One of the worst feelings in the world is budgeting for a vacation rental unit only to be hit with hidden fees at checkout. After years of customer complaints and angry tweets, Airbnb is finally addressing this issue.
In what’s being called the “Airbnb 2023 summer release”, the popular VRU app is addressing concerns customers have about hidden fees and many other grievances. The refreshing update is arriving just in time for the warm season and travelers are looking forward to the application being more transparent with its customers.
Sick & Tired Of Hidden Fees
For years, travelers have expressed great disappointment with Airbnbs hidden fees and failure to disclose important information before customers enter their credit card numbers. Their frustrations eventually leaked over to social media where thousands of other travelers agreed that the VRU app had some shady fee policies.
“AirBnb and Uber trippin. We back to yellow cabs and hotels this summer. They not gonna fee us to death,” one traveler tweeted in 2021.
According to Insider, despite Airbnb marketing itself as a cheaper alternative to hotels, the rising demand for travel accommodations has led to an increase in fees. With the new update, the company is embracing transparency and letting it all hang out when it comes to their fees.
Instead of being surprised by cleaning fees at the time of payment, the forthcoming update allows travelers to see a “display total price” button. When toggled on, the nightly cost will include the total cost including all fees except tax, according to Conde Nest Traveler.
Addressing Complaints One At A Time
Hidden fees aren’t the only issue Airbnb is resolving in its new update. The company is returning back to its roots with the launch of “Airbnb Rooms.” Travelers will now be able to check out millions of private bedrooms worldwide they can stay at.
The app is also putting more effort into giving guests more insight into property hosts with “Host Passports” to share details about the personalities of the folks lending out their homes.
Additionally, Airbnb is improving the app’s map functionality, improving the guest wish list feature, reducing fees for longer stays, and launching a new customer service line. Airbnb will allow guests to check out using Klarna installment payments and be more diligent in protecting guests from host cancellations.
