Airbnb fees and service charges: Company reveals new changes

Airbnb users will soon be able to see the total cost of booking a stay before they check out, a reversal of the platform’s longstanding policy that had peeved many users.

Starting in December, guests will have the option to view the total price of a booking, including all fees, before taxes. The pricing display will be shown in search results and map, filter, and listing views. Users will also be able to view a full price breakdown that shows Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes.

The change means total price, instead of nightly price, will be prioritized in its search ranking algorithm. For similar listings in a given area, those with the highest quality and best total prices will rank higher in search results, the company said.

“I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain,” Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a Tweet confirming the change.

Airbnb’s fee structure is not changing. Guests are still charged an Airbnb service fee, a cleaning fee, an extra-guest fee if applicable, plus any taxes and deposits.

The announcement comes in advance of the holiday travel season, which is expected to be busy this year despite rising inflation pressures. According to consulting group PwC, 47% of Americans plan to travel this holiday season, compared with about one-in-three prior to the pandemic.

Even so, hotel price increases have begun to stabilize in the U.S. after an initial post-pandemic boom. After increasing 9.8% between September 2021 and March 2022, average daily hotel room rates in the U.S. have increased 5.2% through September 2022 to $154.32, according to travel group STR.

Airbnb also announced Monday it is changing its guest checkout policy. Going forward, hosts must make only reasonable requests — ones that would exclude stripping beds, doing laundry, or vacuuming.