Why Host Service Fees Exist and What They Mean
Let’s talk honestly about something most platforms bury in small print: service fees.
Yes, ours are higher. And no, that’s not something we take lightly.
We’re not a Silicon Valley giant. We’re family.
misterb&b was created from a simple idea: that LGBTQ+ people deserve to travel safely, feel at home anywhere, and meet each other freely.
We’re not a billion-dollar corporation with endless resources. We’re a small, independent team of about 30 queer humans, building this platform with love, resilience, and a lot of caffeine.
We don’t have corporate backing; what we have is a mission: to make LGBTQ+ travel safer, more inclusive, and full of genuine human connection. For us, this isn’t just business, it’s personal.
Why our costs are unique
Serving a niche community instead of the mainstream makes things harder, not cheaper.
We operate in over 200 countries and 300,000 localities, dealing with strict financial regulations, ongoing dialogue with governments, local tax collection and payment, and legal compliance, the same obligations global giants face, but far harder to absorb when you don’t process millions of bookings a day.
Unlike mass platforms listing empty apartments, misterb&b’s focus is real homes and real hosts. Building a safe, welcoming LGBTQ+ inventory takes time, care, and trust — not just algorithms.
How host fees work
Host service fees are deducted from your earnings (nightly rate × number of nights, plus any cleaning fees).
They vary depending on your property type and location, since compliance costs and local license requirements differ from city to city. Minimum fees may apply for very short stays. You can always view your exact rate in the “Pricing” section of your listing.
Where your fees go
Your contribution helps keep this ecosystem alive, and here’s how:
- Fair wages for our LGBTQ+ team members in customer care, payments, Trust & Safety, and tech.
- Over $1 million every year invested in maintaining and improving our platform and mobile apps.
- 5% of every transaction going to unavoidable banking and payment processing costs.
- Legal and fiscal compliance in 200+ countries, including local tax collection and GDPR compliance.
- Marketing campaigns to attract LGBTQ+ travelers and grow your visibility.
- Funding Mister for Good, supporting queer nonprofits, and helping LGBTQ+ refugees find safe homes.
A fragile ecosystem worth protecting
Could we lower our fees? We wish we could.
But keeping misterb&b alive, compliant, and truly safe carries the same structural costs as the big players, except we don’t have their scale to spread them out. For us, every booking carries real meaning.
Every euro you earn helps sustain a global home where visibility, belonging, and love still matter.
Your hosting isn’t just hospitality, it’s part of a shared mission to make the world more welcoming, one stay at a time.