Airbnb users will soon be able to see the total cost of booking stays before they check out, reversing a long-standing policy that had peeved many users.
Starting next month, guests will have the option to view the total price of bookings, including all fees, before taxes. The pricing will be shown in search results and map, filter and listing views. Users will also be able to view full price breakdowns that show Airbnb’s service fees, 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 co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said in a tweet confirming the change.
Airbnb’s fee structure is not changing. Guests will still be charged an Airbnb service fee, a cleaning fee and an extra-guest fee, if applicable, as well as any taxes and deposits.
The holiday travel season is expected to be busy this year despite rising inflation pressures. According to the consulting group PwC, 47% of Americans plan to travel this holiday season, compared with about 1 in 3 before the pandemic.
Even so, hotel price increases have begun to stabilize in the U.S. after an initial post-pandemic boom. After they increased by 9.8% from September 2021 to March, average daily hotel room rates in the U.S. have increased by 5.2% through September to $154.32, according to the 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.