Hosts will have to display any reasonable checkout requests to guests before they book (Picture: Reuters)
In an effort to increase transparency, Airbnb is updating its total price display to include any cleaning fees and guest checkout tasks.
Users have long complained about prices not being transparent and checkout tasks being a ‘pain’.
‘Starting next month, you’ll be able to see the total price you’re paying up front,’ said Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky in a tweet.
The home rental company said that starting December, it will begin rolling out the option to display total price in countries without existing price display requirements.
The total price will include all fees before taxes and be shown in search results, as well as on the map, filter, and listing page.
Before confirming their booking, guests can still view a full price breakdown that shows Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes.
In the UK, this option has been available since 2019. For stays in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland, guests see the total cost of their reservation, including cleaning, service fees and any applicable occupancy tax, as well as the price per night set by their Host.
This is also the case in other countries where we have specific requirements for price display, such as Australia, Canada and Korea.
‘We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today,’ added Chesky.
Hosts will also have to display any reasonable checkout requests to guests before they book.
The total price will include all fees before taxes and be shown in search results, as well as on the map, filter, and listing page (Picture: ALAMY IMAGES)
‘Guests should not have to do unreasonable checkout tasks such as stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming when leaving their Airbnb,’ said Airbnb.
‘But we think it’s reasonable to ask guests to turn off the lights, throw food in the trash, and lock the doors—just like they would when leaving their own home.’
The company also announced changes to its search algorithm that will prioritise total price instead of nightly price.
‘This means that for similar listings in the same area, those with the highest quality and best total prices will rank higher in search results,’ said Airbnb in a statement.
Starting in early 2023, Hosts will also get new pricing and discounting tools to help them understand the final price guests pay and how to set competitive prices.
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Unreasonable checkout tasks included stripping beds, doing laundry or vacuuming.
