I am in Toronto looking for place long term, so I did take a 4 night sit, fits. And I don’t like staying as a guest at my friend’s very long. But the street parking permit cost $51, the sitter fee in CAD is 17. And it adds up. Still cheaper than a hotel. And I thought I wouldn’t do another short sit. Then a 2 night sit comes up in NYC and I apply. But I am traveling by car to Philly (family visit, no sit), then I wanted to come back through NYC. And I will have to pay quite a bit for parking so I applied for a short sit. Sometimes the short sits work but very little bit of the time with the fees. How does that change THS? I was totally willing to take short sits as a nomad. Maybe because I am giving up the nomadic thing. I think if I stayed as nomad, I would have to go premium. I should have with the fees adding up. I am rambling, but I think the impact on short sits has not hit HOs yet. There was a post of someone trying to get a sitter for a short sit. So the fee is losing people like me who would have done the short sit previously. Or they are gaining by getting the premium cost. As I was reading this for edits, I was thinking of the $20 USD on my ezpass to enter Manhattan. Now I am thinking that I will just do the day visit and withdraw my application. The trip would cost me $30 with below 59th st fee, just to enter. So much for that plan.
I agree; I think this is going to put a stake in the majority of short sits. It’s been brought up in a number of threads and recent examples, including the mega-thread on booking fees, where it mainly got lost in the shuffle.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the unanticipated situation in the ME and subsequent increase in travel costs has created something of a perfect storm on top of it all, so quite unfortunate timing on the new fees.
Perhaps it will indeed force many sitters into upgrading to Premium. But that can be a pretty big outlay for a lot of folks, particularly in the current economy. (Of course, only THS would have insight into their conversion rate since the policy went into effect, and they’re not sharing much info on it.)
Maybe I’m wrong, though, and things are all going according to plan — for the investors, anyway. 
To add to the perfect storm many companies are requiring some amount of in person work lately, making some less mobile overall for travel. Toss in economic uncertainty, gas prices, and for the US - the TSA situation and the lack of international sitters wanting to cross the border as sitters - yeah, short sits are going to be very difficult for HO to fill.
This.
It simply can’t be an accident that short sits are going to become such a hassle. It just reeks of a corporate retreat with vision boards and value propositions where THS leaders determined that short sits are not their differentiator so let’s move away from them.
(I recently endured a strategic planning retreat, can you tell?)
I think it would be OK with THS is you put in your profile, Sits under (insert number of days here) can only be accepted if hosts offer to pay booking fee.
I agree and think this would be fine….
I personally won’t be doing any more short sits, I used to do the occasional short local sit , if the HO was struggling to get a sitter, but I won’t be considering anything less than 14 days now.
Instead of driving into Manhattan and then finding/paying for parking, you could park somewhere outside the city and take transit to your location.
and schlep my luggage? I am too old for that. I would definitely pay the parking and EZ pass fees to enter for the experience, but then I would get more picky on the stay. Like right now, I broke a rule on sits currently. I am in a house with 2 kids under the age of 3. The dog is small, old and sweet and easy. But I needed a break from staying at my friend’s. So paying the fee, the parking costs and being in a house that isn’t as great as my recent sits, but better than staying with my friend, is a tradeoff. I am sitting at the kitchen island drinking some spanish red I picked up at Costco in CA…best place to get wines…I think I am just at sixes and sevens wanting to lock down an apartment. Going back and forth on the area. Hoping to get it done in the next few weeks. But it makes me not wanting to be a nomad and accept any sits that aren’t “right”. Last year, being nomadic, figuring out a track across the southern US, Florida then back up, I took some sits I wish I hadn’t. This winter, staying in CA, having so many sits, I got some great long term sits in beautiful homes.
Anyway, my head went from being a nomad to wanting to settle so I am venting here about a bunch of stuff as I figure things out.
Not everyone is cut out to be a nomad forever. For some sure. For others it’s fun for a while then you need to settle. Sounds like it’s time to settle for a bit.
Given pet owners are the ones in need of a service, which starts the chain reaction in the sitter world, some of the THS booking fee induced struggles to find sitters could be reduced by requiring only the owner to pay the booking fee and not sitters. I’ve never understood THS’s theory that both parties should pay the booking fee. I know, I know, to make the sit experience better for all… blah blah blah. We all know how that is working out!
@Huronbase, if you intend to complete several sits in a year then premium membership may become better value for money (includes no booking fee plus other benefits such as sit cancellation insurance). To our knowledge, THS has not stated intent behind the booking fee but it will likely discourage short housesit durations for casual housesitters, therefore encourage regular housesitters to become premium members.
I think having only a booking fee for the host (I will no longer call them PP) is a good idea. I feel it will make them more appreciative of sitters and sitters that are nomads and need several short stays a month can say yes instead of no.
I mean, there are people who think only HOs should pay anything to THS (from other social media discussion).
I agree with the concept that both parties have literal buy-in to this process, but would not mind HOs paying a higher fee than sitters.
Of course, I also think the booking fee should be sliding scale based on length, and sits under 4 nights should have no booking fee, but that ain’t happening.
I agree that everyone should have some buy in. I would not want a platform where I paid, sitters didn’t. That feels unfair. As far as the per sit booking fee, I think it’s fine to have only the HO pay it. From my perspective it’s minor and leaky but I only use THS sitters a couple of times a year. That may not be the same view from anyone who uses the platform more frequently.
I think the under 4 nights no booking fees isa good idea, but then you would get hosts advertising a 3 night plus a 4 or whatever instead of a week to get around it
I can see lots of short sits going unfilled now. It’s a good idea that only the hosts pays a booking fee, but won’t happen because it’s all about the money for THS.
TLDR, Yes, it was higher than before but it’s still the best value for money compared to alternatives. Everyone should vote with their feet.
Your post has a lot of vent in it so fully acknowledging that there’s a lot mixed in here.
As a combined member who has only really done premium, nothing has changed for me. That being said, even if I had to pay a booking fee individually as an HS or HO, it would STILL be cheaper than booking accommodation or a sitter outside of the application.
I also think that it’s not unrealistic to assume that costs to TH the company would also go up in the current global environment and costs of services are bound to increase.
Ultimately, everyone will have to do what makes sense for them and vote with their feet. The cost of the combined annual membership is equal to about 1.5 nights in a somewhat decent hotel in Manhattan. (This is just one example framing so those that point out they can find cheaper or wouldn’t go to manhattan are missing the point, which is that when used efficiently, TH is still often and I’d argue usually the more cost effective option even with fees, etc. Vs value for money because yes, I’m sure you could find a hostel bed for cheaper in some places.) You happen to be driving which no one would be encouraged to do in that city anyway so it really comes down to choices, which it’s clear you’re aware of.
I recently did two two night sits in London over a long weekend and it allowed me to explore different parts of the city in a place that is notoriously hard to get sits in and also very expensive if booking hotels. The premium membership was totally worth it for the sits as well as the coverage for doggo while I traveled…doing all that separately would have cost exponentially more than what we are paying and that is just one trip.
Also note, I don’t think it’s too late to change your membership if that’s what you want to do. Pretty sure support could help you adjust. But yea, for frequent travellers, a flat rate makes more sense to me.
Like most businesses though. Some just hide it better than others, ha.
I agree but from reading the forum I see there are some that struggle with paying the premium membership. Being originally from California the premium price is equivalent to a night in a decent hotel in some areas. Instead of losing sitters with all the low application I see on host’s listings, THS may want to come up with a two part payment or some type of plan for sitters who can’t afford to pay all at once. I am not premium because I do so few a year but I just look at it as the accommodations are costing me $12.00 a sit. You can’t get a better bargain than that. I just don’t like the wording booking fee and would rather they have one fee for everyone and they can change to the premium fee.