Ovi Kabir, a digital marketing consultant in Knoxville, Tennessee, was unpleasantly surprised when he was looking for an Airbnb for a recent trip to Nashville. While he was able to find options under his $ 85 a night budget, cleaning fees of $ 200 to $ 300 increased the price of a weekend getaway significantly.
“I understand there could be reasons for this, but we’ve found that hotels are much more accommodating and affordable,” said Kabir.
Kabir booked his first Airbnb in Orlando, Florida a few years ago. He recalls paying around $ 50 a night for private dog-friendly accommodations, a bargain in the eyes of a broken college couple with Harry Potter dreams. “Our universal [Studios] Tickets cost more than our entire stay, ”he said.
See also: Is Airbnb too expensive? The CEO plans to systematically update prices once the trip recovers
Kabir has since grown used to paying between $ 100 and $ 110 a night for an upgraded hotel room that includes breakfast, dry cleaning, gyms, pools, and more. “You used to forego amenities but saved money,” said Kabir. “Now you pay the same price, but get more for your money in hotels.”
Overall, cleaning fees for short-term rentals in the US have increased an average of 5.8% since 2019, according to AirDNA, an analytics firm that tracks data from Airbnb and Vrbo, an Expedia vacation rental website.
This increase is partly due to the preference for larger spaces at holiday markets, where cleaning fees are already higher, according to AirDNA. An increased focus on cleanliness also played a role.
“Cleaning fees are expected to rise during a pandemic as guest expectations for cleanliness have risen as well, which means it will take more time and labor to meet these higher standards,” AirDNA said.
The average cleaning fee for a one-bedroom short-term rental for an entire home is currently between $ 48 and $ 112 per night, depending on your location. In a big city like New York, the average is just under $ 76, according to AirDNA.
Larger homes usually charge higher cleaning fees, especially when they are on the beach. The average cleaning fee for renting an entire home of five bedrooms or more in a coastal area is just over $ 381, according to AirDNA.
Cleaning is a one-time fee but takes guest service charges into account. The higher the cleaning fee, the higher the service fee a guest can pay in addition to their nightly room rate and other fees that may apply. Most guests end up paying a service fee of around 14.2%. Airbnb said.
Vrbo started charging guests a variable service fee in 2016. The percentage of this fee is based on the rental cost and is in addition to any cleaning, hot tub or other fees calculated and set by the owners. “We saw that the lack of a service charge doesn’t create a brand difference that leads to bookings.” Vrbo wrote in a guide to help Australian hosts understand the charges.
Vacasa, an Oregon company that manages more than 25,000 vacation rentals, charges guests separate booking and cleaning fees. In some states, guests will be charged an additional fee to pay for damages. There are also additional fees for accommodations with hot tubs and guests traveling with pets.
The company did not respond to interview requests for this article but instead defended its hot tub fee online, describing hot tubs on Twitter in 2019 as “a special treat.” and take care of them to keep them in good condition, ”tweeted Vacasa in response to someone posting a screenshot showing a $ 98 hot tub fee for a hotel at $ 118 per night and an additional cleaning fee of $ 102.50 are specified.
Teddy Montoya said he was still affected by fees for a 2017 work trip to Keystone, a popular ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. Montoya and his colleagues decided to save the boss some cash by booking a six-bedroom home with Airbnb instead of a single home Hotel room for a conference. The plan failed. Between service fees, cleaning fees, and taxes, the house cost more.
“It was kind of our fault,” said Montoya. “We haven’t looked too far into the fine print.” He leans towards hotels now. “They’re usually cheaper than Airbnb and Vrbo.”
This is especially true of some high-priced cities. In San Francisco, for example, average hotel room rates fell to around half the price of comparable Airbnbs in 2020, according to an analysis of the comparison site for bus and rail travel Wanderu.
This analysis, published in October 2020, found that Airbnb rentals in Chicago are 21% more expensive than hotel rooms in Windy City. In Miami, travelers can expect to pay 64% more for an Airbnb than for a hotel, according to Wanderu.
While Vacasa sets its own cleaning fee, Airbnb and Vrbo don’t limit the cleaning fees that hosts can set. “The hosts have to set their own cleaning fees because everyone is in a different position when it comes to cleaning,” Airbnb responded to complaints on the Internet Fee structure.
Almost half of Airbnb’s offerings worldwide don’t charge a separate cleaning fee at all. For those hosts who charge a separate cleaning fee, the figure is typically less than 10% of their total reservation costs, Airbnb wrote.
Vrbo said last month that more travelers are now settling down for a seven-night stay rather than opting for a three-night getaway, an approach where guests would pay a little less for cleaning each night.
Hosts can set their own overnight rates on all vacation rental platforms.
While Airbnb suggested a nightly rate of at least $ 120 for her one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, Trista Kempa set her price at $ 200 a night. “It’s definitely a high fee, but it has to be worth it to make me feel compelled to leave,” she said.
Kempa lived in New York early in her career and started renting out her personal living space on Airbnb to subsidize her rent. As her career and salary have grown, Airbnb has become an option rather than a necessity. It has adjusted its prices accordingly.
Kempa adds a cleaning fee of $ 190 on top of her nightly rate – a number based on utilities, linen prices, and the $ 150 she paid the last time she professionally cleaned her home. “As a host, I have no intention of giving the guest a quick one,” she said. “It will cost me $ 190 to hand over this apartment.”
Their approach also encourages longer stays that are more convenient for them. “It’s not worth it to me for less than a few days,” she said. Not only does it take a lot of preparation and cleanup, but there is an intangible negative as well.
“You’re letting someone sleep in your bed,” said Kempa. “That kind of sucks.”
