ABB Cleaning Fee

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
User avatar
apexblue
Posts: 2249
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:58 pm
Location: UK

ABB Cleaning Fee

Post by apexblue »

Is there an advantage of adding a separate cleaning fee on ABB?

Note all in my area do.
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....

The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
User avatar
Cymraes
Posts: 519
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2015 3:31 pm
Location: North Wales

Post by Cymraes »

Is the fee commissionable?

I charge a lower price on Booking.com but add a cleaning fee. I don't pay commission on the cleaning fee!
sparkJS
Posts: 58
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2016 3:43 pm
Location: North Cornwall
Contact:

Post by sparkJS »

When you search an area on Airbnb, it pops up with the relative prices of each one. I presume that this is before the cleaning charge so perhaps you are better to add one?
MG
User avatar
apexblue
Posts: 2249
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:58 pm
Location: UK

Post by apexblue »

It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....

The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
rosebud
Posts: 625
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:24 pm
Location: Steyning, West Sussex

Post by rosebud »

I think there is some advantage but am interested in answers to your question Apex Blue.

It seems that Airbnb when they show cheapest rate for property do not include the cleaning fee.

On my mobile when I look at calendars for properties it displays the charge per night without the cleaning fee. (I can't see this on my laptop.)

However if you enter specific dates I think the price shown per night is higher including a proportion of the cleaning fee.

AirBnb's price tips don't take any account of any cleaning fee.
ianh100
Posts: 598
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 4:37 pm
Location: Sherborne Dorset

Post by ianh100 »

We include a cleaning fee as it helps balance the cost of shorter stays, what we charge doesn't actually cover our costs.
newtimber
Posts: 1945
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:57 pm
Location: Brighton
Contact:

Re: ABB Cleaning Fee

Post by newtimber »

apexblue wrote:Is there an advantage of adding a separate cleaning fee on ABB?

Note all in my area do.
The main disadvantage with doing so is that the cleaning fees are always refunded for guest cancellations.
COYS
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 1:24 pm
Location: Greek Islands

Post by COYS »

ianh100 wrote:We include a cleaning fee as it helps balance the cost of shorter stays, what we charge doesn't actually cover our costs.
Sorry, but I just don't get it. You don't cover your costs on short stays but get paid a nominal sum to clean up after? Surely far simpler to do without the hassle.
This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires.
Jemima Copping
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:22 pm
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Post by Jemima Copping »

I charge £80 cleaning fee on ABB. Nobody has complained, although a couple of times the bathroom bin has not been emptied by Americans. Still, I am not complaining. It brings my payment to the level I get from bookings through my website, otherwise I would be out of pocket.
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
User avatar
apexblue
Posts: 2249
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:58 pm
Location: UK

Post by apexblue »

So are there advantages to adding a fee?

Have just been put off booking an LMH ex member as £100 clean fee added.
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....

The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.
Jemima Copping
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2013 5:22 pm
Location: Scotland
Contact:

Post by Jemima Copping »

I must say I was somewhat surprised myself, all my guests for July and August were foreigners, ( are we allowed to say that now?) from a mix of countries both in the EU and elsewhere.
Better to be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton dressed as mutton!
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

Adding a fee simply allows you to quote a lower nightly rate and therefore appear higher in searches if they are sorted or displayed by price. You end up paying whatever price the owner thinks their property is worth but allows them to compete with the owners who quote below market value rates, or at the very least grab some attention to start with.
HoneypotCottages
Posts: 157
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:29 pm
Location: Chipping Campden, Cotswolds

Post by HoneypotCottages »

Agreed Nemo. If your nightly rate is lower, you'll be seen by more people. In our experience, lowering the nightly rate and adding a cleaning fee seemed to give us more bookings after a few weeks of nothing with a higher nightly rate.
Andy Smith
Post Reply