
Airbnb will now show total prices by default
CNN
Among the biggest annoyances of booking an Airbnb are the fees, which can jack up the price of the once affordable alternative to hotels. That’s changing Monday with the platform now displaying the total price on default.
Among the biggest annoyances of booking an Airbnb are the fees, which can jack up the price of the once affordable alternative to hotels. That’s changing Monday with the platform now displaying the total price on default. All users will now see the full price of a stay, which includes fees and taxes, from the get-go. This marks a change from displaying prices based off the nightly rate. The pricing update is part of Airbnb’s commitment to “affordability and transparency,” according to a blog post. Airbnb’s changes come ahead of new US federal regulations about junk fees that are set to go into effect on May 12. The Federal Trade Commission announced new rules late last year banning hotels, ticketing and short-term rental companies from including hidden junk fees in their total. Rather than consumers getting hit with “convenience” or “service” fees for hotel bookings and concert tickets at checkout, the rule will ensure that pricing information is presented transparently before consumers agree to pay, the agency previously announced. The final rule does not limit what sellers can charge for a product or service. Instead, it requires businesses to display the total price, including all additional fees, more prominently than other pricing information. Airbnb began displaying total prices on default in 2019 in several parts of Australia, Canada and Europe. The change rolled out as an option to Canada and the US in 2022 with nearly 17 million guests having used the feature since then, the company said.

Predictions from mainstream economists were dire after President Donald Trump launched his tariff campaign just a couple weeks after he began his second term in office: Prices would rise — sharply — they said, reigniting an inflation crisis that tens of millions of Americans had elected him to solve.

Despite unprecedented immigration raids, a massive domestic policy agenda and now the prospect of actual war, President Donald Trump’s first five months in office have nevertheless been dominated by his trade war. He notched some recent wins, but Trump is rapidly running out of time to seal the deal.