Travelers are slamming Airbnb chore lists that tell guests to mow the lawn, do the laundry, and take out the trash — on top of paying $125 cleaning fees
David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
- Some Airbnb hosts are charging cleaning fees and asking guests to complete a list of chores.
- Frustrated travelers say they've been asked to mow the lawn, take out the trash, and wash the sheets.
- The trend is causing some people to ditch short-term rentals for hotels, WSJ reported Friday.
Some Airbnb hosts are requiring guests to complete lengthy chore lists on top of paying cleaning fees up to $375, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Frustrated travelers have pushed back on social media, with some saying they've been asked to take out the trash, wash the sheets, and even mow the lawn during their stay.
One TikToker @Melworeit said in a viral video that she decided not to book on Airbnb because it charged a $125 cleaning fee and asked guests to take out the garbage, remove bed linens, run the dishwasher, and do a load of laundry.
The post amassed 66,000 views and nearly 5,000 comments, many of which shared similar encounters with Airbnb chore lists.
"If I'm paying $229 a night to stay somewhere plus a $125 cleaning fee, I'm not doing any laundry," the TikToker said. "I know it's like one load of laundry and it'll take me two minutes to do, but it's the principle that really bothers me."
Another Airbnb guest took to Reddit in July to ask if it was "normal for a host to tell the guest to mow the lawn themselves?"
"Seems like a strange response given the premium being paid for staying here (to me, at least), but if that's standard then I'll roll with it," the user wrote. "I just don't want to be penalized/charged/poorly reviewed for 'neglecting' the lawn if I don't do it."
An Airbnb spokesperson told Insider that while hosts choose their own cleaning fees, the company has provided recommendations for keeping the amount reasonable and suggests hosts consider not charging cleaning fees at all. According to the company, 45% of global Airbnb listings do not charge a cleaning fee, and for those that do, the fee on average is less than 10% of the total reservation cost.
"Would you like guests to load dirty dishes into the dishwasher or strip the bed linen before checkout? If so, consider charging a very minimal cleaning fee – or no fee at all," the Airbnb host resource page on cleaning fees says. "With a higher fee, guests may expect to just walk away from your space at checkout as they would a hotel room."
Kimanzi Constable, a full-time digital nomad who has stayed in over 100 Airbnbs, told Insider that some hosts have asked him to complete chores without providing basic cleaning and laundry supplies.
"Airbnb hosts have asked me to do chores such as take out the garbage when checking out, do the dishes, clean up, and other measures to help the host, despite me paying a cleaning fee, which can be high these days. I'm more than happy to contribute — if I have the supplies needed," Constable wrote. "Hosts should either provide all the necessary items, or scrap the cleaning fee entirely."
Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/8Hbrew9
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Monday, September 19, 2022
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