- Airbnb is now showing the full price of a stay at its listed properties. That will allow prospective customers to know what they’ll be paying upfront. The move comes as a new law is about to go into effect requiring the company to show call charges (minus taxes).
It’s now a little easier to know just how much that Airbnb stay is going to cost you.
The rental service has announced it is now displaying the total price (including fees, though not including taxes) in search results for all worldwide searches. That will make it easier for people to make an apples-to-apples comparison on Airbnb properties versus hotels or other vacation options.
“We know that clear, upfront pricing improves the Airbnb experience for both guests and hosts,” the company said in a blog post. “With the global rollout of total price display, we’re making it easier for guests to better understand the price they’ll pay, and for hosts to succeed in a more transparent marketplace. We believe these improvements will continue to create positive guest experiences from search to stay while also supporting the growth of the Airbnb community around the world.”
Cleaning fees and other charges have been known to increase the cost of an Airbnb rental by as much as 25%.
Airbnb isn’t doing this out of the goodness of its heart, of course. The move was prompted by a new Federal Trade Commission rule that is about to go into effect. The “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees,” which was introduced under the Biden administration as part of its crackdown on “junk fees,” mandates businesses “clearly and conspicuously” display the total price, including fees.
The question is: Will the Trump administration continue to enforce that law? Several other junk-fee-related bills have already been rolled back, including late fee caps on credit cards and bank overdraft fees.