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An Airbnb host in San Antonio, Texas, has gone viral after a recent guest highlighted the home’s alleged “checkout” chore list and hefty cleaning fee.
A 32-year-old man who only wished to be identified as Brandon spoke with Newsweek for an interview published on Thursday, November 2. During the conversation, Brandon explained that he’s a graduate student based in Houston, Texas.
He, his wife, and two kids had vacationed in San Antonio between October 13 and October 15. The family chose to stay in an Airbnb.
“[We] rented the Airbnb because the total cost for a house with three bedrooms was cheaper than three hotel rooms,” Brandon explained to the outlet.
The Airbnb’s cost also included a $165 cleaning fee, Newsweek confirmed. This only exacerbated the “particularly irritating” experience that Brandon and his family encountered when they were met with a “chores list” upon checkout.
According to a post uploaded by Brandon on Reddit, the list informed the family to: “Strip all white linens from beds and leave them on bedroom floor. Leave comforter on bed. Start a load of all white towels (use bleach). Wash and put away all dishes and glasses. Remove all food from refrigerator. Remove all trash from bathrooms and kitchen and replace bags. Place trash in brown bin in garage. Leave all floors how you found them, clean and clutter-free. Clean with Swiffer if needed.”
Additionally, the list encouraged the family to check for left-behind belongings and “lock all windows and doors.”
Brandon titled his Reddit post, “Airbnb is getting out of hand.” Then, he shared his thoughts in the post’s caption.
“We paid a $150 cleaning fee for them to give us these checkout instructions. I’m surprised they didn’t want us to stick around to dry the towels and remake the beds.”
Airbnb has since shared a statement with Newsweek touching on guest experience and the hosts’ use of “checkout instructions.”
“We want guests to have the best possible experience on Airbnb, which is why we ask hosts to ensure checkout instructions are visible to guests prior to booking. We regularly share guidance with hosts on this topic, and repeated low ratings may lead to removal.”
According to Newsweek, Airbnb implemented “transparent checkout instructions” earlier this year. This means that checkout instructions are displayed on Airbnb listing pages for guests to view before they book and confirm their stay.
However, a Q&A forum on the Airbnb website seems to suggest that adding check-in and checkout instructions to an Airbnb listing is still more of an option for Airbnb hosts rather than a requirement. Additionally, the website adds that usual checkout suggestions are locking up, cleaning dirty dishes, taking out the trash, and other similar requests.
Newsweek does not share whether Brandon expressed noticing the checkout instructions before booking the San Antonio Airbnb. However, Brandon did inform the outlet that “the house was not really well-maintained,” featured broken pool sticks, and “a very uncomfortable mattress.”
Additionally, Brandon admitted that he’s unsure whether his wife left a review for the Airbnb hosts. However, he does know that the hosts were “happy” to have him and his family “back.”
“…Despite the fact that we did not complete the list — we did not put away dishes or run the washing machine,” Brandon told Newsweek.
“Meanwhile you can absolutely abuse a hotel room for $150 a night and they’ll thank you for your stay”
“I do zero chores if there is a cleaning fee.”
“I used to love Air BnB; could stay with the family cheaper than a hotel and have a full kitchen. Now, with all the fees it’s ridiculous. We’re back to staying at hotels and eating out.”
Roomies, what are your thoughts?
