An Airbnb host in San Antonio, Texas, has gone viral after a recent guest highlighted the home’s “checkout” chore list and large cleaning fee.
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More details Regarding the alleged experience of the Airbnb Guest
A 32-year-old man who just wanted to be identified as Brandon He spoke to Newsweek for an interview published on Thursday, November 2. During the conversation, Brandon explained that he is a graduate student based in Houston, Texas.
He, his wife, and two children were on vacation in San Antonio between October 13 and October 15. The family chose to stay in an Airbnb.
“[We] the Airbnb rental because the total cost of a three-bedroom house was cheaper than three hotel rooms,” Brandon explained to the outlet.
The Airbnb charge also included a $165 cleaning fee, Newsweek confirmed. This only made the “particularly humbling” experience Brandon and his family encountered when they were met with a “to-do list” when they went out.
According to a post uploaded by Brandon on Reddit, the list notified the family to: “Remove all white linens from the beds and leave them on the bedroom floor. Leave comfort on the bed. Start a load of all white towels (use bleach). Wash and put away all dishes and glasses. Remove all food from the refrigerator. Remove all trash from the bathrooms and kitchen and replace the bags. Place trash in the brown bin in the garage. Leave all floors as you found them, clean and free of litter. Clean with Swiffer if needed.”
In addition, the list encouraged the family to look behind them and “lock all windows and doors.”
Brandon captioned his Reddit post, “Airbnb is getting out of hand. ” Then, he shared his thoughts in the title of the post.
“We paid them a $150 clearing fee for giving us these payment instructions. I’m surprised they didn’t want us hanging around to dry the towels and make the beds. “
Airbnb publishes statement on “Checkout Guidelines”
Airbnb has since shared a statement with Newsweek touching on the guest experience and hosts’ use of “checkout management.”
“We want guests to have the best possible experience on Airbnb, which is why we ask hosts to make sure payment instructions are visible to guests before booking. We regularly share guidelines with hosts on this topic, and low ratings may result in removal. “
According to Newsweek, Airbnb implemented “transparent payment guidelines” earlier this year. This means payment instructions are displayed on Airbnb listing pages for guests to see before they book and confirm their stay.
However, a Q&A forum on Airbnb’s website seems to suggest that adding booking and payment instructions to an Airbnb listing is still more of an option for Airbnb hosts than a requirement. In addition, the website says that typical payment suggestions include locking up, cleaning dirty dishes, taking out the trash, and other similar requests.
Newsweek does not share whether Brandon indicated that he noticed the payment instructions before booking the San Antonio Airbnb. However, Brandon told the outlet that “the house was not well maintained,” revealing broken bath tubs, and “very uncomfortable furniture.”
Additionally, Brandon admitted that he is not sure if his wife left a review for Airbnb hosts. However, he knows the hosts were “happy” he and his family were “back.”
“… Even though we didn’t finish the list — we didn’t put away dishes or run the washing machine,” Brandon told Newsweek.
Social media responses
One user, @Sam_GT3 wrote.
“Meanwhile you can abuse a hotel room for $150 a night and they’ll thank you for your stay”
Reddit user @Law3W added.
“I don’t do any work if there is a cleaning fee. “
