If the guest is being asked to pay the same amount they will most likely realize that the Airbnb fees are now going to the host. That provided zero benefit to the guest. If they pay the Airbnb fees TO Airbnb they at least have a 3rd party that may rule in their favor should the need arise.
But the Airbnb fees are not going to the host. Just as the nightly fee is not going to Airbnb, just because Airbnb collects the money and hangs onto it until after the guest checks in. It’s just a game of smoke and mirrors.
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Yes, well commission is commission. All other platforms charge commission. It’s nothing new or unusual. It’s perfectly normal, in fact. And this model is how all other platforms work.
The bottom line is that $100 is $100 any way you slice it up. You can argue this or that, but it’s still the same either way.
And in reality, the guest is still paying the commission. It’s just that they’re paying it to you instead of Airbnb, and you’re paying it to Airbnb. In the end, you make a little bit more though. Hard to argue with that.
No, that isn’t true- guests are not paying the commission to the host, they are paying it to Airbnb, along with the nightly fee, cleaning fee, etc. Airbnb deducts the commission from the host’s payout- the host never, at any time, is in possession of that 15.5%.
It’s just that many, if not most guests, are unaware that when they pay for a booking, the host doesn’t get paid their share of the payment until after the guest checks in. So they may naturally assume that all the money they pay is instantly in the host’s possession.
I’m not sure what you’re arguing here. Whether guests think the host gets the money now or later has nothing to do with how commission is collected.
Again, it’s the same no matter how you slice it up (except that hosts earn a little bit more on the simplified system).