Guest profile photos: Airbnb response to community feedback

Airbnb
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Guest profile photos: Airbnb response to community feedback

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for all of your feedback on the recent changes we announced to the guest profile photo process. Our team has read each and every one of your comments. We understand many of you are feeling frustrated right now, so we want to respond with some more details and clarification.

 

First, we want to acknowledge that this is a complicated and emotional topic: It touches on elements such as discrimination, choice, safety, and equality between Airbnb hosts and guests. As always, we’ve been really impressed by the quality of the conversations, and the supportiveness of the community in this thread. We’ve had significant discussion and debate about it internally at Airbnb, too. It’s clear that we need to keep listening and engaging with you (our hosts and partners) on this topic, and we commit to continuing to do so.

 

At the same time, it’s important that we also continue to take guest concerns into account. Most guests do provide a profile photo, but others told us that they didn’t want to share a picture of themselves when booking on Airbnb because they’re concerned their photos could be misused in a way that violates Airbnb’s nondiscrimination policy. As you know, Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can belong anywhere, and we want to make sure guests can feel comfortable when they travel on Airbnb.

 

We also know from many conversations with hosts (and from reading through your comments here) that you really value profile photos, for several important reasons (knowing what guests look like before they arrive, feeling safer, etc.). We always want to balance the needs of both hosts and guests and, at the same time, make sure we’re working towards Airbnb’s mission. It can be exceptionally hard to get that balance right, but we tried to do this with these recent changes.

 

As we highlighted in our previous post, the new policy means that Airbnb will not require guests to provide a profile photo and that, for those guests who choose to provide a profile photo, those photos will not be shown to hosts until after the booking is accepted. At the same time, we introduced a new host control that allows you to opt in to require that your guests provide a profile photo prior to submitting a booking request. This photo will be shown to hosts as soon as you accept the booking request, so you’ll be able to ensure you know what your guests look like before they arrive. In addition, you can always require your guests to provide a government ID to Airbnb, as well (more on that here).

 

Here are a few more tips to help you build trust with guests before a trip:

  • You can message with them to get more information about the purpose of their trip;
  • You can use your House Rules to set expectations with potential guests, too. (Guests have to review and agree to your House Rules before they can request to book your space.)
  • You can review past guest reviews, from other hosts, to make a more informed decision about accepting booking requests.

 

Now, there are a few key themes we read in your comments about these changes, and we want to take a few minutes to address each of them:

 

Safety: Many of you mentioned that you’re not comfortable hosting someone who doesn't want to show their face, and some of you pointed out that you’re in challenging situations (remote locations and solo female hosts, for instance). This is an incredibly important topic. We’ve read through your responses, and we are committed to looking for ways to build trust between guests and hosts in all situations.

 

We’d like to extend an invitation to the engaged host community following this thread. Our home safety team is brainstorming ideas for how we could improve your experience and ensure you feel more safe hosting. While we have lots of ideas, we know the best solutions will come from listening to you, so we’d like to connect directly. Please let us know in the comments, below.

 

Timing: Many of you asked when you would see the changes to the guest profile photo process occur. We’re rolling them out gradually, as we often do with new products or processes. Currently, these changes have been introduced to 75% of hosts globally, and in the coming weeks will be available to 100% of hosts.  

 

Profile photos: A number of you raised concerns about profile photos that show a picture of a sunset or the guest’s dog instead of the guest themselves.  We have updated our policies to address these concerns. If you choose to turn on the new control and require that your guests have a profile photo, you can call Airbnb’s Community Support if you accept a reservation from a guest that does not have a profile photo of themselves.  Our Community Support team will work with you to address the situation. If you feel uncomfortable hosting someone without a photo of themselves, you can request to cancel the reservation penalty-free. (We recommend messaging the guest directly before cancelling.)

 

Discrimination: We do not condone discrimination by any member of the Airbnb community. These changes are part of our commitment to combating discrimination. Many of you responded that you believe these changes were unnecessary because you share our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We appreciate that feedback and can’t overstate the importance of having a host community that is engaged on this topic. Nonetheless, guests have consistently told us that they have concerns about hosts making decisions based on profile photos in violation of our Non-discrimination policy. We believe the changes to how we display photos addresses these concerns while balancing hosts’ interest in seeing potential guests before they arrive. Making these changes was an incredibly complex decision, for all the reasons you raised, but after significant debate (and working with many experts on this topic), we decided they were crucial changes to make.

 

Thank you for continuing to give us feedback and support as we strive to continue improving Airbnb for both hosts and guests. We hope you understand that we needed to make these changes to ensure a world of belonging and inclusivity. Please continue to tell us how we can improve, and we’ll continue to listen and adjust as we work to ensure you can feel comfortable and confident hosting.

 

Thank you,

The Airbnb Team

199 Replies 199

I totally agree. Well said. It just burns me up that prospective guests get to know EVERYTHING about us before they book. We get, usually, next to nothing now....

Second spot on and thumbs up.  I called recently to locate a conversation I had with a future reservation.  The representative told me where to find it.  I felt that he was patronizing when he said, "thank you for being part of the Abnb community, and being a superhost. He really did try to be nice.  It's just that gut feeling that reasoning isn't going to help.  They know it all already, and the narcissist's just get a charge. We get used to accepting the absurd, and the absurd becomes the norm.

Thanks for your feedback.  

 

Based on your recent interaction with Lizzie in London, United Kingdom Online Community Manager, how likely are you to recommend Airbnb to friends or family on the recent changes?   

0 not at all likely  -  10 extremely likely.

 

Thanks Lizzie for sharing more of your thoughts on this and it is really interesting to hear your points from a mangers point of view.

 

It would be great to hear more of your mindlessness on what points you think the hosts will get frustrated with the process?  Plus any possible ideas addressing (aside from reversing the update)?

 

As ever, thanks, so much!!!!!

This is a good idea -- I guess I'm going to have to start requesting screen shots as well since Airbnb isn't listening.

Susan653
Level 10
Groton, CT

Lizzie,

 

Thanks for asking for our feedback, but, respectfully, the original  post seems only to reiterate what we already knew about the "new" policy and suggests the use of tools and safeguards that I, personally, already have in place.

 

As an Instant Book host, I already ask that guests provide profile photos (which, of course, I'll now only see AFTER having accepted their reservations) and answer questions about their trip. While this gives me some peace of mind, it doesn't address my primary concern, which is new-to-Airbnb college kids booking my place for overnight drinking parties. Anyone can lie about their age and the purpose of their trip and I have no recourse but to resort to the honor system and accept what they tell me. A photo that shows me a very young person or group of people will at least allow me to ask a couple of pointed follow-up questions before accepting a booking. I HAVE accepted many college-age guests who've described their plans; for example, a sweet couple going to school on opposite coasts, who stayed at my place over Thanksgiving; two young women who wanted to get off campus for a study weekend, etc. It's neither my practice nor my intention to discriminate based on age--I'd also discourage older guests who clearly wanted to use my property for partying--but only to have a better sense of how my place is to be used. Consider the inquiring guests who disappear when--having seen their beer-in-hand photos--I ask follow-up questions about their travel plans. I've been grateful for the profile photos that got my antennae up in these cases.  Having said that, I'd be okay with dispensing with profile photos if Airbnb actually took the time to implement a well-thought out anti-discrimination policy that takes guest AND host safety into consideration.

 

I, and numerous other posters in the Community Center, have suggested an algorithm that tracks hosts' decline patterns. A little Big Brotherish? Sure, but I'd rather have Airbnb looking over my shoulder--knowing they'll find no discriminatory practices--than forcing me to accept a policy that makes hosts and guests alike uncomfortable. You haven't addressed the concerns of GUESTS who don't want to be booked in the homes of potentially discriminatory hosts. Because the new photo policy has created a perfect setup for that to happen. Personally, as a guest,  I'd rather have someone decline my inquiry after seeing my photo than accept my reservation because they don't have a choice and treat me like garbage--or give me an unfair review--once I'd left. Why can't a company with Airbnb's resources set up a more sensible anti-discrimination policy? No one from Airbnb has answered this question, and it's been asked plenty of times.

 

And finally, you do realize, don't you, how impracticable the whole "Have guests read your House Rules and agree to them before you accept the booking," suggestion is? Unless I'm missing a button or other tool somewhere, there is no way for a host to ensure this "agreement" is met. Again, we're supposed to trust in the honor system. If guests smoke in my property, leave garbage overflowing, turn the expensive electric heat up to 85 degrees 24/7,  or run the air conditioner in the dead of a New England winter (yes, this has happened--and they left it running upon checkout), I have no recourse. Would the viewing of a profile photo have prevented this behavior? Unlikely. But the original post DID suggest that hosts use House Rules to feel more secure. Here's a suggestion that should be extremely easy for Airbnb to implement: Have a button for guests to click ensuring they've read and will abide by hosts' House Rules. It's a great way to give guests a sense of accountability a hosts a sense of security.  Further, it ensures that guests actually READ the house rules, something which, in my experience, many guests don't seem to do.

 

I'd really like a response that addresses (a) why Airbnb can't/won't track declines and take action against discriminatory patterns; and (b) when Airbnb will create a  tool that enables hosts to have guests to click to agree to House Rules before being allowed to book.

 

Thanks in advance!

@Susan273Thank you for so clearly articulating my thoughts as well.

I totally agree with you Susan.  There should be a button that they have to click once the rules are agreed to. But you are right, there is no way to know if they will follow the rules and what the guest if like from just a profile photo.  You just have to trust your gut on that one.  We have set up a dedicated suite in our home for that reason. The guest has no access to our home. We do not have the trust in strangers as we once would have many years ago. The world has changed. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Airbnb  Sorry, but this explanation changes NOTHING. All you are doing is defending your new no profile photo policy until AFTER a booking is confirmed, which the vast majority of hosts have told you makes them feel vulnerable and takes away some of the tools we use to vet guests. So no, YOU ARE NOT LISTENING.

And this has zero to do with discrimination. Guests who are in demographics which often get discriminated against are writing in to this forum saying they would prefer to be discriminated against BEFORE their booking is accepted, rather than arrive at a listing to find that the host is actually predjudiced. This new policy makes them feel LESS safe.

@Sarah977  You arent' surprised are you?  At least this particular message wasn't written in the typical condescending sing song, new age patois, dude bro type of language that is typical of airbnb and their representatives.  They don't really care and they aren't going to change it unless there really is a vast number of hosts who leave the platform, which seems unlikely. 

 

I also agree, I would much prefer to be declined by someone who dislikes me in advance for my ethnicity or nationality, rather than show up somewhere and be treated badly. 

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Airbnb

I want to thank the team for looking at the community's concerns but if I may, I would like to make a  comment.

 

Where the photo issue prior to a reservation is concerned, with respect, you, the team,  have missed the point!

We are all well aware some users do not wish to publicly show an identifiable  image of themselves. This has always been the case and we as the hosting community do not have a problem with that because we can always ask for it.

What we are upset about is, more than 70% of users have presented an identifiable  profile photo which they have no problem with being publicly viewable, and Airbnb have chosen to remove access to that photo from the host until the guest has booked. This has been proven because the inquiring guests photo could be viewed prior to booking by opening their profile in an incognito window....but you have now closed that loop-hole too! This is what we are upset about!

 

Team, you have to understand, guests get annoyed when they have to keep on identifying themselves. They feel they have done their bit by going through the verification process in order to book with Airbnb, and now here they are having to go throught it again (sometimes within a few hours) for the host.....isn't once enough? The guests reaction is...."Why don't you clowns get your act together, we have already done this"!.....but Airbnb are removing it. Can you please understand this, you are not just making our job difficult, you are annoying prospective guests!

We are extremely concerned that the next step will be to remove the inquiring guests profile until they book, not just the photo. You are not FedEx, this is not an inanimate package you are delivering to our properties, it is a strange person, a person/s we know nothing about!

 

All we want is for the hosting process to go smoothly with as little inconvenience and uncertainty as possible. We don't want to be required to accept third party bookings, or guests who clearly are not a good fit for what we offer, we do not want to be put in a position where create issues which sooner or later Airbnb are going to have to deal with!

 

Cheers.....Rob

 

 

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Thanks @Robin4 for sharing more of your thoughts on this and it is really interesting to hear your points from a guest point of view. 

 

Just thinking on what you have shared here. Once the booking is confirmed, if the guest has added a photo this will then be visible to hosts. It would be great to hear more of your thoughts on what points you think the guest will get frustrated with the process? Plus, any possible ideas for addressing this (aside from reversing the update?) 🙂

 

As ever, thanks so much,

 

Lizzie


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@Airbnb & @Lizzie:

 

Do you have any intention of addressing or even attempting to address the two very clear questions I asked at the end of my earlier post in this thread?

 

"I'd really like a response that addresses (a) why Airbnb can't/won't track declines and take action against discriminatory patterns; and (b) when Airbnb will create a  tool that enables hosts to have guests to click to agree to House Rules before being allowed to book."

 

I'm not the first person who's wondered these things. Check out @Brian686's post below, which addresses my same point about Airbnb repeatedly suggesting that hosts make themselves feel "safer" by attempting to reinforce House Rules that are basically unenforcable without any tools or support from Airbnb. As Airbnb's representative here, it would be nice, @Lizzie,  if you would at least acknowledge the legitimacy of these concerns.

 

Further, I find it frustrating, if not downright insulting, that you continue to ask for suggestions . . . as long as said suggestions don't involve overturning @Airbnb's shiny new policy. So you're basically saying that, as Airbnb's representative, you only want to hear from people who are happy to toe the company line. I made a suggestion about replacing the "no photos" policy with a different type of policy that might actually address and curb discrimination in a way that enables both guests and hosts to feel secure. But you don't want to hear about that, or even to acknowlege the suggestion because it would involve--heaven forbid!--Airbnb repealing something they just rolled out. So, how concerned and unhappy  numerous hosts and guests feel about the new policy really doesn't matter; what matters is that @Airbnb might have to undo something they just did. 

 

The unfortunate conclusion I'm forced to come to is that  @Airbnb only wants to communicate with people who agree with them. Okay, you do that. But please stop patronizing the rest of us.

 

 


@Lizzie wrote:

Thanks @Robin4 for sharing more of your thoughts on this and it is really interesting to hear your points from a guest point of view. 

 

Just thinking on what you have shared here. Once the booking is confirmed, if the guest has added a photo this will then be visible to hosts. It would be great to hear more of your thoughts on what points you think the guest will get frustrated with the process? Plus, any possible ideas for addressing this (aside from reversing the update?) 🙂

 

As ever, thanks so much,

 

Lizzie


 

 

LOL, my post that disappeared yesterday has reappeared! Maybe it was on vacation? Staying at an Airbnb Plus property? (Unlikely; my posts can't afford such luxury.)

 

Sorry about unintentionally making my points twice. Guess I'll make lemonade and use it as an editorial exercise. 😉

 

I have been trying to join the conversation and the site won't let me in.

 

Wow. I just posted a reply that was completely "disappeared" from this thread three minutes after going up. Oh, well, back to the drawing board:

 

What I wanted to know was why you, @Lizzie, as @Airbnb's representative, apparently only want to hear suggestions from people who are not asking for the new "no guest photos" policy be changed? Are you saying that you only want to hear from people who agree with you? Or are you saying only hosts (or guests, for that matter) who toe the party line have anything to say worth hearing?

 

What's obvious in your most recent post is that we're spitting in the wind if we think Airbnb intends to change any of their precious policies, even in the face of concerns and/or suggestions that are valid and reasonable. Also coming across loud and clear: @Airbnb is very invested in the rules it creates, but not so much in the concerns of those who have to abide by them. Like, it's more important for the company not to have to roll back what they just rolled out than for it to address the legitimate issues that have been expressed by numerous people in numerous threads on this subject.

 

@Lizzie, the questions I asked at the end of my earlier post have not been addressed or even acknowleged, so, to refresh your memory:

 

"I'd really like a response that addresses (a) why Airbnb can't/won't track declines and take action against discriminatory patterns; and (b) when Airbnb will create a  tool that enables hosts to have guests to click to agree to House Rules before being allowed to book."

 

I'm not the first person who's brought up these questions. I've seen both hosts and guests suggest tracking decline patterns, and @Brian686, in this thread, also raised the issue of unenforceable house rules, to wit:

 

"I note the reference to use house rules in the opening post. The issue is that guests simply don’t read the house rules despite them apparently agreeing to abide by these. On two recent occasions when I have raised issues about both compliance with ToS by guests and also guests flouting house rules, CS staff simply responded that this was my perception and refused to even entertain the idea that a guest may actually not comply with house rules. This is despite my having hard evidence that supports my ‘perception’. Suggesting hosts tighten up house rules is pointless if the host attempts to enforce their house rules and guests are simply supported by AirBNB to flout house rules and your own ToS."

 

Exactly. So why not a button to click or other tool that will ensure guests at least know the house rules exist? Better yet, that they have to type in in a code word (or whatever) that's embedded in the rules before they can move through the rest of the reservation process. Hey, we're all having to prove we're not robots all the time, so it's not a huge hoop for people to jump through at this point. This is a valid point being made by many hosts, but you choose not to address it at all. Why?

 

I can't speak for others, but I can tell you that I'm past the point of considering these requests for "feedback"--as long as it doesn't rock the boat--disingenuous. I now consider them insulting and patronizing, and I won't be able to take @Airbnb's communications seriously until I see that they and their representatives are taking seriously the real concerns of the people who use this platform and make the existence and success of this company possible.

 


@Lizzie wrote:

Thanks @Robin4 for sharing more of your thoughts on this and it is really interesting to hear your points from a guest point of view. 

 

Just thinking on what you have shared here. Once the booking is confirmed, if the guest has added a photo this will then be visible to hosts. It would be great to hear more of your thoughts on what points you think the guest will get frustrated with the process? Plus, any possible ideas for addressing this (aside from reversing the update?) 🙂

 

As ever, thanks so much,

 

Lizzie