When staying in a beautiful hotel with stellar service, most satisfied guests find it a no-brainer to tip waitstaff, porters, and housekeeping.
Like these hotels, many Airbnb rentals provide beautiful spaces, unique treats, and welcoming hosts, but the question of whether you should tip your hosts remains vague.
Are hosts providing guests a service? Or should your Airbnb reservation be considered “all inclusive”?
Should you tip your Airbnb host?
The short answer is...
From the perspective of an Airbnb host, the answer is no, you shouldn’t be tipping your Airbnb host after your stay.
Unlike service work, your host is not usually playing a role or doing one specific job throughout your stay.
You can also think of it in the terms of salaried work versus hourly work.
Hosts are (usually) not hourly workers
Your Airbnb host is most likely the owner of the rental or hired by the owner with salaried or commission-based pay.
If you think of it like that, you would not tip the owner of a restaurant as they are receiving all profits from your business.
Alternatively, you would tip the waiter, as they are directly providing you with the hospitality and service that determines your enjoyment and experience.
Like the waiter, you are welcome to tip the housekeeping team who cleans the Airbnb rental or any additional workers who improve the quality of your stay. Many Airbnb’s in my area provide envelopes just for the purpose of tipping housekeeping for a job well-done.
Many hosts do not live on-site
Another problem you might run into is that many hosts do not live on-site.
In fact, many hosts don’t ever step foot in the rentals they manage (hosting can very successfully be a remote job like many others).
If you loved your host and want to show your appreciation, a physical tip left in the Airbnb space will most likely not reach the host.
Consider leaving a 5-star review
Instead, reward your hosts with glowing review on their Airbnb listings.
Many hosts depend on this work as their sole-income and a good review does wonders for their business.
To go the extra step, mention the host by name and mention the specific thing you appreciated about them, for example, quick responses, friendly communication, thoughtful treats and gifts, or even simply being available for you when you needed them most.
Final Thoughts
We can all agree that tipping is a universal sign of appreciation for a job well done.
When it comes to Airbnb, save those monetary tips for the rental’s service workers and tip your host via a positive review on their Airbnb listing.
It means the world to a host to hear that their guests enjoyed their stay; to hear it in a review both shows your appreciation to the host, as well as helps them continue to grow their small business.
