This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I just started hosting - I still have my first guest staying with me now
Where can I see the fee Air is charging my guests?
I set my price at $120/night but only received $97/night. I know I offered a discount for my first guest since I didnāt have any reviews but I canāt see this itemized either.
I had never thought about the fees of a platform until now but as a boutique business these fees can cut into margins significantly.
Thanks for any help in understanding my fees.
Could you also tell me if you feel the fees are too high??
Ignore @Brandt - he often makes these sorts of comments which can be confusing for those new to the forum.
You can see the total fee the guest pays on the booking confirmation including how much you are both charged for Airbnb fees.
And what do you mean by the fees being too high - in relation to what - what other platforms cost, or how much it would cost you to market your listing if you didnāt use their platform?
If I felt their fees were too high I wouldnāt use the platform.
You can see it by going to your listing preview and clicking ābookā or ārequest to bookā and input dates and it will show the total cost for those dates.
They charge the host 3% and can charge the guest between 0 and 20%. All this information is in the help center at Airbnb.com. You should read everything there before starting to do Airbnb.
Youāll have to decide this for yourself. I donāt think they are too high but some people do.
I only see the host fee on my booking confirmation/itinerary I donāt see the total the guest pays. Are you seeing something different in the UK?
I just double checked my booking confirmation email - It summarized the discount I offered but only shows a relatively small āAirbnb feeā subtracting exactly 3% of my total payout. My guess is that is a standard transaction fee banks are charging.
Payment summary:
$120.00 x 3 Nights = $360.00
Special offer = -$72.00
Airbnb Fees = ā$8.64
You earn = $279.36
Am I able to understand the total my guest is paying from this?
It seems to me that whether itās a guest fee or a host fee all fees cost the host in the end. Host has the goods. Guests are willing to pay a set price when they book and any āguest feeā is part of the price collected on a sale which the host doesnāt ever collect.
Also, itās a valid point you make about the price being subjective. I agree, there could be much more money/time spent trying to connect with an audience like you find on Airbnb.
Cheers Brandt. That seems odd though ,no?
Are you suggesting that only in the US operations Airbnb is leaving the guest fees out of the hosts email confirmation?
I went in to preview and clicked ābookā for specific dates - this was a great solution to my question!
Unfortunately for my current guest I cannot calculate back on dates that have already passed however I can easily punch in the same number of nights looking forward on the calendar.
Think Airbnb is maybe trying to keep that number a bit hidden?
Oh well, at least itās still available within a few clicks. Thank you!
Thank you @Jamjsco, thatās an interesting thread for sure.
My original assumption was that Airbnb would fluctuate their fees (5-20%) based on total value of each transaction - the higher the bill, the less % they would take out.
Iām guessing now that Airbnb has it down to a science of what each successful booking costs the company and then they take a fee to cover that and earn some additional profit per transaction.
Sorry I was reading in a hurry I meant you could see the fee Airbnb charges you rather than the guest pay.
The Airbnb fee is not a bank fee but as it states the Airbnb fee.
@KKC is right about where you need to see the total cost.
Have you looked for answers on Airbnb Help Centre and the community guides and tutorials on the Airbnb Community this will cover most of your questions around how Airbnb works.
Thanks @Como, I guess Iām not sure what else I would suggest. 15% just feels like a lot. Wish I had a better method of going straight to consumers with my space.
There a new stock trading company called RobinHood thatās taking off lately because their platform removed the fees of making small transactions. Where the industry used to have a standard $10 fee for any trade, they removed it and just made it free. They have millions of users - I wonder if something like this could take off in the short-term rental space. What do you think?
Airbnb doesnāt always charge hosts 15% so @Como is not correct in this.
If you feel 15% to cover the cost of your marketing and advertising, the host guarantee, liability insurance and a global brand awareness is too much, have you costed out how much it would cost you to provide a similar product and what it would cost you with other listing companies?
The reality is unless you invested millions there is no way you could have the sort of reach Airbnb does.
Unless you have a highly desirable sort of accommodation i.e. a whole island in the Pacific, a treehouse in Costa Rica, a cave in Turkey, a boat in the south of France and a clear understanding of your target market and the communications and consumer channels they use and the know how and budget to use them, it will always pay you financially to use a third party listing company.
There is no point saying it feels like a lot unless you are comparing it to something tangible and measurable.
Alex Iām a moderator on the site and I removed your link to this site because the owner of the site doesnāt want people piggybacking off his site to promote other commercial sites.
Air charges my guests just under 15% and it charges me 3%. If I just mentally round up to 20% it still seems reasonable to me for all the reasons @Helsi mentions and more.
I board dogs on Rover and also for direct payment. Rover takes 15% from me and 7% from new guests. Some of us who used the platform 4-6 years ago are grandfathered in at lower rates but a new Rover host will pay 20% and new guest pays 7%. 27% total. The rideshare companies are taking 25 to 40%. Wag takes 40%.
A stock trading company is not comparable to a service providing company.
Yes, like most other companies. Like the concert tickets I just bought. $149 ticket was $171.35 with fees. No breakdown easily found. I just pay it because what other choice to I have?
There are methods, they may or may not be better and most arenāt without cost. Even if you listed your room on something like craigslist you have to assume all the risks completely on your own.
Just to confirm what I said I am charged c 15%, which seems a common figure.
I used to have my own web site, credit card processing etc and that is not free, hardly anything is.
I have looked at other options, feel exposed being mainly tied to one service but none of the ones I have come across are cheaper.
I think there is an opportunity in the market for a simpler, more original AirBnB system, would not be cheap to launch it AND get to a point where there is sufficient reach.
Personally I would like my own site and then effectively buy leads from the big boys.
