Airbnb Answers: Guest information and flagging guest behavior

[Airbnb]

You asked: Can Airbnb share more information about guests, like their ratings, full name, etc.? Can we get the ability to flag bad guests and make this information visible to other hosts?

More guest information

We're taking a close look at what additional information we can share to help you feel confident about the quality of every guest, every time you host. Currently, before confirming a booking, you can see a potential guest’s prior reviews and profile information (including hometown, education background, hobbies, and languages spoken). But in order to protect the privacy of both hosts and guests, we don’t share last names until after a booking is confirmed. If you don’t feel comfortable accepting a reservation with this set of information, you may message guests with additional questions. We don’t share guests’ home addresses because that information is not relevant or required to make a booking.

Every guest is required to provide their full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and payment information to Airbnb before being allowed to book a reservation. As a host, you also have the option to require guests to provide a government ID before booking your home, which is just one feature of our ongoing effort to build trust in the community.

Flagging guest behavior

In the coming months, we’ll be adding more ways for you to report guest behavior that we might need to address. Stay tuned for more, but know that host reviews of guests remain the most powerful flagging tool for the community.

More than ever before, we’re using your reviews to signal both excellent and not-so-great guest behavior. We’re developing a Superguest program that will help you identify experienced travelers with excellent ratings. And for the rare occasions things don’t go well, your reviews will help us identify poorly behaved guests, issue more specific and strict warnings, and remove those guests who do not improve their behavior.

Be assured that when guests get negative reviews from hosts, Airbnb follows up. We make sure guests receive warnings about unacceptable behavior, and in some cases they can be blocked from booking entirely. We take the safety of you and your guests very seriously, which is why we require everyone in our community to uphold our community standards. Your reviews of guests are essential to establishing trust in our community, and we’re dedicated to taking action on your behalf to help ensure high quality experiences every time you host.

In the latest Host Q&A, CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky answered top-voted questions during a livestream event. For questions he didn’t have time to address, we’ve introduced Airbnb Answers. Want to ask more? We’ll invite hosts to ask their questions before the next quarterly Host Q&A. We’ll keep you posted in Airbnb Updates.

[Ann10]

@Eileen0-What percentage are we allowed to decline? When did they start penalizing us for declining? 

[Ann10]

Eduard-ABB isn't going to hand over the ID if it's needed. If you might need it, for example if they commit a crime against you, get it yourself. It's also a great way to deter criminals from booking your place. If they don't want to give us the ID, we don't rent to them. We delete them when they leave.

[Carla417]

I believe AirBnB NEEDS to take a breakage deposit up front and refundable after the guests have left. This may make them more aware of their behaviour in someone else's HOME. I had a group of revellers who left a tip and then denied their wrongdoing and it was up to me to claim from her which she denied. Luckily my cleaners took photographic evidence to support my claim. And AirBnB came through and paid me but did they claim from her, one wonders? Then she has been let off scott free if they hadn't claimed from her. 

[Frank92]

Guests have no idea what is expected of them because Airbnb refuses to set rules for them. Even knew hosts have a hard time finding out what is expected of them. Airbnb knows if they set rules then they are going to have to deal with complaints when rules are broken. Leave things opaque and you can tell hosts it's their rules and they need to deal with it. 

Anyone who has ever had to tell a guest something less than positive, knows guests do not take kindly to even the most mild form of criticism. I'm not talking about rules like no smoking or loud music. Guests know those things for the most part. But etiquette things like, try not to use 12 glasses or 10 towels in two days. Or the sink is not a trash can. Or check in and out times are real and not a suggestion. Or you need to respond to ALL messages. Or rearranging my furniture or decorations is not okay. Stuff like that. 

I never know what to expect from each guest and hold my breath every time I arrive home because there is such a wide variation in the way my guests behave before, during and after their stays. The huge difference in each guests behavior is directly related to their being no clear set of rules directly from Airbnb for them to follow.  I try to make my rules very limited and specific. It shocks me how many guests will just completely ignore the most simple of rules. If the rules came directly from AIrbnb I think guests would take them more seriously. 

My guests have gotten worse since AIrbnb decided every host needs to accept instant book or they will be punished with a low search ranking and fewer bookings. Instant book has taken the personal connection out of the booking process. No longer do you have to introduce yourself and ask to stay. It's made booking your home no different than someone on Expdia booking a hotel room. This alters the guest's behavior. They feel more like they have booked a hotel room and not a home. Many guests feel because they are paying they can do as the please. 

[Kelly445]

I have a guest with an incontinancy problem. I don’t want to rate this guest poorly, because it’s a medical condition, but I feel there should be some way that other hosts could be advised about this situation. 

[Marta781]

If it caused you problems, after rating him, you can answer the last question, which is secret "would you recommend this guest?".

In this way, you can leave him a good review for others to see, but I guess that Airbnb will not propose him flr instant booking to other hosts. 

[Joseph119]

My wife and I have been on bnb for just over a year now for the most part our guests have been great with the exception of 3 or 4 they have been kind, friendly, respectfull people. We have had a few guests that not only demanding but flat out just lied to Airbnb staff so they could get a refund, the booked the room for 3 nights first night the boyfriend wanted to watch his football game all was fine. The next morning after they had left I already had pest control scheduled for that day Monday they had instant booked the room on Subday afternoon.  After my pest control person had left of course we had to let him in the room to do his job the boyfriend came home and was extremely rude to my wife shouting at her that he didnot like people in the room he rented after she had explained to him the importance of pest control in Florida.  Him and his girlfriend after that was slamming doors being rude and had the nerve to call bnb and tell them we had recording devices in the room and we donot.  Our listing clearly states we have exterior video surveilance and IP cameras on front and rear entry doors of the home.  I guess my point is some guest will even lie in the hope to get a refund bnb even had the nerve to flag my account on the words of the guest and absolutly no evidence or proof of any wrong doing on our part.  The guest just scammed us I gave them a full refund just as a good gesture.  Annother Guest was so horrible I can hardly even talk about it waked around our home turning every light on was setting the AC on 59 and leaving every door in the house open after dark and we live in Florida !!  On his last night after my poor wife had delt with his disreguard for any house rules.  We had went out for dinner and I wanted to check on the house so I logged into my security cameras and sure enough every light was on again all doors were open and it ws 9:00 pm.  We rushed home so we could close the doors the bugs in Florida are horrible at night walked in every light on and the AC set again on 59 I was not happy at all with this guest.  Annother thing a few guest have gave us 4 stars on location and our listing clearly states we are a 15 to 25 min drive from beaches depending on where the want to go I guess some donot look at the map when they are looking for a place.  And the last one was from two ladies who we constantly asked if eveything was ok and they always replied oh yes everything is just fine they they give us a 3 star review saying the TV was to loud and that they sunk into the bed to much.  After her 3 star review I sent her a message and explained that mabey they just required a firm mattress and if the TV was to loud all they had to do was ask my wife to turn it down a bit and she would have gladly done so this was the first time for for a issue like this.

See transcript of lates review

My boyfriend and I were hosted by Joseph and Gabriella this week and we enjoyed our turquoise room with beach decor and quietness. Gabriella was super friendly, attentive, and courteous. She made sure we were comfortable from the moment we stepped in. Joseph did not hesitate to make us feel at home; he provided us with tips about cruises, malls, and shared their grill in case we wanted to barbecue. They let us park in their driveway. Our room had plenty of light, well ventilated, and bed extra comfortable. Wide closet with hangers, cute nightstand lamps. Bathroom was a few steps away from bedroom. We got some leftovers and Gabriella had n problem with us using their kitchen. Siesta beach was only 15 min drive !!! Gabriella and Joseph thanks a lot for everything !!! Totally recommended 

Even after a few bad experiences the above review is what keeps us motivated to continue as Airbnb Host.

[Ben376]

I think that if Airbnb explained, to every guest, the difference between staying with an Airbnb host and staying in a hotel (apart from the saving) that would help. It’s all about respect ... both ways. I think having a universal rule “Respect the home, respect the neighbours and leave the place as you found it” would go a long way to solving these issues. I know culturally, “reasonable use of electricity and provisions” can be understood very differently, so perhaps Airbnb could also help to educate travellers on these differences. 

Also I’ve got a very detailed house manual and had a few (of many) guests decide to have people over (causing damage to plants and neighbourly relations, excessive use of “everything” but difficult to claim on any insurance). It’s a problem and it’d be fantastic to be able to weed these arseholes out of the community, rather than punishing everyone. They come in all shapes, sizes and cultures

[Monica325]

I think it would be really good for there to be a guideline for guests when they leave reviews. For example, I have gotten four-star reviews and then the guest writes a glowing review. I don’t know why they give me a four instead of a five, but I suspect they don’t know that they should be giving me a five.  I posted guideline for when a guest leaves a review would be really helpful.

[Ryan-and-Kate0]

I was about ready to stop hosting all together, after I had a guest smoke pot on our property for 3 days straight... At least they did it outside, which had the smell spreading all over the property including the neighbors yard. Then my neighbors called the cops on another group of guests with very suspect behavior in our cul-de-sac. Not saying the guest did this because I don't have proof, but by neighbor accross the street's car was broken into during the very " suspect " group's stay. ( again the home is in a pretty safe cul de sac ....where that never happened before, and never happened since ) The window was litteraly smashed, glass everywhere and items stolen.

That's where I decided hosting was just not worth the hassle.

But thankfully, I discovered an amazing feature in the app where ONLY guests that come with good reviews from previous hosts can instant book with us. I have to manually approve everyone else, and get a feel for it before hand. We turn away a whole bunch of booking requests, but it's been well worth it. It gives me the opportunity to address rules of engagements with new guests and stay away from the obvious " not-so-great-guests" and keep my property and neighbohood safe.

[Bernie-Dee0]

I’ve opted to not allow drinking on my property, I don’t let guests without at least 2 positive reviews from other hosts Instant Book, I state flat out in my House Rules that I will cancel a guests booking for any violations and not refund their fees. I no longer allow guests to cook in the kitchen in my apartment. (I have 2 properties a studio and a room in my house).

When new guests contact me to book I make them acknowledge that they have read and understand the listing and House Rules. I started charging a 12% higher cleaning fee - it’s still pretty low, my rates are very reasonable. I’m booked 90-99% of the time and I am not stressing out about guests who are ill mannered and inconsiderate. I always write honest reviews. I refuse to be held hostage by guests. 

I’m doing fine. There are lots of great people in the traveling world who want a clean, safe place to stay. Wait for them!

[Mary-De-Lisle0]

It seems as if the most problems are with Australians. I have a property in Spain which I have rented out to many different nationalities with almost no problems. The worst guests were a couple obviously on a romantic weekend away who smoked in the bedroom! All my other guests have left the place in very good order with many mopping floors and making beds. Perhaps it helps that we live right next to the property. 

[Joey55]

My experience with 75% of AirBnB guests have been very negative!  The guests I have been booking into my house through own advertising always leaves the house the same way they found it.  I have certain rules pertaining to the deposit which says that if the house is not left in the same condition it was found a cleaning fee will be taken off the deposit.  I also think the wording for the cleaning fee should change to a laundry fee.  In my experience when you say they are paying a cleaning fee, they think they can leave dirty dishes, floors, garbage etc. because they have paid for the cleaning.

[Cathy109]

One bad rating can ruin my Superhost status, so I don't want to get boss-like with guests breaking the rules (drugs on site, sleeping in bed without showering after smoking outside). If they break the rules, and I do anything about it, I'm the one that gets dinged. With Instant booking, there's nothing to stop someone with negative reviews from booking my place -- and it is my house, not an income property.

One negative rating I had was 3/5 because the kitchenette was small, but there was a clear description and 3 photos of the kitchenette in my listing. So I lost my superhost status because someone got exactly what I advertised. And many people complain about their cat allergies -- my listing says "must tolerate cats"....

When I started hosting in 2013, people were grateful for anything. I stayed in one ABNB that was a bed in a basement laundry room with a curtain around it. Now everyone expects hotel-style service and amenities. So much for the origins of crashing on an air mattress in someone's living room! Higher expectations, more price competition, less choice over who we host -- it's clear ABNB puts the priority on its guests, but please recognize there would be no guests without us hosts.

[Caroline630]

My first and only AirBnB guests seemed very nice.  When I went to clean the suite, the bathroom had black spots splattered over the toilet seat, floor, bathtub and the cotton duck shower curtain.  In hindsight I should have immediately taken pictures.  Instead I set about cleaning up the mess.  I was able to remove all the stains from the tub, floor and toilet.  Unfortunately, even after much rubbing in of stain remover and more rubbing, two washings (one with bleach) I still have some black spots on the shower curtain.  They are much less evident but still can be seen. I ordered a new shower curtain and filed a claim.  The guests flat out denied it all.  I have no pictures of the orginal mess.  So I'm out of luck and have personally paid $60+ for new shower curtain.  Those guests know they are wrong! So I wish I'd never seen them.  Pretty much I earned nothing for their stay.

I've been a successful B&B owner/operator for 37 years.  These AirBnB guests are the nadir guests out of all my 1000's of guests.