Airbnb says it's making prices more transparent
Airbnb also says it's improving the checkout process for guests
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced Monday that the company is making pricing more transparent and improving the checkout process for guests after receiving complaints.
"I’ve heard you loud and clear—you feel like prices aren’t transparent and checkout tasks are a pain. That’s why we’re making 4 changes," Chesky tweeted on Monday.
Chesky said the company recognizes how important affordability is today and is updating the platform, so users will "be able to see the total price you're paying up front."
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Starting next month, Airbnb says it will roll out an option to display total price for homes, rather than just the nightly fee, in countries that don't already have existing price display requirements.
Airbnb said the total price will include all fees before taxes and will be shown in search results, the map, filter and listing page.
Total price will also be prioritized in the platform's search ranking algorithm, which means "for similar listings in the same area, those with the highest quality and best total prices will rank higher in search results," Airbnb said.
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Before committing to any booking, guests will still be able to see a price breakdown Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes, the company said.
"We started as an affordable alternative to hotels, and affordability is especially important today," Chesky tweeted. "During this difficult economic time, we need to help our hosts provide great value to you."
On top of that, Airbnb said it's making sure hosts provide more "reasonable" checkout requests and that they are clearly displayed before guests book.
"Guests should not have to do unreasonable checkout tasks such as stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming when leaving their Airbnb," he said. "But we think it’s reasonable to ask guests to turn off the lights, throw food in the trash, and lock the doors—just like they would when leaving their own home. "
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Next year, the company also said it will give hosts new pricing and discounting tools to help them better understand the final price guests pay and even set competitive prices.