On May 10th, Airbnb rolled out a major policy change: no more off-platform payments for upsells.
Here’s the key update, straight from Airbnb:
“Requesting, sending, or receiving payments outside of Airbnb is prohibited. This includes the cost of the reservation and fee payments related to reservations (e.g., optional fee to heat the pool).”
That means common host upsells like pet fees, pool heating, early check-in, mid-stay cleans, parking, grocery stocking, etc. – all of it must be paid through Airbnb now.
And yes – Airbnb can scan your guest messages, phone calls, and instructions. If you’re not compliant, they can suspend or permanently deactivate your account.
Enter SuiteOp
SuiteOp, a startup building automation tools to simplify STR operations, just launched a feature that makes upsells Airbnb-compliant without breaking your workflows.
Here’s how it works:
- Hosts can still offer upsells via a fully branded guest portal.
- When Guests go to pay for the upsell - they are routed directly to Airbnb’s Resolution Center to process the payment (this maintains compliance with Airbnb’s new policies)
- Once payment is approved, it automatically triggers SuiteOp workflows (ex: alerts your team, adjusts smart devices, posts to Slack, etc.)
It’s 100% Airbnb-compliant, feels seamless to the guest, and requires zero manual work for the host.
Bottom line
If you offer upsells, audit your workflows to make sure you’re compliant with Airbnb’s new policy. Check your message templates, check-in instructions, and automations. This policy is already live.
Don't have a solution? SuiteOp is worth checking out.
