Airbnb Now Shows the Full Price of Your Stay By Default (theverge.com) 19
Airbnb is rolling out a global update that displays the total cost of a stay upfront in search results. The only fee that won't be included are taxes. The Verge reports: The company first started showing the full price of its listings in some locations in 2019 after facing scrutiny from the European Union over how it displays its fees. It later launched a toggle in the US and hundreds of other countries that shows the total cost of a stay across Airbnb's search results, individual listings pages, and other areas of the platform.
Airbnb says nearly 17 million people have used the toggle since its launch in 2022, and now, you won't have to worry about turning the option on when making a search. Instead, you'll now see a banner at the very top of your search results that says, "Prices include all fees."
Airbnb says nearly 17 million people have used the toggle since its launch in 2022, and now, you won't have to worry about turning the option on when making a search. Instead, you'll now see a banner at the very top of your search results that says, "Prices include all fees."
Tax (Score:2)
Why NOT INCLUDE the cost of tax?
Re:Tax (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
It would be an additional pricing disadvantage to hotels which display neither taxes nor resort fees nor any other fees?
Can't give up on the tax scam right away (Score:2)
Those stupid tourists don't have any idea what the real taxes are anyway.
Re: (Score:2)
Why NOT INCLUDE the cost of tax?
Computing taxes in the USA is extremely complicated, and the inputs change constantly on the whim of the governments at every level. You need a full-time staff of experts just to keep up with it. I imagine that's why Airbnb just punts.
Re: (Score:3)
That's like saying 'oh shipping fees are very complicated, they change based on where you live and what you buy, so we're just not going to bother show them!'
Re: (Score:2)
You need a full-time staff of experts just to keep up with it.
It your argument is that it's too complicated for a computer and needs humans, then how does anyone, including Airbnb, manage to charge you the full price anyway when you click on BUY, without you asking a clerk on the phone?
On every website, at any minute, if you click BUY and then you pay the full price with taxes. This means it was able to display the amount of taxes also before you clicked on BUY. Even if the taxes change every second, it's still able to display the changes before you click BUY.
Years late (Score:2)
This was always so scammy and it messed up any apples to apples comparisons. "oh just $60 a night sounds like a good deal...$1500 cleaning fee".
Re: Years late (Score:2)
This was always so scammy and it messed up any apples to apples comparisons. "oh just $60 a night sounds like a good deal...$1500 cleaning fee".
A trick that worked for years was going to the Australian site to browse listings in the US, because their laws required the price including fees. Convert your price range to Australian dollars and set the filters, then go back to the American site to book.
Companies who scam and call it "marketing" (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
They passed a rule last year about that very thing, of course who is there to enforce it today might be a question.
FCC cracks down on cable ‘junk fees’ [cnn.com]
Just like not mentioned here is an FTC rule about these very lodging fees.
Federal Trade Commission Announces Bipartisan Rule Banning Junk Ticket and Hotel Fees [ftc.gov]
What backwater was this legal??? (Score:2)
I assume third world countri... oh. It was the US, right?
Mandatory (Score:3)
This should be mandatory standard practice for ALL industries. My ISP, Omni Fiber, charges exactly what they advertise. I was skeptical at first, verifying a few times with the company before switching. I'll be damned, for over a year now that EXACT SAME PRICE. No hidden fees, no gotchas. And the best part, they are less than half of the cost of the local cable ISP.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That's not entirely true for hotels. Many cities have a small tourist tax, something like 2 euros per night per guest (depends on the city), which many hotels charge on arrival. It's not much but it's annoying to have to pay it on arrival, they should have added it to the online system. Sources on the internet said there was no obligation to do this way, it's just more practical for their accounting to charge the tourist tax separately from the other things. A recent review of these local taxes https://www. [euronews.com]
It's about time (Score:2)
I'm a host, and have been for many years. This really should have been the default all along.
Airbnb is dead (Score:3)