Holiday rental or hotel: which one costs less for a group

For a family or a group of friends, an apartment often looks cheaper than two hotel rooms on the first page of results. Then the extras arrive: a cleaning fee, a service fee, perhaps a deposit, and the tourist tax. This guide shows which fees the platforms publish, how they change the total and how to compare a rental with hotel rooms on the same footing. The example numbers are explained as they appear.

Fees that come on top of the nightly price

The nightly price in a search result is only the first number. Three more figures decide what you pay: the cleaning fee, the service fee and, for some rentals, a deposit. The tourist tax comes on top for rooms and rentals alike. The rules below come from Airbnb's help pages, which are the clearest published source for how a large rental platform charges guests.

On Airbnb, a cleaning fee is a one-off charge set by the host, and it is part of the total price. According to Airbnb's cleaning fee page, if you cancel within the free cancellation period the full cleaning fee comes back in the refund. Outside that period it counts as part of the nightly price and any refund follows the host's cancellation policy. For reservations booked before 21 April 2025, the page says the cleaning fee is returned in full if you cancel before check-in. This matters when you compare a flexible rental with a hotel rate: check which rule applies to your booking and look at the date you can still cancel for free.

The service fee is separate. The service fee page describes two structures. In the split-fee structure, guests pay a service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal, which includes the nightly price and any fees the host charges but excludes the guest service fee and taxes. For cross-currency bookings the fee can be up to 16.5%. In the single-fee structure the whole fee is taken from the host, so the guest sees one price. Airbnb says the single fee is mandatory for most hosts, including hotels and serviced apartments, and that it is moving all home hosts to it.

Deposits and damage

Airbnb's security deposit page says most hosts are not allowed to charge security deposits, either through its Resolution Center or outside the platform. Some hosts, including select software-connected hosts, may collect one off the platform, and in that case it must be shown in the appropriate fee field so guests can see it. If a guest, an invitee or a pet causes damage, the host can request reimbursement through the Resolution Center, and the guest's payment method may be charged if Airbnb finds the guest responsible.

Hotels work differently. The same page says hotels may ask for a credit card at check-in to cover incidentals or a security deposit as part of their standard procedures, that this must be disclosed in the listing, and that the deposit, minus any charges, is usually released at checkout. A deposit is not a cost if nothing is damaged, but it does tie up money on your card for a while.

Hotel rooms: what is included

In a hotel, many things that a rental charges separately are part of the room price: cleaning, towels and reception. Breakfast, parking and sometimes the tourist tax depend on the rate and the hotel. When you compare, add the same items to both sides and leave out what you would pay either way.

Worked example: six people, seven nights

All figures except the percentages are freely chosen to show the maths.

• Apartment: EUR 150 per night times 7 nights equals EUR 1,050. Cleaning fee EUR 90. Subtotal EUR 1,140.
• Guest service fee of 14.1% on EUR 1,140 equals EUR 160.74, so EUR 1,300.74. At 16.5% it is EUR 188.10, so EUR 1,328.10.
• Self-catered breakfast, assumed at EUR 6 per person per day: 6 times 7 times EUR 6 equals EUR 252. Apartment total EUR 1,552.74 to EUR 1,580.10.
• Hotel: two rooms at an assumed EUR 130 per night with breakfast: 2 times 7 times EUR 130 equals EUR 1,820.

Under these assumptions the apartment is EUR 239.90 to EUR 267.26 cheaper. Change the nightly price or the number of rooms and the result can flip. If the platform shows a single price with the fee included, use that price directly.

The tourist tax in both cases

Whether you rent or book a hotel, many destinations charge a tourist tax per person and night. It is often not shown in the first price. You find the amounts by country and city in our city tax overview. Add it to both options if it applies.

One more point for the comparison: always work per person and night, not per room. An apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms is not the same as two double rooms, and that belongs in the weighing too.

Where tripprice fits

On tripprice you find providers for holiday homes and hotels with vouchers and cashback, such as Holidu, Snaptrip, Booking.com and Hotels.com. Compare the final price after fees, not the nightly price on the results page.

Step by step

1. Write down the group size, the nights and how many rooms or bedrooms you need.
2. For the rental, open the price breakdown and note the nightly total, the cleaning fee and the service fee.
3. For the hotel, add the rooms and the breakfast if you want it.
4. Add the tourist tax to both options.
5. Check the cancellation terms and the deposit for the rental.
6. Compare the totals per person.