A tourist staying at a homestay expressed frustration after being asked to pay a surcharge for dishwashing and cleaning, causing much debate.
Sharing on a Hanoian forum on April 21, Duy Phuong said that she had just checked out of a homestay, but now the whole group was being asked for 450,000 VND for cleaning and 100,000 VND for washing dishes. He said he went to many places and stayed in many places, but he had never seen a surcharge like this. “The homestay owner also said that if he did not pay, he would ‘report’ to the travel groups because the rules clearly stated that cleaning was required,” Duy Phuong wrote.
This tourist also wondered why he spent money to rent a room and had to clean the room. What is the job of the cleaners? Is this surcharge correct?
Right below Duy Phuong’s post, there are hundreds of comments expressing agreement with the homestay owner. “The rules are clear, so just follow them” or “It’s your fault for not reading the rules first” and “Stop arguing, you’re wrong”.
Both customers and owners are still tense after the incident.
From an intermediate perspective, Ms. An An, system manager of hundreds of villa-style homestays on the outskirts of Hanoi, believes that the above incident is only wrong when guests are not clearly informed about the fee. When clearly stated during the consultation process or in the contract (room rental confirmation), the guest must of course pay the fee or negotiate with the housekeeper.
“Both sides should negotiate and resolve the issue amicably,” Ms. An said.
Homestays and hotels are basically both forms of accommodation services. However, these two forms also have many differences, specifically the privacy and amenities of the hotel are higher, but homestays can accommodate many people, the price is often cheaper, suitable for large groups of guests. , want to live together. Furthermore, at the homestay, visitors are allowed to bring food and cook.
Normally, before renting a homestay to a guest, it will include what the guest can and cannot do and what the guest’s obligations are to follow, including hygiene regulations. Each homestay usually has a housekeeper to look after, clean and maintain the house. Every month, the homestay owner must pay a housekeeper fee, even when there are no guests. This person often performs check-in, check-out and reminds guests about regulations as well as supports cooking, shopping, and dish-washing services for an agreed fee.
Mr. Lam Nguyen, owner of a homestay for rent in Flamingo Dai Lai, Vinh Phuc, said that his area has about 130 villas for rent and all of them have a surcharge of 300,000 VND per villa for cleaning and washing. bowl on check out day. This rule is already in place when booking and the housekeeper also informs the house as soon as guests check in.
The homeowner said many times guests ate grilled food from inside the house to the swimming pool, salt and fish sauce spilled all over the tables and chairs, and bowls and chopsticks were left intact from the previous night’s dinner until noon the next day. “Honestly, many groups check out and fall in love with the house after looking at it,” Mr. Lam said and advised tenants to pay a fee so that the housekeepers have more motivation to serve.
In fact, each homestay will have its own regulations. Mr. Minh Nhat, owner of a homestay in the Soc Son area, Hanoi, said that his homestay does not require guests to pay cleaning fees, but there is a fee for washing dishes and this has been regulated from the beginning. very clear.
Mr. Nhat said that the homestay has a rule that after eating, guests must wash the dishes or pay the housekeeper a dishwashing fee. “If the dishes are small, such as a few breakfast bowls, there will be no charge, the remaining costs are calculated from 100,000 VND to 500,000 VND, depending on the negotiation between the guest and the housekeeper,” Mr. Nhat said.
Ms. An also added that to show civilization, tourists should proactively maintain general hygiene or hire cleaners, so the above cases should not happen.
* The character name was changed