Airbnb is gradually eliminating cleaning fees in an effort to make pricing more transparent.
Airbnb said in its earnings call today that cleaning fees have been eliminated or lowered for about 300,000 properties since the company began showing guests comprehensive prices when they book a property. Now, nearly 40% of his active listings no longer charge cleaning fees.
For customers, these cleaning fees have been a long-standing complaint. You might find a great deal on a vacation rental on Airbnb, only to proceed to checkout only to find yourself charged a cleaning fee of hundreds of dollars at the last moment. Along with rising cleaning fees, the average rental price on the platform has also increased, making Airbnb a less attractive option when booking a vacation.
The reduction in cleaning fees raises questions. Do Airbnb hosts just not pay cleaning fees anymore, or do they just include the cost of cleaning a property in the listed price? When Airbnb first introduced a feature it called “total price display,” the company seemed intent on finding a happy medium.
“Guests don't have to go through unreasonable checkout tasks like stripping beds, doing laundry, or vacuuming when they leave. Airbnb,” Airbnb said at the time. “But we don’t ask guests to turn off their lights or throw their food in the trash. and Lock your door as you would when leaving your own home. ”
It's hard to believe that simply reminding guests to turn off their lights can make such a financial difference. Still, the average nightly rate for a one-bedroom property is $114, down 2% from last year, while hotel prices in the same period rose 7% to an average of $149 a night, according to Airbnb. says the company.
Overall, Airbnb's quarterly revenue increased 17% year-over-year to $2.2 billion. However, the company suffered a loss of $349 million in the quarter due to one-time tax charges worth $1 billion.