Sharing as an AirBnB host that I feel guests don’t know about

Disclaimer: This was written to simply teach. I’m not taking the sides of hosts. I use AirBnB frequently as both a guest and a host. I understand frustrations of a guest very well but hosting has also given me more understanding why things operate the way they do, and it may give you some insights and learning too.

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1. We get a penalized (fees and other consequences) when WE cancel your reservation.

It’s frustrating when your host cancels on you, I get it, believe me, but it’s not easy for hosts to cancel your trip either. AirBnB blocks the dates that the host cancels: meaning no one else can book those dates and you get a refund i.e. we completely lose the opportunity to earn thru AirBnB from those dates.

2. Extra charges are not always an indicator of greed.

It’s not because we’re being intentionally stingy. Some hosts, like us, hire cleaners because we live far from our unit. The cleaners also charge us extra when they have to clean extra sheets. For example, our laundry fees paid to our keeper is around 500 pesos to wash 3 sets of sheets and towels; adding extra sets costs us 200+ per set. So the extra fees you pay on extra heads go to the cleaners, not us.

3. Parking is always a struggle, but frankly, we’re not rich enough to afford one.

Owning a parking slot is the same as owning property. If we were to buy a spot, which can cost millions of pesos, we’d be at a loss. Renting one isn’t cheap either, because we’d pay per month (around 10k a month) with no guarantee we’ll book enough nights for that month.

4. People steal and don’t take care of the unit.

Not all – but many. We don’t buy high-end stuff cause people break it or steal it. No matter how optimistic you want to be: reality is most people don’t take care of stuff that do not belong to them. Most people won’t even clean their tables after eating at Jollibee, do you honestly think they’ll clean up after a BnB? It’s sad, but it’s true.

5. We have late check-ins and early check-outs because of cleaning, and because we share cleaners.

We have to give ample time for cleaning in between checkins, and buildings (like ours) may only have 1-3 cleaners who clean multiple units at a time. Also, most of the time, we offer free adjusted checkin and checkouts if time permits. You can just ask your hosts.

6. Mortgage isn’t cheap.

Unit owners use your payments to pay for the monthly amortization. Big chunks of payments go to other bills e.g. electricity, internet, cleaning fees, association dues, (for some hosts) parking. No matter how much we want to lower the nightly fees, it’s not always practical. Every convenience for guests is a financial gamble for hosts, so we’re backed into a corner and forced to choose our battles.

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If you’re thinking, “then why host in the first place?” let me answer for you:

For us, sure, we have the option to sell. But for most hosts, especially in the Philippines, it’s a hustle and it may be their only income. It’s not as easy as “let’s just stop doing it tomorrow.”

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Hope you learned something new, friends. Safe travels!