Service Fees....Host vs Guest

[Chad7]

I just became aware that Guests are charged a different service fee  (a sliding scale from 6%-12% of some unknown amount of reservation revenue?) than the flat percentage fee Hosts are charged.  As a host, we do not see this added fee put onto the guest.   All we see our nightly rate, our 3% service fee, cleaning fee, and any extra fee/deposit we might charge.  Even on a guest itinerary, which serves as a secondary receipt I that I always provide to my guests upon checkin to show my "transparancy" of earnings, their service fee is not shown.  Now I understand they are seeing a different final cost than what they paid.  This lacks the tranparancy that builds trust between guests and hosts, and can lead to misunderstandings when a host is receiving inquires about the cost of the room. 

The fear I now have is this added fee, hidden to me, can come across as "undisclosed fee charging".  

AirBnB is setting up hosts for potential misleading pricing of guest properties during the booking stages on a couple of levels...one which I've already seen mentioned by other Hosts previous;ly but still not rectified.   First, hosts need the ability to accurately display the range of prices for their nightly room rate on their profile to account for higher demand pricing.  We now can only list one price, normally a "lower" the base price, which may not reflect higher room costs during demand periods.  This alone is misleading to a guest.  Add to this my new awareness of different service fees, guests are experiencing a double pricing surprise.  

AirBnB...this is something that needs to change immediately to protect the integrity and honesty your Hosts strive to maintain.....

Thank you!

[Cormac0]

@Chad

As you can see nobody seem to be interested in this topic,

I requested information on how the host receipts are calculated and that I would like to see more transparency, what did I get…. silence.

For a company with a 30Billion Dollar Cap the documentation is appalling.

Welcome to room 101 Chad

 Regards

Cormac

The Explorer's Club Krakow

[Rosaleen3]

I agree with you both. I was hosting for months before I realised quite how much of a premium the guest was paying. There are many things about AIRBNB hosting  that are not clearly stated on the website, and information can be very hard to find, even when it is there.

I find it frustrating that we have to 'ask the community' for very basic information, which should be clearly visible.

best wiahes

Rosaleen

[Lindsay41]

I also agree! When a guest asks me for the total amount, I can't seem to find where it shows that? And not sure what it looks like on their end. Help!

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Chad7 

If you go to 'Your Reservations' and choose one, then click on Print Confirmation, you will see a breakdown. Also, when you book as a guest, you access in Your Trips to an invoice, which shows VAT, base service fee, VAT on that if it applies in your country and Total Service Fee. For any completed trip you make you also get a full receipt avialable on your trips profile showing nightly rate, cleaning fee, etc..

[Rosaleen3]

Gerry and Rashid

'Print confimation ' shows the host host service fee, but does not show the additional service fee charged to the guest.

[Chad7]

True…that is my issue…as a host you do not have the transparency of what the guest pays….which is totally wrong. And it sets up an issue between Host and Guest when you are referring to room rates with all fees in the discussion to show what the total charge will be. One does not like to be “surprised” with fees you cannot explain. It comes across as unethical and influences trust negatively…… I am still awaiting AirBnB to answer this issue for hosts (and guests alike)

[Cormac0]

@Chad7

Because of the way, Airbnb do their documentation,

could it be argued that if fact its Airbnb making the booking and not in fact the guest.

1.       Airbnb charge the guest a fee that’s one transaction (we don’t get exposure to this)

2.       Airbnb charge the Host a fee that’s a second transaction

3.       Airbnb take payment from the Guest

4.       Airbnb pay the Host their fee.

Realistically there are two transactions going on

1.       Between the Guest and Airbnb

2.       And the Airbnb and the Host

That’s why Airbnb always seem to be more sympathy to the Guest then the Host as that’s whom they have the contract with. We’re led to believe that in fact a contract exists between Host and the Guest when in fact it doesn’t? so all this nonsense about reaching out to Guest’s should be the work of AirBnb and not the Host should anything go wrong. Discuss

[Chad7]

@Cormac0,

I agree that in terms of payments, AirBnB acts as the sole transaction agent between a Guest (receipts/refunds) or Host (payments).  Yes, 2 transactions (3 I guess in those Cities where AirBnB acts as the payment agent to the City for Transient Room Taxes).  However, AirBnB (from my experience) is not really "making the booking"  booking betwen Guest and Host because all information regarding personal identity, property listing facts, licensing, and pricing details are solely the Guest/Host responsibilities.  Both rely on the truthfulness abnd transparancy of information presented when accessing AirBnB.

Though I do not believe AirBnN should speak on behalf of a Host to the Guest (or vice versa), I beleive they should be more proactive to ensure needs are equally addressed between the 2 parties.  Based on 2 recent experiences with guests, I would say your comment on "more sympathy to the guest" is far from the truth.  In both of these recent cases, seperate guest parties showed up at the property of an owner I was helping.  They both had paid and confirmed their reservations at that same property but upon looking at their itinerary, it was listed with a fake owner's name.  The property had already been booked with the true owner.   AirBnB essentially left these 2 guest parties high and dry with absolutely no help or assistance to find alternative accomodations.  In both cases, the guests ended up finding reservations at 2 hotels in the City on their own, and both cases they had already traveled and arrived at the destination.    I do not know if all their booking transaction payments were refunded in full.  

[Brian209]

I knew they were charging guests but I just observed tonight when I sent out a "special offer" to someone requesting a lower rate that the mark-up on my price was 20%. Not the 6-12 percent Airbnb repeatedly claims. Leaving a rather sour taste with me and no doubt confusing guests about what hosts are getting per night. Seems Airbnb could do better. Or if they want to Ding the guests that hard then they don't need my 3%.