Full service in Airbnb management: a word with no fixed content — and what is in ours
«Full service» is not a standard but a marketing word. Two providers using the same word can differ by four services.
What does full service mean in Airbnb management?
In Airbnb management, full service denotes the package in which the provider takes over the entire operation: listing, pricing, guest communication, key handover, cleaning and laundry. The term is not standardised; its scope follows solely from the contract. At alphakey, full service costs 25 per cent of accommodation revenue after the platform fee.
How two full-service offers can differ
Because the term is not standardised, the contract decides. Five points regularly differ between providers, and all five cost money or time.
- Is cleaning included in the rate or charged on top? With us it runs as a flat rate per changeover, staged by size of flat, and is charged to the guest as a cleaning fee. No commission falls on it.
- Is linen provided or does it have to be in the flat? That decides whether you buy textiles in triplicate.
- Is anyone reachable outside office hours? Guests arrive in the evening, and flights are delayed at night.
- Are minor repairs covered, and up to what amount without asking?
- Who handles the tourist tax, guest registration and the reporting duties under cantonal law?
When the basic package is enough
With us the difference between basic and full service is 7 percentage points — 18 against 25 per cent. In return you organise cleaning, laundry and handover yourself.
Whether that pays off hangs on one figure: around 78 arrivals a year at an average stay of three nights. Anyone living nearby, with a reliable cleaner and able to answer the phone in the evening, saves real money with the basic package. Anyone without that is not buying convenience with those 7 points but the avoidance of bad reviews — and a bad review depresses the price for good.
The calculator on this site shows both packages side by side, noting which work stays with you under the basic package.
Frequently asked questions
- What is included in full service?
- With us: listing and photo selection, ongoing pricing, listings on Airbnb and Booking.com, guest communication, cleaning and laundry between stays, key handover or an electronic lock, availability around the clock, and minor repairs up to the agreed limit. The term is not standardised, though — at another provider the same word can mean less.
- What does full service cost?
- At alphakey, 25 per cent of accommodation revenue after the platform fee. In the market, full-service offers in Zurich run between 20 and 30 per cent. Comparing by rate alone misleads: what matters is what it is calculated on and what is included.
- Is full service worth it, or is the basic package enough?
- The basic package costs 7 percentage points less and requires you to organise cleaning, laundry and handover yourself — for around 78 arrivals a year. Anyone living nearby with a reliable cleaner saves real money that way. Anyone without that risks reviews that depress the price for good. The calculator shows both packages side by side.
- Is «full service» a protected term?
- No. There is no standard and no certification for it. Two providers using the same word can differ on cleaning, laundry, availability outside office hours, minor repairs and reporting duties. What applies is in the contract — and what is not in it is not included.
Your question is not answered?
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