One of the worst feelings in the world is spending hours searching for the perfect stay within your budget, you get to the checkout, and see $500 worth of fees added to the total. It’s one of the most disheartening experiences for travelers everywhere. Well, now Airbnb is finally doing something to change that.
Search By Actual Price
Customers of the Airbnb platform will soon be able to filter by the total cost of their stay before taxes. The amounts users will be able to see within their searches will include all cleaning fees and compulsory charges. Chief executive of Airbnb, Brian Chesky posted a video on Twitter showcasing how the “display total price” option could be selected to show nightly rates and fees. Also, the price would show on search results, maps, as well as pages of individual listings.
I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain. That’s why we’re making 4 changes:
1. Starting next month, you’ll be able to see the total price you're paying up front. pic.twitter.com/58zodrzU3g
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) November 7, 2022
Affordability
Airbnb will also provide a breakdown of the fees and discounts applied to the stay. Accommodations on the site will be prioritized by total price instead of the value of a nightly stay. “The highest quality homes with the best total prices will rank higher in search results,” says Chesky. “We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today. During this difficult economic time, we need to help our Hosts provide great value to you.”
It's Been A Process
Airbnb initially addressed the transparency issue in May of 2021 and gave themselves a deadline to conduct a more intensive study into their fees by December 2021. However, according to a The Wall Street Journal report, it insists that the delay in getting to the bottom of the fee transparency challenges has grown into a much larger review of pricing and brings clarity to Airbnbs additional charges.