Airbnb Improves Price Transparency With Total Price Display

After complaints about hidden fees that curb pricing for the short-term rental service Airbnb, the company decides to display the total cost of its rental properties in full transparency.

Starting in December, the company will display total prices for accommodation, including total property fees, cleaning fees, and others that were previously not displayed when booking.

Airbnb Bookings Do Not Always Tell Exactly How Much Stays Cost

Customers express their dismay regarding the sudden price increase when they stay at an Airbnb property due to hidden fees, and Airbnb is addressing that now.

According to CEO Brian Chesky, from next month, the company will now roll out an option that lets customers see the full price of a stay in their listing pages.

This will include the breakdown of the full prices, including service fees, or any discounts that might have been applied, Engadget writes.

Moreover, he says that Airbnb will make total pricing a priority over the nightly price in its ranking algorithm when suggesting a place.

This was a largely positive move by the rental company since it allows customers to see fees that the host might have charged, which were not initially known to the renters.

However, as much as this was a positive enforcement, the price that users will see will still be exclusive of the tax applied on it on the map.

"Our thinking was that since prices in the US are typically displayed pre-tax, that we should go with this convention," Chesky writes in a tweet.

The CEO also notes that Airbnb will offer more pricing and discount tools, as they want a clearer understanding of the full price they should charge to stay in the competition, Engadget writes.

Furthermore, Chesky tells customers that turning off the lights, cleaning the trash, and locking the doors upon checkout should be communicated by hosts instead of being expected from guests.

Airbnb Is Trying To Address Complaints From A Number Of Customers

In the first half of the year, Nerdwallet surveyed 1,000 US rental properties listed in Airbnb, and found a breakdown of hidden fees.

Tech Crunch reports that 34% of these listings ask for a cleaning fee, with a 20-30% base fee that customers are unaware of sometimes.

With Airbnb's new total price transparency feature, customers can now know about the additional fees they would have to pay when they check into a vacation rental.

While this move is notable, it is important to remember that displaying the total fees for the customers upfront will not necessarily resolve the problems of hosts charging ridiculous fees for stays.

Another problem that users complain of is that more and more Airbnb hosts are asking them to do deep property cleanings during their stays.

This included stripping the bed, doing the laundry, taking out trash and recycling them, and vacuuming the property among others.

These requests from hosts asking renters to stay in the properties and treat them like they own it are making Airbnb customers go back to booking hotels instead.

While many prioritize comfort and luxury when on a vacation, other people still prioritize affordability, which is why Airbnb is making all of these efforts to make their customers' stays worthwhile.