VRBO "Host Fee" when booking . . . Please explain?

[Jon Martin]

Trying to make booking for 2 nights business and 1 night pleasure next week. I was looking on VRBO so that I can burn up the last of my Hotels dot com rewards now that future accruals are at 20% of what they used to be. 

I've found a few places where the nightly rate are only $105 and $169, however the all in price is more than double the nightly rate. The lesser priced room has a total host fee that is over $400, and $169 has a host fee around $170. VRBO does not include a "?" icon next to it like it does for the service fee breakdown. Is the VRBO Host Fee basically the equivalent of the Cleaning Fee on Airbnb, and at the discretion of the host and for them to collect? 

Seems absurd to have a host fee that is higher than the cost of a 3 night booking and that most of that should be spread through the nightly rate. Or is this a way to get around VRBO charging their % markup and taxes? 

[Lisa Graesser]

The host fees are a combination of cleaning fee and any administrative/resort fees that may be charged per stay and not per night. Depending on when you are booking the nightly rate may change based on demand, but the host fees stay the same.