I am a host, but also a guest. My listing is very straight forward, whole house for a price and number of people it can sleep. There is a cleaning fee and that is all.
While trying to find a ABnB for a ski weekend away, I am confused by the pricing we are seeing and would love to hear what others think is the reason.
The home lists the number of bedrooms and people it can sleep. There is of course the base rate for the home per night and fees. What I am finding is that there are “extra guest” fees per night per person that fall within the number that the home could hold.
For example, the home says it sleeps 12, there are enough beds for all 12. Then it says in the description the rate is based on 4 people and there is a charge of $100 per person per night for over 4.
What? I understand that there are negligible extra costs in cleaning and laundry, but there already is a $300 cleaning fee.
I’m wondering what I am missing here…is it a deceptive pricing practice?
No, it is not deceptive. It was spelled out clearly, you understood it and the full price shows when you book with the number of people.
I think the host may prefer smaller groups, knows that the likelihood of damages and big messes and parties goes up with the guest count and is charging accordingly.
I would lock doors and make the listing smaller, no way would I want to have 12 guests staying even if I had the bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate.
All hosts are different, we learn as we go and do what fits for us.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting!
RR
Each host manages their listing differently. You have a very straightforward way of dealing with your listing.
Other hosts may want to limit the number of people, as @RiverRock stated or they are trying to maximize their profit margin - and they’ve done the math.
That listing encourages smaller groups of couples and hopefully minimizes the chance for parties and damages. It’s not how I would do business, but if it works for them…
You can also look at it the other way and say that if a place sleeps six and only two people book it, then they have got a discount. 
But it isn’t deceptive because as @RiverRock says as the total price is shown before booking.
Also because in most cases, the more guests, the greater the expenses for the host, so therefore logical.
Thanks RiverRock for the welcome…I read many of the posts and have learned a lot. First time I felt compelled to post in the hopes of learning even more!
There were definite listings that these costs and limitations were laid out in the description, but some only appeared in the final price and I needed to open “details” to see the number. The actual breakdown was only after contacting the host.
If a host has an extra guest fee in their pricing settings then it is automatically added to the price when you put in the number of guests. This is one reason that it is important to put the correct number of guests before searching for listings, so that you see an accurate price for the size of your group.
Some hosts may lay it out in the description or even in the house rules, I have seen both, but it is not required. Extra guest fees are just part of the price settings. It is just the same as a host does not need to include in the listing that they charge $149 for Thur but $179 for Fri. If a guest enters the correct dates of travel, it is added up automatically.
I am someone that charges per guest, meaning that each guest after the first one is charged as an extra guest. As an avid solo traveler, I do it this way so as to give solo travelers an effective discount. In my units that fit 4 or 5 it also means that a twosome will also get an effective discount. I find that it accommodates a greater amount of people to do it this way, making it more affordable for different types of travelers.
Every extra person uses more water, more hot water, more electricity, more toilet paper, soap and shampoo, more coffee, and whatever extra amenities the host provides.
Do you really think the cost of providing towels and sheets for 12 people compared to 4 is “negligible”? A bare minimum of probably 16 extra towels, and 8 full sets of bedding?
I do think negligible.
If the cost wasn’t negligible, then why isn’t the cleaning fee proportional as well? Does it take as long to clean up after 4 people as it does 12? Shouldn’t the longer laundry time come from the cleaning fee?
Thanks for pointing that out. I don’t charge like that, but I now I understand better.
Of course this should ALWAYS be in the description, I’m finding it isn’t always.
I don’t have that in my description. The guests need to put in the correct # of people coming.
It could very well take as long to clean up after 4 people as after 12. There are some guests who can manage to trash a place out in one night and others who can stay for a week with 3 times the amount of people and leave the place clean and tidy. So cleaning fees are generally averaged out. And regardless of how many people use a kitchen or a bathroom, it still has to be cleaned the same way. It isn’t the number of people who stay, or even the length of the booking that determines how long it takes to clean, it’s the size of the place and whether guests leave it in a respectful state.
Extra guest fees are generally meant to cover the extra laundry and the extra utilities and amenities used, not the cleaning.
Airbnb doesn’t support cleaning fees that are based on the number of guests. I think for most hosts, part of the extra guest fee goes toward additional cleaning. The other parts are consumables, taxes (sometimes, when applicable), wear-and-tear, and profit.
I personally never had extra guest fees because, like you, I also believed the cost difference for my listing was negligible. In my 4-bedroom listing, the difference in laundry, consumables, and general cleaning from 4 guests vs. 8 guests really was small enough that it didn’t matter.
Why do you think that it should be in the description? It is not required, anymore than any other price setting that is added automatically. Whether or not a cost is added automatically or not is how Airbnb determines whether or not it should be in the description (or not).
It is really no different than having a different price for week nights and weekend nights (or for different seasons or events). There is no need (nor requirement) to mention that in the listing. The same for the cleaning fee. The listing does not need to mention the cleaning fee, it is added to the price automatically and noted in the breakdown, as are extra guest fees. It is all part of the total price.
As long as you do a proper search, which includes the number in your party and your travel dates (and now, whether or not you are traveling with a pet) then you will be shown the accurate price for your trip while you’re searching.
Just pick a place that meets your parameters, and pricing.
Off season, I discount my large houses down, in the hopes of attracting 2 or 4 or 6 people, rather than the in-season large groups of 14. Because off season it is less likely to get the large groups and otherwise it might sit empty.
Then If 12 guests look to book off season, the price will go per person accordingly. They are instructed to enter the correct number of guests, reminded on my first response, and hammered home on the the agreement.
My cleaners dont charge any different for 4 guests vs 14 guests. All beds need changing, floors get cleaned, kitchens and bathrooms cleaned…the work is mostly the same, and if there is less grime I am sure they appreciate the off season reprieve.
If a person tries to book but comes to me thinking my pricing is “deceptive” …I would reject the “request to book” and kindly and politely ask them to seek a better match to their needs and expectations.
Of course, what I think is “kind” may not be kind in the guest’s perception. I was insulted and verbally raked over the coals recently for telling a potential booking to find a “better match” to their needs. I probably dodged the bullet and she simply reinforced to me that I had made the right decision.
My point is …that there are plenty of choices. Pick another one if this feels wrong to you.
Our house fits 10 but we charge for guests over 8+ because we don’t actually want to max out our house every booking it does a lot of wear n tear on the house. We have a price that we’re willing to tolerate it. And cleaning fee is the same every time because that is how the relationship with our cleaning team is. The cleaning team charges for the size of the house not the number of guests. If it’s 4 people or 10 people we are charged the same.
Extra tangibles aside, 2 additional people can make a party. And with 10 people you will often find other damages such as chipped tile, chipped dry wall, extra stains on the carpet, and left behind items that need to be shipped back, etc.
I don’t think there is a way to change per person cleaning fees in Airbnb.
More people means more people who can ask for things. One of them invariably needs early check in, and one of them needs early checkout. Lots of coordination about when the place will be ready, or will be vacated.
Also, many don’t add all the guests to the booking, so they are more likely to misbehave since they don’t have to worry about the rating.
I agree wholeheartedly. In my situation, adding an extra bed, be it for a single person or a couple increases my pre and post-stay cleaning.
My house is small and the extra bed is a convertible sofa. Making it up entails pulling out all of the bedding from the attic including a memory foam topper. Post-stay, I’ll have 2 loads of laundry, just for the bedding. Plus I run all pillows (4) and the down comforter through the dryer on high for a 20 minute cycle. Cool everything off, fold it up, put it in storage bags and back into the attic.
My extra guest fee of $25 for all guests over 2 usually covers it. But for 2 people who each want their own bed, I don’t think $50 is asking too much for that amount of work.
This is the key!!!
So many people put in 1 with no dates to see pricing which is going to default to the base price.
Then are shocked to find the oceanfront 3 bedroom condo is they book for 8 people for the week of July 4th is 3x more expensive than the 1 person off season booking.
My 1 bedroom condo with Murphy bed is the perfect size for a couple. It’s in a fun town in northern baja, where there’s the potential for a small group that wants to save as much money as they can by putting extra friends up/potentially party. Charging for the 3rd guest increases my income, and is still less per person for the guests than if they’d had to rent two hotel rooms nearby.
I prefer only two guests(perfect place for a couple), as it cuts down on wear and tear, parting kids, and those who may not know how to handle themselves in the ‘high-end’ condo complex my condo is in.