Problem statement
Currently, the security deposit feature only supports refundable deposits. Some hosts prefer a flat, non-refundable fee to avoid guest confusion. However, when guests book via OTAs (Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com), they are often warned by those platforms not to enter their information into external sites, making them reluctant to use Hospitable's security deposit flow.
Current workaround
Hosts use generic fee fields (like 'Management fee'), but these have fixed labels that may confuse guests.
Impact
Guests may question the labels of these fees or, more critically, refuse to provide their information due to OTA warnings, leading to lost bookings and cancellations.
Proposed solution
Two potential solutions:
- Add an option within the Security Deposit settings to set a flat, non-refundable fee that is handled in a way that doesn't conflict with OTA warnings or require guests to enter sensitive information into an external portal.
- Alternatively, add 'Non-refundable security fee' as one of the standard set fees that can sync to other platforms.
Unlock
Hosts can implement a protection fee that is clear to the guest and doesn't trigger the security warnings from OTAs, reducing guest friction and cancellations.