AirBnB fees

[Caselgarcia]

I am looking to book a short mid week break in the next couple of weeks just for me. I've never used AirBnB before but as a single traveller I thought it made sense as cottages and other small self contained properties are fairly expensive for one person. I have found a lovely small property which was advertised as 110 pound a night. I am thinking of staying 3 nights, however when I got to the booking page I'm presented with a service/cleaning fee of over 40 pounds and a booking fee of over 60 pounds! Is this usual? I can't believe they want another 100 pounds for a three night stay!

The cleaning fee is charged by the owner, the booking fee goes to Airbnb - can you google the property (name, area or a google search on one of the photos)? It is usually cheaper to book directly with the owner and they may have their own website or facebook page that you can book through.

Airbnb don't just charge the guest, they also charge the owner commission on every booking.

Thanks, I've tried that! Once I saw the extra fees I tried to find it on another site but I can't find it anywhere other than AirBnB.
Why do AirBnB charge such high fees? I expect a small booking fee when I book accommodation but not over 60 quid for 3 nights! I don't think I will use them in future, if I was to book a 7 night break for example would the fee be over 120 pounds?

7 nights often works out a bit cheaper overall

The fee is usually a percentage, I think Airbnb charge the guest 15 - 18% and the property owner 3 - 5%, vrbo split is slightly differently, 10% to guest and 8% to owner (plus payment processing fee and/or vat). All on-line travel agencies or listing sites charge, I use them to find a property we want to stay in and check reviews but I always book direct and usually save 20 - 25%.

This is why I never use Air BB - just too complicated for me!