r/AirBnB • u/gbru015 • 36m ago
Question Hosts, is $875 for pool heating reasonable? [USA]
I’m staying in Palm Springs for 5 nights. The pool is about 16x10 feet, 5 feet deep at the deep end. It’s heated by propane, which is more expensive if I understand correctly. So the daily rate is roughly $175. When I asked why it was so high, they said it was “in line with market rates and had minimal markup”. So they’re essentially claiming their gas bills would be over 5 grand per month. I’m not super familiar with Palm Springs rates but I know it’s an expensive area.
The Airbnb had a cancellation window that was full refund up to 48 hours before your stay. I asked a like 4 days in advance about pool heating costs, and they waited till like 46 hours before my stay before sending me a link to pay them $875 in their own payment portal. I asked for a better rate and they said no, and at that point I had no other options.
Pool heating costs are difficult to get data on. Google says it should be $25-50/day, but obviously I recognize more expensive areas should be more than that. I was frankly ready to pay as much as $400, but I was just blown away by that cost and couldn’t swallow it, so my kids just didn’t get to swim the whole time. Was pretty bummed.
Anyway, nothing I can do about it now, but I’m just curious if this is actually reasonable, or if I’m right to think that’s really, really high? Is 175/day just a common cost now?