By Dan Gitomer, owner of The Short Term Rental Life · Updated October 10, 2026
If Airbnb’s fee change has you looking at your payout and wondering where the money went, I understand the frustration. The cleaning still needs doing. The mortgage still comes due. And now there’s another change to work through.
I’m a fellow host and operator here in Flagstaff. After more than 15 years in short-term rentals, my first move with a change like this is to open an actual reservation and follow the money.
What did the guest pay? What did Airbnb deduct? What did you keep?
Those answers give you a much better starting point than a blanket rate increase. They also help you decide whether it’s time to add another booking platform or build a direct-booking option of your own.
What actually changed?
Airbnb is transitioning home hosts from its split-fee structure to a single fee. Most hosts on the single fee pay 15.5%, deducted from their payout. Under the split fee, most hosts pay 3% and guests pay a separate service fee. Rates and exceptions vary, so check your own reservation breakdown. Airbnb’s current fee guidance
As of October 10, Airbnb’s software-connected host guidance says hosts using property management software who have not switched will transition on October 13, 2026. Check your account notice and the fee on a newly made booking rather than assuming every account changes at the same time. Software-connected host guidance
Reservations booked before your switch retain their original fee structure, even if the stay happens afterward. Two guests arriving in the same month can therefore have bookings with different host fees.
The payout math—and the part that gets overlooked
Here’s a simple illustration using a $100 room charge. It excludes cleaning fees, taxes, and other deductions.
| Same $100 room charge | 3% host fee | 15.5% host fee |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb host fee | $3.00 | $15.50 |
| Host payout | $97.00 | $84.50 |
Leave the room price unchanged and you receive $12.50 less in this example. That is a payout difference before operating expenses—not a calculation of profit.
But the guest’s separate service fee also disappears. Comparing the old and new nightly rates alone leaves out that part of the picture.
To keep approximately the same $97 payout at a 15.5% host fee, the room price would need to be $114.79. That is roughly a 14.8% adjustment under these assumptions.
Suppose the old guest service fee was 15%, purely for illustration. The guest previously paid $115 before taxes. At the adjusted single-fee price, the guest would pay about $114.79 before taxes. The displayed room rate rises while the guest’s total stays almost the same. Actual guest fees vary.
This calculation is a starting point, not an instruction to increase every rate by 14.8%. Your current fee, existing adjustments, discounts, and competition all matter.
Is your cleaning fee still covering your cleaner?
This is an easy cost to overlook when all the attention is on nightly rates. Charging the guest what your cleaner charges you does not leave enough to pay the cleaner after Airbnb takes its percentage.
The service fee applies to the nightly price and host-added reservation fees, including cleaning fees, excluding taxes. Cleaning was already part of the fee calculation under the split structure; the larger deduction makes the shortfall more significant.
Suppose your cleaner charges $200 per turnover and your host service fee is 15.5%:
| Guest cleaning charge | 15.5% deduction | Left for the cleaner |
|---|---|---|
| $200.00 | $31.00 | $169.00 |
| $236.69 | $36.69 | $200.00 |
Keep charging $200 and you have to cover the missing $31 elsewhere in the booking revenue. Ten turnovers would leave $310 of cleaning costs to recover.
To recover the cleaner’s invoice through that charge, use:
Cleaning charge = cleaner’s cost ÷ (1 − your host service-fee rate)
At 15.5%, $200 ÷ 0.845 = $236.69, rounded to the nearest cent. Simply adding 15.5% to the invoice is not enough, because Airbnb takes its percentage from the increased charge too.
That is about 18.3% above the cleaner’s invoice—not a blanket 18.3% increase to your existing cleaning fee. Your current charge may already include an allowance. Include any other turnover costs you intend to recover, then compare the guest’s full stay total.
What I would check before changing your rates
1. Start with a newly made booking
Look at the host service fee in the reservation’s earnings breakdown and when it was booked. Review cleaning and other charges too. Compare what remains after Airbnb’s deduction with the costs those charges are meant to cover.
2. Find out which system controls your price
If you use PriceLabs, a property management system, or a channel manager, trace how the final Airbnb price is produced. Check for an existing Airbnb markup before adding another adjustment.
Airbnb tells software-connected hosts to make changes through their property management software and verify prices, discounts, and promotions afterward. My practical rule: make the intended adjustment once, let the systems sync, then inspect what guests actually see.
3. Compare the guest’s full stay price
Pick specific dates, a stay length, and a guest count. Compare your property with similar homes using the same search details. A Flagstaff studio and a large Sedona house serve different trips. Amenities, location, reviews, and guest experience still matter.
4. Check what remains after your costs
Look beyond gross booking revenue. Review platform deductions, turnover costs, supplies, software, and management charges that apply to your operation. Track comparable dates and stay lengths. One slow week—or one strong booking—does not establish whether the pricing works.
Should you add another booking platform?
If Airbnb is your only source of reservations, consider whether another channel fits your property. A traveler using Vrbo or Booking.com may never see your Airbnb listing.
Start with one additional platform that fits the guests you want to attract. Before opening the calendar, work through fees, payments, cancellation settings, availability connections, and guest messages. Test the setup and monitor it. Another channel creates opportunity and operating work; it should earn its place in your business.
Direct booking: start with how guests will find you
A direct-booking site can give you more control over presentation, the booking experience, and independently generated demand. The first question is: How will the right guests discover your website?
Your own search visibility, public marketing, and local partnerships may be part of the answer. The website also needs connected availability, payments, clear guest policies, and ongoing support.
Compare payment processing, software, website upkeep, marketing, your time, and the arrangements needed for screening, disputes, and insurance. Avoiding an Airbnb fee does not make a direct reservation cost-free.
Build this around guests you attract independently, and review Airbnb’s off-platform policy before using platform guest information or moving a booking elsewhere.
For some owners, the next step is fixing current pricing. For others, it is adding a channel or planning direct booking. You do not have to do all of it at once.
Let’s look at your place together
I help owners in Flagstaff, Sedona, and across the country work through pricing and operating decisions. I bring 15+ years in short-term rentals and experience serving more than 20,000 reservations.
Bring your listing and one question to a free 15–30 minute Pricing & Direct-Booking Check. We’ll identify what deserves attention first. If you want help carrying it out, we can discuss a separate paid project.
Book a free check with Dan or call 928-600-5781.
Explore short-term rental consulting, or see the shorter Airbnb fee-change guide.
