10/22/2026
Airbnb’s New Rules: Apparently, Doing the Dishes Is Now a Controversial Topic!
Well, after more than 10 years in the vacation rental industry, I suppose I’ve officially seen it all. And just when you think you’ve figured out the ever-changing world of short-term rentals… along comes another policy change!
Airbnb is making headlines with its rules limiting checkout chores for guests, including things like laundry, dishes, and trash removal.
As someone who has spent over a decade striving to be a Superhost (which, let me tell you, is no small accomplishment in a world where expectations seem to grow higher by the day!), I have some thoughts.
From the beginning, my goal has never been simply to provide a place to sleep. I’ve worked hard to create homes that I would genuinely want to bring my own family to. Homes that are beautiful, welcoming, cozy, fun, thoughtfully furnished, well-maintained, and, above all, CLEAN.
I’ve always believed that when someone pays to stay in one of my homes, they deserve to arrive at a spotless, inviting space where they can relax, make memories, and feel at home.
And I’ve NEVER believed it was a guest’s responsibility to CLEAN the home. That’s our job.
But I’ve also always believed there’s a difference between cleaning a home and being a thoughtful houseguest.
To me, asking guests to leave a home reasonably tidy, load and start the dishwasher, and take out their trash isn’t asking them to become the cleaning crew. It’s simply asking them to treat the home with the same consideration they’d show when staying with friends or family.
After all, I wouldn’t leave my best friend’s kitchen full of dirty dishes and a week’s worth of trash when I headed home. (Well, not if I wanted to be invited back! )
And here’s something that sometimes gets lost in these conversations…
Behind many of these beautiful vacation homes are real people. Small-business owners, families, housekeepers, maintenance teams, and local communities who work incredibly hard to create wonderful experiences for travelers.
The cost of maintaining these homes, keeping them exceptionally clean, and meeting increasingly high expectations continues to rise. And while guests understandably want value and convenience, hosts are working just as hard to provide both.
Hospitality should never mean guests have to work for their vacation. But being on vacation shouldn’t mean common courtesy takes a vacation, either.
And despite the headlines, the changes, and the occasional guest who leaves us wondering whether a small tornado passed through the kitchen… I genuinely believe the overwhelming majority of guests are thoughtful, conscientious, respectful people.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of welcoming so many wonderful families into my homes, and I truly believe most guests care about the places they stay.
My hope, as we navigate yet another change in the vacation rental industry, is that guests, hosts, property owners, and booking platforms can find a little more common ground.
Because ultimately, we all want the same thing: beautiful, clean, well-maintained homes, wonderful vacation experiences, fair expectations, and a vacation rental industry that continues to thrive.
I’ll keep doing my part to provide homes I’d be proud to share with my own family. And I’ll keep trusting that the wonderful people who stay in them will treat those spaces with the same care and respect.
A little kindness, a little consideration, and maybe a dishwasher running on the way out… is that really too much to hope for?
Here’s to keeping hospitality hospitable — for EVERYONE!
