Airbnb's Australia and New Zealand boss has finally revealed whether hosts should expect guests to clean before they leave. Photo / 123rf
Airbnb's Australia and New Zealand boss has finally revealed whether hosts should expect guests to clean before they leave. Photo / 123rf
Airbnb has firmly sided with guests over whether they should be required to do cleaning chores before checking out of their accommodation.
One of travellers’ biggest gripes with the accommodation platform is hosts’ requirements to go above and beyond when cleaning up after your stay - something you wouldn’t have to worry about if you were staying in a hotel.
A Google engineering director went viral on X earlier this year when she revealed that her Airbnb host was furious that she hadn’t vacuumed her accommodation - despite the fact that she’d paid a $185 cleaning fee.
I know I'd been warned, but I think Airbnb is over for me -- a host is angry with us because we didn't *vacuum*. mind you, we paid a $185 cleaning fee, stripped the beds, and took the trash to the local trash center
Countless other frustrated travellers shared their similar experiences - and now Airbnb itself has weighed in on the debate.
Susan Wheeler is Airbnb’s country manager for Australia and New Zealand, and she’s now revealed to news.com.au that guests “should not have to strip the bed, do the laundry or vacuum when leaving their Airbnb”.
She added, “But we think it’s reasonable to ask guests to turn off the lights, throw food in the rubbish, and lock the doors – just like they would when leaving their own home.”
The massage therapist, referred to as Mr C in today's report from deputy Health and Disability Commission Rose Wall, was found to be in breach after two female clients laid complaints. Photo / 123RF
In May this year, Airbnb added a “before you leave” section to its listings, so people can see the rules for checking out before they book a particular stay.
“As part of a recent product update, we introduced transparent checkout instructions, which differ from house rules, and are clearly displayed on the listing page before a guest books a listing,” Wheeldon explained.
She added that guests can now leave feedback on checkout checklists - and properties that consistently get low ratings on their requirements will be removed from the platform.
However, Airbnb would not comment when asked by the outlet if any listings had been removed because of unreasonable cleaning expectations.
But globally, more than 12,000 listings have been removed since April this year for various reasons.
It comes as a new report from Oxford Economics commissioned by Airbnb Australia and New Zealand reveals there’s been a shift from international to domestic tourism - and from urban to regional travel.
Around 79 per cent of Airbnb guest spend in Australia in the year ending in March 2023 came from domestic tourists.
Oxford Economics Australia’s head of consulting Kristian Holding says that with domestic travel seeing a surge in popularity, regional and self-drive trips are also more common.
Airbnb Australia and New Zealand’s head of public policy Michael Crosby says farm stays are becoming more of a trend as well.
Michael Crosby, head of public policy at Airbnb in Australia and New Zealand, said they were seeing a particular trend in farm stays.
