Price per person is a terrible way to price your Airbnb and is hurting business.

[Tice56]

I rented a 5 bedroom for 6 people. The total is $1425 or $285 per room.

We found 5 more people interested in going. The price is now $2030 or $406 per room.

My wife and I, the total cost was $285. Now due to more people coming we have to pay $406 or we decide to bill per person and pay $370 with  the rooms that sleep 4 guest paying $740.

Price per room should be going down, not up. These prices should be per room and if you want to be more uncomfortable and sleep more people in your room then it will cost less per person.

I understand more people use more utilities. 5 more people does not increase the utilities by $750 over the course of 4 nights.

This business model is terrible and leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I use Airbnb nearly every trip I take (about 5 a year) and will be reconsidering due to this practice. If you want to charge per room please do that, I understand there is more to clean and maintain. $750 increase because 5 more people are coming for 4 nights is ridiculous.

I've only ran into this twice and I'm done with it. Its a scam. Charge what you want for your home or per room!

[Tice56]

Trying to figure out how to bill my guests.

The original guest where paying the $285. Do I now charge them $185 a person.?

Or do i stick with the original guest paying $285 per room and the additional guests pay $150 per person. Then the 4 person rooms the new guests pay $300 for the room while the original guests pay the $285?

This is ignorant and as a guest not fun.

[Helen3]

I'm not sure why so feel this is complicated @Tice56 Assuming two guests per room then just divide total by number of rooms. 

[Tice56]

I wish it was that easy,

2 rooms have 2, 2 rooms have 3, 1 room has 1.

@Helen3 or @Kia272 How would you charge my friends if it was you?

and this all goes out the window if more people decide to come, lol.

[Helen3]

Up to you and your friends @Tice56 based on your discussions when choosing to rent together. 

[Tice56]

@Helen3 You said this wasn't complicated. Please answer my question how would you charge my friends?

There was little to no discussions to rent together. We don't even know the # of people showing up. Typically we pick a destination and then figure the # of people we know will show up, then guess  the additional # that might show up, then search airbnb for something that could be suitable for our guess-timated occupants.

[Helen3]

How strange to go on holiday and share a villa with people you don't know 😁

I wouldn't make a booking in that circumstance without agreeing pricing in advance. 

Agree pricing per room or per person that's fair for all parties. 

It's not up to hosts here to work out  a pricing strategy for you.  

[Tice56]

@Helen3  I'm sorry you are not contributing to this discussion effectively. You have a great day.

[Helen3]

I am sorry you feel it's appropriate to ask a complete stranger on the internet to work out how you will charge your guests to stay in a property you booked @Tice56 

I have been more than helpful in making suggestions.

it's no-ones fault but your own that you didn't agree pricing with your guests up front .

[Tice56]

....

[Kia272]

@Tice56  You named the solution right there in your rant: don't book if you don't like it. 

When you get your own property to host on AirBnB, you can run it however you see fit. It's not for you to tell hosts how to run their own property. 

However, you should be careful with your words. There's no "scam" happening here. You are informed of the price before you book, and if you choose to book, you accept the terms of the rental. End of story. 

[Tice56]

"End of story" This story is just beginning, Kia. 

I'm not informed of the price before I book.  We do not know how many people are going. 

It would seem to make sense the more people that go the cheaper the price should be for everyone. I think this is universally assumed.

Yes not a scam, but also not very transparent. Our trips consist of many families joining. Some can make it, some cannot. We never know who will be there.

Kia you do believe $750 is an honest price for the additional utilities and use the 5 additional people create over the course of 4 nights?

I'm telling you right now as a consumer that uses Airbnb I despise this practice and is turning me away from using Airbnb which has been my #1 for many years. I am not the only one. 

[Fred13]

The host is at a quandary since their charge is per room, not per person and the rooms all vary how many people they can 'fit' or how many may want their own individual room. A mess, it has little to do with Airbnb and more with a very awkward manner to go about hosting by this particular host.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tice56 I agree with some of your rant. It would be far better if Airbnb priced per bedroom and then the host could lock any bedrooms not booked. This would be difficult though with different capacity rooms. We do this by having two listings for our place and lock bedrooms for the smaller listing.

BUT I think you should consider this from the host's point of view. Their view would be that are providing a lovely big house, discounted heavily so making it nice and cheap, for 6 people and at the 'proper' price for its capacity of 12 people. ie You had a bargain and now you have less of a bargain.

[Tice56]

I agree. I like your idea of 2 listing. Although probably not perfect, it is an acceptable solution.

Airbnb must have some constraints that makes this hard on the hosts to be flexible