24/10/2026
❤️ A heartfelt message from the owner of Gruž Holiday Hideaway …
I’ve been watching the conversations surrounding Airbnb’s new cleaning and checkout policies, and I’ll admit, some of the responses have really saddened me.
I’ve seen so many comments from guests saying, “GOOD! It’s about time!” or “If I’m paying a cleaning fee, why should I have to clean?”
And I get it. I really do.
But I think there’s a big misunderstanding about what actually happens behind the scenes of a vacation rental.
For the past three years, I’ve been welcoming guests into my home. I've learned what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to provide a clean, comfortable, five-star experience for every family who walks through my door.
And let me tell you, the behind-the-scenes of running a vacation rental is MESSY. I just work really hard to make sure my guests never see that part. ❤️
When I first started hosting, I would occasionally have guests tell me, “We’re really clean people! We’ll leave the house spotless, so we shouldn’t have to pay a cleaning fee.”
And that got me thinking…
What if the cleaning fee isn’t really about cleaning up AFTER you? What if it’s about making sure the home is properly cleaned BEFORE you arrive?
Would you trust the family who stayed before you to clean the bathrooms? Sanitize the toilets? Scrub the showers? Wash every dish properly? Remove the hair from the bathroom sinks? Clean the refrigerator, stove, and grill? Change and wash all the bedding? Then make all of the beds, as crisp as possible?
Would you want to walk into a vacation rental knowing that the previous guests were responsible for deciding what was clean enough for you?
Because here’s something I’ve learned over three years: Everyone’s definition of clean is different.
I'm washing and replacing linens, scrubbing bathrooms, sanitizing surfaces, cleaning appliances, checking under furniture, washing floors, restocking supplies, preparing outdoor spaces, and making sure every little detail is ready for YOU.
Not just for me. For YOU. For your family. For the guests checking in after you.
And here’s where Airbnb’s new policies really concern me.
I’ve never asked my guests to scrub toilets, mop floors, dust light fixtures, clean appliances, or do the work of our professional cleaners.
I want my guests to RELAX.
But I have always appreciated a few small things that help me tremendously.
Things like starting the dishwasher and properly disposing of trash.
Not because I'm trying to get free labor.
Because time matters.
I have a very small window between checkout and check-in to prepare an entire home.
A dishwasher cycle can take hours. A washing machine cycle can take an hour or more. And when there are multiple loads of laundry, those minutes add up quickly.
It’s such a small gesture, but it makes a tremendous difference.
And I think that’s the part getting lost in this conversation.
My work day doesn't end when I finish the turnover. It is not uncommon for me to finish the last load of laundry late at night. That's a 12 hour day.
I work incredibly hard to make sure that when you arrive, the bathrooms sparkle, the beds are freshly made, the kitchen is spotless, and you can immediately start enjoying your vacation.
There’s also a difference between cleaning a house and treating a house with basic care and respect.
Leaving food sitting out, dirty dishes piled up for days, wet towels on bedding, or trash accumulating inside a home isn’t just a cleaning issue.
It’s a hygiene issue. A pest-prevention issue.
I'm not asking guests to deep-clean our property.
I'm asking them to treat it like a HOME.
Because that’s exactly what it is.
And I understand that some vacation rentals have unreasonable checkout chore lists. I’ve seen them too! I don’t think guests should be expected to spend their final vacation morning scrubbing, sweeping, and cleaning an entire property.
But I also don’t believe that every vacation rental should be treated exactly the same.
Some homes are small. Some are enormous. Some have full-time housekeeping teams. Some are cared for by local cleaners juggling multiple properties in a very short window.
Some guests prefer rentals with absolutely no checkout requests, and that’s perfectly fine!
But shouldn’t guests be able to choose a property whose expectations they’re comfortable with, rather than taking that choice away from both guests and hosts?
What saddens me most is that Airbnb was built around the idea of sharing homes, bringing people together, and creating community.
And lately, it feels like the conversation has become hosts versus guests.
But it shouldn’t be that way.
We all depend on each other.
Hosts provide the homes and experiences. Guests make it possible for me to continue improving them.
It’s a relationship built on mutual respect.
We are all part of the same experience.
I don’t want to raise cleaning fees. I don’t want to push check-in times back to 6 or 7 PM because I need more time. I don’t want to remove dishes or amenities to make turnovers easier.
And here’s another thing that makes vacation rentals so different from hotels.
When a hotel room isn’t ready, there’s often another room available. When mycvacation rental isn’t ready, that’s it.
I have ONE home. ONE opportunity to get it right for you.
If I run behind and can’t finish before check-in, I can’t just hand you the keys to another chalet down the street.
If the previous guests left behind an overwhelming mess, lingering odors, or damage that needs immediate attention, I don’t have another room to move you into.
And that is a HUGE responsibility.
Hotels have advantages that vacation rentals simply don’t. They have larger housekeeping teams, maintenance staff, front desks, and often dozens or even hundreds of rooms to work with.
I don’t have those luxuries.
And I understand why some travelers prefer hotels! Maybe you’ve experienced a last-minute cancellation, arrived at a rental that wasn’t what you expected, or simply prefer the consistency and convenience of a hotel. That’s completely understandable.
But vacation rentals offer something different, too.
The opportunity for an entire family to stay under one roof. To cook meals together, play games, gather around a fire, let the kids run around the yard, and enjoy the comforts of a home rather than separate hotel rooms.
There are benefits and challenges to BOTH types of accommodations.
And that’s okay!
What works beautifully for one family might not work for another. That’s why having choices matters.
Vacation rentals aren’t hotels. And I don’t think they should have to operate exactly like hotels to be considered a wonderful place to stay.
But because I only get one chance to prepare that home for your arrival, those small acts of consideration from the guests before you can make an enormous difference.
It’s not just about making our cleaners’ jobs easier.
It’s about making sure YOUR vacation starts the way you deserve it to.
I want to keep offering a beautiful, family-friendly home where people can come together, relax, and make memories.
That’s why I created Gruž Holiday Hideaway in the first place.
I know not every host operates the way I do, and I’m only speaking from my own experience. But I wish Airbnb would recognize that there’s a difference between unreasonable cleaning demands and a few thoughtful requests that help keep a home running smoothly.
At the end of the day, I don’t expect our guests to clean my home. I simply ask them to care about it.
Care about the family arriving after you.
Care about the people working hard to prepare it.
And care about the home that helped create your vacation memories.
I don’t think that’s asking too much. ❤️
Come for the sea. Stay for the memories.
❤️ Gruž Holiday Hideaway
