How much should the price increase per night to cover the cost of cleaning?
So either too low for people staying one night or too high for people staying multiple nights. Why is it better?
AirBnBs have definitely normalized a significant per-stay charge that isn't the norm in the hotel/inn business.
Averaging
If you don't like it, fine, just don't use it. But pricing it to what people actually use, is fairest for everyone.
No it can't because the hosts are trying to charge a fixed fee per reservation.
However, in my market customers only see the total, calculated to an avg nightly price. So it all works out and is fair for everyone.
AirBnb hosts have had their hands on the scale for too long now because the company is terrified of a mass exodus of hosts (many of whom act just as entitled as your average landlord, who will beat every penny out of you). It used to be a much better service for the users.
FWIW I think pretty much every vacation rental I booked pre-AirBnB (or, for that matter, pre-Internet) charged a cleaning fee in a similar manner.
At least last time I booked on AirBnB it was clearly displayed as part of the total reservation price if you entered dates.
Oh right, averaging.
I think getting shocked by cleaning fees is like getting shocked that there is a sales tax.. Every time you go to the store.
Showing the total with cleaning fees at the end is inconvenient and user hostile, but in no way a "scam".
As someone else in the thread pointed out, some locales do require that AirBNB and similar list prices with the fees included, and they comply in those regions. And not including tax is kind of a con when the rate can vary between states, cities and even parts of cities. Nobody can be expected to know the particulars everywhere they go, while businesses are legally required to know in order to collect.
I think scam implies that something is deceptive, but not everything that annoys me is a scam. If users are completely aware of something and expect it, it is hard to claim they are being duped, in my opinion.
