Housekeeping Fee
A non-refundable fee charged to guests for the professional cleaning and preparation of a short-term rental property after their departure. This fee covers the direct costs of a standard turnover clean, including labor, supplies, and laundry services required to reset the property for the next guest.
Why it matters
The housekeeping fee is a critical component of a property manager's pricing strategy, directly impacting both profitability and guest perception. It ensures that the significant operational cost of professional cleaning is covered without eroding the nightly rate, thereby maintaining consistent standards of cleanliness which are paramount for positive reviews and repeat bookings. Mispricing this fee can either deter potential guests if too high or lead to operational losses if set too low.
Operator use case
Operators calculate the housekeeping fee by getting quotes from their cleaners or adding up their direct costs, including labor, supplies, and a buffer for incidentals. This fee is then added as a standard line item to every reservation, regardless of the length of stay, to cover the cost of the turnover clean. For longer stays, some operators may factor in mid-stay cleans, which can affect the overall pricing strategy but are typically separate from the standard post-departure fee.
Industry insight
A common misconception is that the housekeeping fee should be a profit center; however, seasoned operators view it strictly as a cost-recovery mechanism. A significant industry shift involves strategically lowering the visible cleaning fee and embedding the remaining cost into the nightly rate. This approach improves a listing's visibility and ranking on OTAs that penalize listings with excessively high fees relative to the base rate, especially for shorter stays. Another frequent mistake is conflating the standard housekeeping fee with funds for deep cleaning or damages; the standard fee is designed only for a turnover clean, while deep cleans should be budgeted as a recurring operational expense and damages should be handled through a security deposit or damage waiver.
Tech & tools relevance
Most Property Management Systems (PMS) and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb and Vrbo allow for a distinct housekeeping fee to be configured per property. This fee is displayed to the guest during the booking process as a separate line item added to the total reservation cost. Advanced PMS platforms and specialized cleaning management software can automate the scheduling and payment to cleaning teams based on check-out dates, triggered by reservation data synced from the PMS calendar.
How Hostfully helps
Hostfully's platform allows operators to set and manage housekeeping fees for each property, which are then synchronized across all connected booking channels.