How to Save Money on Your Next Extended Stay

Save hundreds of dollars a month on your extended stay with Lodgeur’s easy tips.

We previously wrote about Airbnb’s fees and how quickly they increase the cost of your stay. At Lodgeur, 75% of our room nights are rented by extended-stay guests and we’ve developed a quick list of tips to save money on your next extended stay.

Hospitality taxes add 17% to your booking in Houston

Depending on the city and length of stay, hospitality taxes can dramatically increase the cost of your booking. In Houston, taxes add 17% to the cost of a booking of less than 30 nights, and Lodgeur is required by law to collect these taxes.

If you see ‘Occupancy taxes and fees’ listed on Airbnb (or another booking website), check to see if your total stay cost goes down when you increase your stay to 30 nights. In fact, booking a stay of 30 nights with us on Airbnb is actually 15% cheaper than booking 27 nights once you add up the monthly discount, the service fee discount, and the occupancy tax waiver.

On the stay of 30 nights then, the guest will have paid $2,775 and Airbnb collects $341 between the host and the guest, which is equivalent to 13.6% of the actual cost charged by the host of $2,509 (of which it receives $2,434).

Unfortunately Airbnb’s system doesn’t flag this to guests, but Lodgeur usually sends guests a message to allow them to extend their stay to save on their overall booking cost.

reservation charts and prices
Screenshots from Airbnb showing the cost of booking 27, 28, or 30 nights.

Airbnb service fees add hundreds of dollars to extended stay bookings each month

Airbnb’s service fee adds 10.6% to the cost of an extended stay, adding hundreds of dollars to the monthly rental cost. If you were going to book a place to live on Airbnb for a year, you could get six weeks free by booking directly with us, the operator. Our longest stay to date, by the way, is a whopping 371 nights. And our average extended stay guest spends 70 nights with us, which would include $667 of service fees if booked on Airbnb.

The truth is, Airbnb has captured the market for extended stays because people don’t know where else to book a place for a few weeks or months. There is no dominant mid-term stay website that has the same brand recognition or reputation as Airbnb.

But why would you continue to keep paying Airbnb each month? Some people do, but many guests will prefer to book direct, particularly if the host is a professional operator that has the capability of processing direct bookings.

How can I save money on my next extended stay?

  1. Stay longer. If your stay is more than 25 nights, consider whether extending your stay to 30 nights will save you money. The 17% hospitality taxes don’t apply to a stay of 30 nights, so many of our guests save money by extending their stay a few nights.
  2. Book direct. Most of Lodgeur’s guests book directly on our website, saving the booking fees (up to 20%) charged by Airbnb, VRBO, or other third-party websites. When you book directly with Lodgeur, you won’t be charged for those fees.
  3. Skip the car rental. Our Midtown location is in one of Houston’s most walkable neighborhoods, directly on the METRORail line to Downtown, the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center, and NRG Arena (for Houston Rodeo fans!). Our Elan Med Center location is across the street from MD Anderson Cancer Center, and residents often get around TMC by wheelchair (complimentary) or scooter (not included).
  4. Monthly payments. Lodgeur offers monthly payment options for stays over 30 nights. Place a deposit now and pay for your first month 14 days before checkin. (You will see the details on the booking page.)

Lodgeur’s apartments come fully furnished with bespoke designs.
Skip to content