The New Way Airbnb Is Catering To Its Customers
Airbnb has decided to be more transparent with customers and require its renters to disclose any checkout duties and the fees associated with not completing those listed duties prior to checkout.
This article is more than 2 years old
A big change is coming for the consumers of Airbnb regarding how the customer views the price tag associated with their stay. In the past, the company has put in measures to protect its renters by curbing a customer from utilizing the property for the explicit reason of throwing a party at the location. They have also been conscientious about the health of their employees by allowing them to choose whether working in the office or at home is best suited for their needs.
This time around they are protecting their consumers from some of the hidden fees that would be charged if certain tasks were not completed upon checkout. Hotels in general around the country have been following a trend of charging fees for things like utilizing a lounge chair at the hotel pool. These types of price gouging techniques aren’t new to consumers however, they are an irritant when trying to budget for your trip.
Airbnb is attempting to be more transparent with its consumers so that they aren’t victims of these types of unsuspected charges. According to Vice “the company will, starting in December, give customers the option to view the total price of a stay before taxes ‘up front’ when they search for homes, rather than only the nightly rate, which had excluded fees for things like cleaning.” Some of the types of tasks customers complained about to Airbnb were things like doing laundry.
If the host requires any tasks to be completed by the guests prior to checking out, they will be listed clearly for the customer. Airbnb is putting together a list of what are acceptable tasks to ask a guest to complete prior to the end of their stay. For example, turning off the lights and locking the doors are acceptable but tasks such as washing bedding, dusting counters, or doing laundry would not be acceptable.
These changes are going to be reflected in the titling “nightly stay” and will change to “total price” on the site effective beginning December 2022. Airbnb has tested its algorithm to ensure it is accurate and the early results were that the prices appear to be more expensive. This will help consumers to comparison shop more effectively when planning any trips that require a place to stay.
That has been the biggest concern for consumers and for the Federal government as well. The White House and President Biden released a statement discussing the troubling trend of hidden fees and its effect on market competition. Airbnb first announced they were looking into this matter back in May of 2021 which shows they have been proactively trying to solve this irritant to their customers.
This will prevent their customers from seeing dramatic increases in the total price of their stay because they were unaware of tasks they were expected to complete. It is also a win for the consumer when they are budgeting and comparing pricing between different properties across the board. Everyone is always looking to save a penny where they can and this change will go a long way to helping you do that.
