Airbnb Guest Shares Host’s Hefty Checkout Instructions After Being Charged A $150 Cleaning Fee
"This is why I stay at hotels."
etonastenka | Shutterstock An Airbnb guest took to Reddit in utter dismay after paying a hefty cleaning fee before checking in and then being asked to do housework before checking out. The guest was rightfully confused. After all, what's the point of paying a cleaning fee if you have to do the cleaning yourself?
The situation sheds light on how outrageous Airbnb policies have become. These policies often take advantage of guests who are paying to unwind, and they are ultimately driving potential customers back to hotels.
The Airbnb guest said they were given a list of chores to do before check-out after paying a $150 cleaning fee.
The guest shared a photo of the extensive cleaning list they found in their Airbnb. Considering they had already paid a $150 cleaning fee, the guest was shocked at just how extensive the list was, and it appeared that they would be doing all of the cleaning themselves.
Reddit
According to the list, guests were expected to strip the sheets off of all the beds, wash the towels with bleach, wash and put away all of the dishes, remove all food from the refrigerator, take out the garbage, and replace all of the bags, and clean the floors with a Swiffer. “I'm surprised they didn't want us to stick around to dry the towels and remake the beds,” the guest admitted.
Others called out the instruction list as ludicrous and unnecessary.
“I'm not on vacation so I can do chores. Hotels all the way,” one Redditor commented. “Meanwhile you can absolutely use a hotel room for $150 a night and they’ll thank you for your stay,” another user noted.
“I’m over Airbnb. It used to be fun, something different, now I’d much rather just go to a hotel. My final nightmare experience this summer cinched it for me,” another user wrote.
Ultimately, the critics made a good point: Booking a hotel room is almost the same price as the cleaning fee required with most Airbnbs, and hotels don't require guests to clean anything. In fact, according to BudgetYourTrip, the average median cost of a hotel room in the U.S. will set you back $139 per night.
As one commenter succinctly put it, "Do you guys remember the last time you stayed in a hotel and they had you strip the bed, do some washing, clean the room, and take out the trash when you checked out?"
Cleaning fees continue to be one of the most controversial aspects when it comes to Airbnb bookings.
Many guests believe that the cleaning costs could be integrated into the overall price for the stay rather than tacked on as an additional fee. Others believe that it shouldn’t be a charge at all, considering they are already being charged so much to stay there in the first place.
Data reveals that the cleaning fees that come with Airbnb stays fall anywhere from $50 to $80, although it all varies depending on the property size and the duration of the stay.
However, there is a certain expectation guests have when booking an Airbnb. One of them is cleanliness. A cleaning fee makes it feel like an additional charge for something that should already be a part of the service. It’s similar to paying for a hotel room that’s already supposed to be clean.
Inthon Maitrisamphan | Shutterstock
When people book a getaway, they are paying for the luxury of doing as little as possible.
Charging guests a cleaning fee while expecting them to do all of the cleaning themselves seems unjust. It might be why Airbnb has fallen out of favor with many travelers in recent years. According to a CivicScience survey, 55% of vacationers preferred hotels, while 17% of respondents claimed they preferred Airbnb rentals.
If Airbnb hosts want to draw more guests to their spaces, they should consider avoiding springing unnecessary costs and providing them with the vacation-like experience they booked in the first place. Many guests are already considerate of the fact that they are staying in someone else’s property and treat it with respect.
However, they should not be required to power wash the walls or remake every single bed they’ve used. It should be given to their hosts to handle these tasks.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.