The way that travelers book on Airbnb has changed

By Maggie Last updated Nov 8, 2022

The way that travelers book on Airbnb has changed. Before they check out, Airbnb guests will soon be able to view the exact cost of their reservations, changing a long-standing regulation that had irked many of them.

The opportunity to check the complete cost of bookings, including all fees and taxes, will be available to customers starting next month. The cost will be displayed in the listing views, map results, and filter results. Additionally, users will have access to complete price breakdowns that include taxes, discounts, and service charges from Airbnb.

The adjustment means that the search ranking system will now give priority to total price rather than nightly pricing. According to the firm, for comparable properties in a location, the listings with the best overall quality and prices will appear higher in search results.

Brian Chesky, co-founder, and CEO of Airbnb confirmed the adjustment in a tweet by saying, “I’ve heard you loud and clear – you feel that rates aren’t transparent and checkout processes are a nuisance.

The cost structure for Airbnb won’t change. In addition to any taxes and deposits, guests will continue to be charged an Airbnb service fee, a cleaning fee, and, if applicable, an extra-guest fee.

Despite increasing inflationary pressures, this year’s holiday travel season is anticipated to be bustling. The consulting firm PwC reports that 47% of Americans intend to travel over the holiday season, up from around 1 in 3 prior to the outbreak.

Despite this, following a brief post-pandemic boom, hotel pricing hikes in the United States have started to level down. According to the travel organization STR, average daily hotel room rates in the U.S. grew by 5.2% through September to reach $154.32 after rising by 9.8% from September 2021 to March.

Additionally, on Monday, Airbnb revealed changes to its guest checkout procedure. Going forward, hosts must only ask for things that are acceptable, such as not stripping the beds, doing the laundry, or vacuuming.