Optional extras and fees — pet charges and tourist tax

Understanding optional fees for your property 

Travelnest does not collect additional fees such as pet charges or tourist tax as part of the booking process. Currently, booking platforms only allow mandatory fees, such as cleaning charges, to be collected automatically as part of the booking.

How to handle optional extras

If you offer optional extras that guests can pay for after booking, it is important to clearly communicate this in your property description. Make sure guests understand that these fees are separate from the booking charge they have already paid.

This approach also gives you the opportunity to contact guests before their stay to ask if they would like to take advantage of any additional services or amenities you provide.

Please note that some platforms, such as Booking.com and, more recently, Expedia, automatically generate listing descriptions. As a result, any optional extras you include in your Travelnest property description are not automatically sent to these channels.

For Booking.com, it is possible to manually add optional extras in the free-text Property Information section. However, this section has a strict word limit, so it is important to prioritise the most relevant information.

Cleaning fees

Travelnest continues to support cleaning fees as these are mandatory and accepted by all channels. You can add a cleaning fee to your Travelnest account through the Security deposit and cleaning fee section of your Property Profile.

Travelnest tip

Clearly communicate any optional extras in your listing description or in direct messages to guests. This ensures expectations are set and provides the opportunity to offer additional services, while keeping your booking fees transparent and accurate.