Airbnb announces plans to make prices more transparent

For Airbnb customers, having hidden fees added to the bill is a common complaint. However, the company just announced changes to its policies to address this concern. 

Some customers have reported paying almost double the initial quote for the cost of their accommodation, with added fees added for cleaning and other services. 

Now, to improve this, Airbnb is introducing a total price display and updating the guest checkout. The changes, which will be rolled out in December, will include the following: 

1. Display the total price including all fees: The total price of the accommodation will need to include all fees before taxes. This price will need to be displayed in search results, the listing page, the map view, and the filtered results view.

1. Prioritizing the total price in search rankings: Airbnb’s search algorithms will prioritize the total price (including fees) over the nightly price. For similar listings in the same area, priority will be given to the highest quality and best total prices.

1. Additional tools for hosts: From next year, hosts will have new pricing and discounting tools available to help them understand how the new system works and how to set competitive prices based on the total price. Hosts will also receive guidance on how to deal with guest checkout requests more effectively.
2. No more unreasonable checkout tasks: Although guests will still be expected to do normal checkout tasks like turning off lights and locking the doors, hosts can no longer ask guests to perform unreasonable cleaning tasks like vacuuming or laundry.

Airbnb honcho Brian Chesky said on Twitter:  “I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain. You can also view a full price breakdown with Airbnb’s service fees, discounts, and taxes. Thank you for all the feedback. We will never stop improving Airbnb.”