Let me just preface that I’m coming from a guest, not a host. I’m noticing that like all things, prices go up. Also, I’ve been a guest lately at a few places for extended stays. So give that some consideration without being on the side of Hosts. Just tonight I informed my host I’ll be moving on after a 2 month stay. I fully realize that stay prices go up seasonally. However, it’s after the Xmas days and New Year days which I fully understand demand higher prices. What I find disturbing is the overall price increases. I just let my nice host I’ll be moving to another slightly cheaper “Entire Place to Myself” rental. She re-listed her place from $65 a night which I had been paying (with extensions) to $75 a night. THEN, an hour later she upped it to $92 a night. Here is what I am trying to relate: People need places to stay and AirBnb is cool for that. However, just like home rental prices… hosts are now suddenly going on a feeding frenzy and are starting to up their prices (non-seasonal) and see what takers they can get. THEN…other hosts see it’s been reserved…so others follow suit and up their prices too. It’s a little ridiculous!
If you’re a host, don’t gimme crap about rising costs being a host. It’s host after host daring to raise their nightly charges and others following suit…to an alarming degree (recently). As a guest, I hope the system implodes and prices drop because guests will only take so much feeding frenzy increases in rates. End of rant.
So, Mr/Ms Non-host, hosts are supposed to lose money? Have your ever run a business?
We’re not supposed to raise prices because the market is tight, or because there’s an event happening which increases demand? Many of us are hosts because we need the money to pay our mortgage and the maintenance on the rooms and houses we rent. We’re not in business to provide you cheap monthly rentals, and we’re certainly not going to throw away much needed revenue by pricing below current market prices.
This is a HOSTS forum, not a Guests forum. I suggest that if you want to whine about AirBnB pricing that you do it on AirBnB.com, where there are plenty of guest forums.
Sorry, I’m missing your point @Caslon. Hosts are not doing this for charity, so why should we lower our prices just so you can afford it when we’ve all got bills to pay. If there’s still a demand for housing at the higher price, there’s no reason not to charge it. If the host isn’t able to get any bookings at the higher price, then she should reconsider lowering it. It’s all about supply and demand—market price is set at the intersection of these two variables; if you price higher than what the market will bear, your demand will go lower, and if you price below the average market rate you’ll have higher demand. Maybe she realized the $65 price was way under what it should be compared to her competitors.
@Caslon It’s actually the exact opposite in a lot of areas- hosts are having to drop their prices to get any bookings because the market is saturated and there is so much competition.
As a guest, you have no knowledge of a host’s expenses. Perhaps she just had a huge jump in property taxes or utilities. Maybe she is now required to pay for licenses that have just been introduced as mandatory. And many hosts start off seriously undercharging for their Airbnb, then realize they aren’t making enough profit to make all the work that goes into hosting worthwhile. They may assume that guests will use XX amount of electricity in a month, then find that guests are leaving all the lights on and the heat turned up high, even when they are out for the day. Or using the washing machine and dryer to wash one tee shirt, a pair of socks and a pair of pants, instead of waiting until they have a full load. Or staining the sheets and towels so they have to be thrown in the rag bag and new ones purchased. Guests can be very entitled when it comes to expenses that the host is paying for.
And while I have no idea what kind of guest you are, or how good the relationship with your host has been, it sometimes happens that a host will raise their prices so that a guest they aren’t happy with won’t want to ask to extend their stay.
Airbnbs are really designed to be short term accommodation for tourists and travelers, who expect to pay higher prices than one would for long-term accommodations. They aren’t permanent living situations.
So…AirBnb hosts should hose the market because of the nature of making a buck? You say…damn right they should! Welcome to capitalism.
I already included in my original post what expenses a host may incur. What about the possibility that, like everyone else is doing, hosts follow a trend? That trend being that a host sees another host increasing prices and follows suit? I’m just saying that may be the way it has to be. Ever consider that, without me accusing hosts of being greedy?
$65 to $72 to $92 now? The last two increases being within an hour? OK, I’m wrong. Expenses go up hourly, lol.
I was a perfect guest and on great terms with my host. There may be incidences where a host ups the price due to a guests behavior. So…a reply to this is irrelevant.
Please stop defensively coming from ONLY a hosts point of view. I’m merely lamenting that prices are going up driven by whoever ups their nightly fee and see who follows suit. Guess what? That’s happening. Radically more than this guest would expect. Can I make an observation as a guest and not get pounded? Nope.
You can’t make vast generalisations and assumptions about a multi-billion pound STR market works in terms of pricing and elasticity of demand - based on your single experience with a single host @Caslon
Your assumption that hosts price just on what others charge is incorrect. There are many factors which affect pricing.
BTW, I bet the posts and replies here are 90% hosts…10% guests. I’m not against hosts. Get that! Just merely expressing a trend that may be unstoppable. I say power to hosts.
As has already been explained to you @Caslon this is a forum for hosts NOT guests, so of course people who post here will all be hosts.
So another incorrect assumption on your part - responses on this forum will be 99 % hosts …plus…you😄
You as a guest shouldn’t be using this forum.
How much for a hotel that offered the same amenities and services,>
"You can’t make vast generalisations and assumptions about a multi-billion pound STR market works in terms of pricing based on your single experience with a single host @Caslon
Your assumption that hosts price on what others charge is incorrect."
Actually, as a guest who’s spent the last six months renting from AirBnb’s while I await a 55+ condo to open up on a tight market for such, I am qualified.
OK…from your point of view, charges go up only for overhead and some other factors and not what the market will bear. Sorry, but you’re incorrect. The market will go up for what the going trend is and what the market will bear. That’s normal. It’s just that I’ve noticed what the market will bear has jumped up disproportionally with AIRBnb. Stop making me an enemy of Hosts,
“How much for a hotel that offered the same amenities and services,>”
Granted it’s in the same price range, which is why I got outta that scene (sex parties next door every other night). Still, I’m just noticing that where I am, prices are going up radically from just a few months ago, when it was out of tourist or holiday season.
My inkling is that hosts are monitoring what others in the area are charging…seeing if they get booked…then following suit at upping their nightly rates. As a host, I don’t like that trend. P.S. The same thing happens in the rental market too. Others see what others are getting, they see they’re getting that…and follow suit. I noticed the same thing happening with AirBnb places lately. It can’t be helped I suppose. I don’t like the follow the leader escalation.
r
What is that?
I’m confused as to whether you are a host as well as a guest, but assuming you are not let me clue you in to a bit of reality.
Today I calculated the percentage of the daily rental rate that I realize after all fees and taxes are applied.
After AirBnB’s small fee, the Accommodation Tax, The General Excise Tax, the 3X increase in my property tax (because it is a STR) I see less than 50% of the advertised rate.
This doesn’t include ongoing routine expenses and the occasional, ‘oh sh%t’ repair.
You want us to put ourselves in your place… we already are!
The host probably has smart pricing turned on. It’s a program offerred by the platform and prices do fluctuate accordingly.
With all due respect, you really haven’t the first idea what expenses a host may incur. However, feel free to rant, it’s your time and energy.
JF
Sometimes hosts raise their prices to discourage a long term renter. You might a a great guest but after a while sometimes as a host I feel it’s time for new guests. This is just me and I might be completely off. I’m ready for my 9 day booking to check out tomorrow and they have been very nice guests. I personally like 1-3 day bookings. Also FYI. My lowest rate month is feb but I’ve already doubled and tripled my rates for March, April and May because I’ve been doing this for four years and know what the seasonal market prices are.
Nice point. I think that’s while I’ll be moving on, 2 months here, many extensions, no problem otherwise, Except there’s not as private isolated as I want it, so I’m leaving. Nothing to complain about. Prices are rising. I know…get real.
“I already included in my original post what expenses a host may incur.”
Absolute and utter bull crud @Caslon!! You didn’t even touch on 1/10 of the “expenses a host may incur”. You aren’t a host; how the heck could you know our expenses, and how DARE you tell us what expenses we can and cannot incur!
Airbnb does not set our prices – we do. If you don’t like a particular host’s price you are more than welcome to try and book someone else’s listing. You’ll find that MOST Air hosts will not accept “extended stay” guests because – like milk on the countertop in the tropics – such guests go sour quickly.