Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, said he hears you “loud and clear.”
Bloomberg and Getty Images
Airbnb customers are complaining in a growing crescendo about rising prices, cumbersome checkout tasks and the lack of transparency about how they appear on the platform. Chesky addressed those concerns in a Twitter wire Monday, but also in a company press release.
“You have the feeling that prices are not transparent and checkout tasks are difficult,” he wrote. “We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important” during difficult economic times, he added.
I heard you loud and clear: you have the feeling that prices are not transparent and that checkout is difficult. That’s why we’re making 4 changes:
1. From next month you can see the total price you pay in advance. pic.twitter.com/58zodrzU3g
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) Nov 7, 2022
In September, the Wall Street Journal reported On guests who felt like they were ruining their vacation by spending so much time on chores. Cleaning costs are up 44% in five years, per research firm AirDNA, the outlet noted.
The company plans to change the way search works on the site and show the “total price” with “all costs before taxes” (not quite the total, but it’s more information than just the price per night) in its listing search algorithms. When booking, you’ll be able to “see a full price breakdown showing Airbnb’s service fees, discounts, and taxes,” according to Airbnb.
The company also said it would address customer anger at checkout, asking hosts to keep requests “reasonable,” have them available before booking, and that guests don’t have to strip beds, laundry, or vacuum.
“But we think it’s reasonable to ask guests to turn off the lights, throw food in the bin and lock the doors — just as they would if they were leaving their own home,” the company wrote.
Online people have discussed the issue of cleaning fees and checkout for a few years. In a video posted in early 2021, for example, fashion blogger “Melissa M” asked the question“Where do Airbnb owners get the guts?”
$700 for two nights ≠no chores lol
In the clip she said she was looking to get away with her husband and found an Airbnb that she said was hundreds of dollars for two nights. In the video, the creator showed a screenshot of the check-out tasks, which included taking out the trash (good, she said) and undressing the bed (also fine) — and starting some laundry.
“If I pay $229 a night to stay somewhere, plus a $125 cleaning fee, I’m not doing f-laundry. Period,” she said. “The principle of it really bothers me,” she added.
The video has more than 60,000 likes and more than 4,000 comments — it’s also gone viral on more than one occasion, the creator said. “This video is 8 months old and going viral again. I stayed in a hotel and have only booked hotels since then!” she wrote in a comment.
Whether Airbnbs have become more expensive than a hotel is not entirely clear and varies widely. Nerdwallet investigated this problem in June and found that an Airbnb can be more expensive than hotels for shorter stays because of the platform’s discounts for long-term bookings and cleaning fees.
Airbnb is likely cheaper for larger groups, although the analysis only looked at “whole lodgings,” Nerdwallet added.
Another look at prices in North American cities in 2020 found it varies greatly by location. In Austin, for example, Airbnbs were more expensive than hotels.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.