Displaying total price and simplifying checkout

You’ve probably seen headlines and tweets about growing guest frustration with prices, cleaning fees, and checkout instructions. As inflation rates rise, and the threat of a recession looms, travelers are searching for even greater value. Guests, many of whom are traveling for the first time in years, have also told us that it’s stressful to end their trips with a list of chores. 

We need to work together to address these issues. Last month, Airbnb announced updates to display the total price up front, promote listings that are a better value in search results, make Host pricing tools easier to use, and improve the checkout experience for guests.

When guests search Airbnb for a place to stay, the amount due at checkout can be higher than they expected, because the nightly price on the listing doesn’t include fees. This can lead to frustration and a loss of trust.

Starting December 14, guests can switch from nightly prices to total prices in search results. Total prices include all fees before taxes. 

After guests enable this option, total prices will also appear on the map, price filter, and listing pages. Before confirming a booking, guests can review a full price breakdown for their stay that shows Airbnb’s service fee, discounts, and taxes.

Guests who don’t enable the total price display are shown nightly prices, which is the default setting. This option isn’t available in countries and regions where local rules already require total prices including taxes to be displayed up front.

Airbnb’s search ranking algorithm is designed to help guests quickly find places that meet their needs. The algorithm prioritizes total price—rather than nightly price—and the quality of your listing in comparison to similar listings in your area. Homes that offer the best value in any given region tend to rank higher in search results. 

Setting a competitive total price and maintaining high quality can help improve your listing’s position in search results.

You’ve told us that one of your biggest challenges is setting a competitive price for your home. Starting in early 2023, we’ll introduce new tools to help you price more effectively. In the meantime, these existing pricing tools can help:

• Price preview allows you to check the final price guests will pay—including fees, discounts, promotions, and taxes—before they book. To use this tool, go to your pricing settings and select “Preview what guests pay.” Enter the details of the stay, such as the number of guests and nights in the reservation, and you’ll be shown a breakdown of the guest’s total price and your payout.
• Weekly and monthly discounts often lead to higher occupancy, lower turnover, and less work for you. Try enticing guests to book by offering discounts on longer stays.

We understand that it takes a lot to get your place ready for your next guests. It’s reasonable to ask guests to do simple things at checkout, like turning off lights, throwing food in the trash, and locking doors and windows.

We’re also hearing from guests that they don’t want to do unreasonable chores, like stripping the beds, doing laundry, and vacuuming.

In the coming months, we’ll be working with you to make checkout more transparent to guests. Guests will be able to review your checkout instructions prior to booking—similar to house rules—and also leave feedback on the checkout experience.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.