During episode three of Spotless Stays, our special guest Stephanie Flint was unequivocal: DO NOT charge a cleaning fee. What we found on social media, however, was a nuanced debate and split opinion. While many hosts and property managers do not expressly state the cleaning fee in their nightly rate, others believe it has become standard practice in the industry and can see the benefits of outlining the various costs of each reservation.
This LinkedIn post generated plenty of strong opinions. In the video clip, Stephanie says: “You don’t go to a hotel and ask what percentage of the rate will go towards housekeeping and linen because no-one’s interested. The price is the price. Work your figures out, understand what your prices are, understand what you need to make a profit, and stick that on your nightly rate. Keep it simple. Don’t complicate things.”
Robin Craigen, Co-Founder of Moving Mountains, agreed with Stephanie’s approach and referenced the fact that Airbnb describes cleaning fees as the most hated expense.
“We don’t break out the fees on our website. In our experience, it doesn’t change consumer behaviour. At the end of the day, guests simply want to know the total cost, so that is what we show on our website and have done for several years.
“I’m glad to see that Airbnb and VRBO are finally leaning in this direction. The whole conversation about junk fees is bringing every travel-related provider slowly to this same place.”
The Co-Founder and CEO of AI-powered PMS, Boom, Shahar Goldboim, also mentioned the world’s biggest online travel agency in his comment.
“When Airbnb entered the market, they changed the game. By splitting the channel fee between the owner and the traveller, they made it a no-brainer for owners – keeping commissions nearly equal to merchant fees. They also separated reservation fees, making the per night rate look lower while increasing transparency on costs. This approach built trust and contributed to Airbnb’s massive adoption compared to other platforms.
“That said, what worked 10 years ago might need adjustments today. I don’t claim to have the perfect answer, but I do know that cleaning comes at a cost. How we present that cost – whether as a separate fee or built into the nightly rate – should depend on what maximises bookings.
“As business owners, our goal is to drive the most reservations. That’s why I’d advocate for A/B testing of different pricing models to see what resonates best with guests while ensuring operational sustainability.”
One of our recent podcast guests, Emma Kelman, from The Island Holiday Company, said she could see both sides of the debate.
She said: “This is a tricky one. We’ve always been seen as ‘more expensive’ for our housekeeping costs. For the last three years, I haven’t put up our housekeeping costs – even though costs have increased. Why? Because we can see the strain on our owners facing increased costs due to over-saturation in peak periods.
“If the nightly rate increases, it can affect ranking and algorithms. Towards the end of last year, I started adding cleaning fees to our listings. They aren’t large cleaning fees, but it means we get to be back in the position of making a profit on our housekeeping arm rather than breaking even. One size does not fit all, however, and I understand Stephanie’s view completely. However, cleaning businesses are one of the hardest to run operationally in our sector.”
James Cornwell, Founder of Curated Property, disagreed with Stephanie's approach. He said: “Separating the cleaning fee is standard practice in the industry, particularly for short-term rentals, as it allows for fair pricing – guests who stay one night don’t subsidise those staying a week. Meanwhile, including it in the rate can work for longer stays but often leads to misleading price comparisons.The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What really matters is data, not strong opinions. Have you run A/B tests on occupancy rates, conversion, and guest satisfaction for both methods? If not, this conversation is just speculation.”
What do you think about charging a cleaning fee? Let us know in the comments!
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