Why we recommend a cleaning fee
We recommend charging a separate cleaning fee rather than building cleaning into your nightly price. Guests pay it once per stay rather than in every night's price, so longer stays don't cost more for a clean that only happens once.
Airbnb and Booking.com now show guests the total price of their stay, including any cleaning fee, when they search. You're compared on that total price, not your nightly price, so a separate cleaning fee doesn't put your listing at a disadvantage.
How much to charge
When you set your prices during setup, choose Charge a cleaning fee, marked Recommended (1). We'll show you the typical fee for a property with your number of bedrooms (2). Use it, or set your own amount. You can charge anything from 5 to 600 per stay, in your property's currency.
How you're paid your cleaning fee
Your cleaning fee is paid to you with the rest of your booking, and it's treated just like your nightly price. The booking sites take their commission on everything a guest pays, including cleaning, so the same commission applies to both.
That means a separate cleaning fee costs you nothing extra compared with building cleaning into your nightly price. Guests simply pay for it once per stay instead of every night. How Travelnest commission works
How to add or change your cleaning fee
1. Open your property.
Log in to your Travelnest account. From your homepage, select the property you want to update.
2. Go to Security deposit and cleaning fee.
Scroll down to Pricing and availability (1) and select Security deposit and cleaning fee (2).
3. Set your cleaning fee.
Scroll down to Cleaning fee. Turn on Set a cleaning fee (1), enter the amount you'd like to charge per stay (2), then select Save changes (3).
Travelnest tip
If you've built cleaning costs into your nightly or minimum price, lower it by about the same amount when you add a cleaning fee, so guests don't pay for cleaning twice. Keep your fee close to what a clean actually costs you.
Common questions
Can I add a cleaning fee after a booking has been made?
No. Once a booking has been confirmed, you can't add a cleaning fee to it. You can ask the guest if they're willing to pay it, but because it wasn't included when they booked, the booking site can't require them to. Any cleaning fee you add or change applies to future bookings.
Is my cleaning fee part of my minimum price?
No. Your minimum price covers the accommodation only. Your cleaning fee is added on top, once per stay.
Do promotions and discounts apply to my cleaning fee?
No. Promotions and discounts only apply to your nightly price, so your cleaning fee stays the same.