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Category: Pricing & Revenue
By: Camille Dubois
Reply by Megan O'Connor:
I switched to host-only fee and saw a 12% increase in bookings within the first month. Here's the logic: **With split fee:** Guest sees "$150/night" → adds 14% service fee → total is $171/night at checkout. Sticker shock. **With host-only fee:** Guest sees "$150/night" → total is $150/night (no additional fees). But Airbnb takes 14% from me, so I actually receive $129. To break even, I raised my listed price to $175/night. Guest pays $175 (no surprise fees). I receive $150 after Airbnb's 14% cut. Same net to me, but the guest sees a LOWER checkout total than under split fee. The psychological impact is huge. No surprise fees = higher conversion rate = more bookings. One caveat: this only works if you're comfortable with a higher listed nightly rate. Some hosts worry about appearing more expensive in search results.
Reply by Jake Anderson:
Important note: the host-only fee also means you're paying commission on cleaning fees, not just nightly rates. If you have a $150 cleaning fee, Airbnb takes 14% of that too ($21). Under split fee, they only take 3% ($4.50). For properties with high cleaning fees, the math might favor split fee. Do the calculation for your specific situation before switching.