $110. If that is too much then don't book. If it is good value then book it.

With Airbnb's toggle you can ask for the prices to be displayed (as they already are in Europe) as a total including all fees. Taxes are still extra in the USA but I believe that this is required by law in some states.

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Ben4894 

 

there is no need for the host to act like this, as the host can add the resort fee to the listing:

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