‘It’s all a mental game’: Airbnb host says he’s fully booked after taking away cleaning fee but raising nightly rate
An Airbnb host on TikTok claims they decided to remove their cleaning fee but raise the nightly rate on their homes, which led them to hit 100% occupancy on his properties. His video has sparked a discussion of additional fees on the lodging platform.
Posted by user Norman (@normanbnb), who primarily makes content centered around his ownership of 30 homes listed on Airbnb, the video shows a recent payout from stays on the Airbnb platform totaling over $5,000.
@normanbnb Removed the cleaning fee and the bookings shot through the roof 😳. #airbnbusiness #rentalarbitrage #airbnbtips #airbnbhosttips #airbnbcleaning ♬ original sound - vxrtzs
The Daily Dot has reached out to Norman via Instagram direct message for more information.
"When you remove the cleaning fee, raise your nightly rate and now you're 100% occupied at your 30 Airbnb homes," Norman wrote in a text overlay on the video.
Viewers speculated that this move was working well for the TikToker, as people would rather pay more upfront than have a lower sticker price and additional fees.
"Yup," one commenter wrote. "I rather higher nightly rates and no cleaning fees."
"It’s all a mental game," another user said. "Just like eBay free shipping listings sell better even if the price is slightly inflated to account for shipping cost."
"I think it’s honestly because of the transparency," a third added "as a customer I hate to see a listed price on the search menu be way way lower than the actual price. Mind game, maybe but it’s just more transparency imo."
Several shared that they had specifically chosen not to book certain Airbnb stays because of how expensive the cleaning fee was.
"Some of those cleaning fees those are impeccable…like 200 fee for one night stay…bud," one user stated.
"Every time I have not booked a Airbnb is because of the cleaning fee," another claimed. "I’m sure a lot of people do the same."
"Yeah cuz I don’t wanna pay 300 for one night cleaning fee," a further TikToker said.
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