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.

[Sarah59]

Hi, you say "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 this is simply not true. I have 3 out of 5 guests without any of this information posted. Why are they allowed to book??

[Tricia61]

I would love for my cleaning team on the ground to give me a quick assessment of each guest that feeds into my own assessment of each guest and group.  I don't live near the property I have listed and am simply guessing how they were based on my online interactions, but I don't get to see how the property was exactly left...? Just an idea 🙂

[Trish-and-Kev0]

We have buisness people staying on the rare occasion but are mainly a holiday accomodation. Guests bring alot of luggage and very often oversized sports bags for wind / kite surfing. Our units are super busy frequently a guest leaves and another arrives on the same day for the same unit. We don't live at the house. We often have guests arriving really early morning or leaving late at night that expect to leave luggage ( a member of the team would have to be paid to manage, and there is nowhere to store it ) I disagree that left luggage should be manditory. We encourage on booking an extra night for early arrivals and late departures.  We insist that guests must have a car for this location. We offer a great value beautiful accomodation. T

Never the less there seems to be an expectation of a hotel style reception service ?? 

[Anne845]

Melanie and Eugenie

I am very new to this airbnb, I am a remote landlord and because of that I keep things as simple as possible with my home that sleeps 14.  I have quickly realised despite my comprehensive listing info that I need to reiterate this with a checklist in the house.  I guess my place is a little different from many, I'm not sure, but guests take their own linen, towels, tea towels and toiletries.  I am very clear that they need to clean on departure (I do offer a cleaner on request)  So i have a checklist they need to sign off when they leave then I pay a manager to check my house once they have departed and she marks off the checklist too.  Initially I had a couple of not so great tenants that didn't comply so I took money off them via the site and they didn't argue.  Since I have had the checklist it seems to be so much better.  Hope this might help

[David2179]

I don’t see guest reviews as being the main source of fixing the problem. Hard to review somebody poorly when they could do the same even though your listing is terrific.

[Jim129]

We like these Airbnb initiatives. However, in our experience, the host plays a key role in attracting the best guest match for the property.... by writing an explicit description and setting an appropriate price.

Write a description to attract the type of guests appropriate for your property...Our target guests are military families, families with small children and seniors.

Price setting is critical. Set a minimum price which you believe attracts the appropriate caliber of guest for your property.  After nearly 4 years we keep our "floor" price at a level at which we are comfortable. 

Bottom line on guests. Do you want volume or do you want quality?  Taking the volume route is likely more profitable but risky.  Taking the quality route won't generate as much revenue but will have less risk. 

[Kerri38]

We have had for the most part extremely curtesy guests who have treated our home as they would their own. However, I am definitely very selective and ask questions to pre-screen prior to bookings to hopefully eliminate major issues. We live in a very seasonal area and this being our primary home and not just a vacation rental we need to be very cautious with who we rent to. We don’t allow parties, we don’t allow underage renters, we do have house rules and I do confirm they did read prior to booking (as annoying to them as it may be). I ALWAYS request a guest provides their last name to me prior to approval. What throws me off his some guests reviews under differs names. The profile will be “Susie” yet the reviews for Susie will say “Susie and mike were great guests” and “Nancy and bill I recommend” why are others being reviewed or allowed to book under someone else’s profile? 

And so far I have had excellent support from airbnb! 

[Mac18]

I would like to be ble to give a guest four stars without having to write a comment.  There are numerous reasons why a guest could reduced by one star that shouldn’t require a comment.  As it stands,  if you don’t want to rite a comment you have to give max stars. 

[Suzanne283]

To Maureen: I believe the following is true. A guest leaves me, the host, a review. I leave the guest a review. Neither one of us can see the other's review until we have both posted a review. This helps prevent retaliation. I like how AirBnB works this way; whereas, eBay is notorious for retaliation because, for example, buyers see the sellers' reviews even before ... they, the buyers, leave a review.

[Bee-and-Rog0]

If AirBnB gave Hosts a Guest review form, that would not be made public, then little niggles could be documented which might help resolution disputes in the case of more major issues.

We've had several issues that were not major enough to raise a complaint but were things that the guest might do repeatedly through lack of understanding.

The AirBnB review process is all about 5 star ratings whereas, personally, I'd say a good review is 4 star and and exceptional guest earning 5 stars. Because of the system we tend to give "good" guests 5 stars and can't really highlight those special people.

Both Guest and Host reviews that were private to AirBnB might be very helpful - how are they going to award Superguest status based purely on public reviews?

[Judy29]

10 days ago I welcomed four guest into our "Little Cottage" style accommodations.  In the many emails and two phone calls, it was clear that they wanted to book as one guest at a low price of $85 for the entire house.  I send two more emails to explain that it was comfortably set up to sleep three adult couples but to remember it was a small home.  We have this place listed as non smoking...so you know where this is going.  I was there to meet and greet shortly after their arrival only to find two cigarette butts thrown on the driveway (which I DID pick up immediately).  They were like bull dogs...bigger than life...and consumed the entire entrance way of this tiny house.  (unfortunately I could not be there the next day to say goodbye and retrieve the house keys as i was heading out of town very earlly in the morning...on my own vacation to a sunnier destination).  

When I returned home (in a historic, horrific ice storm, I had to sit tight at a hotel for two days before my hubby could bring me home).  It was 10 days later that I evenually got to view the little house to see the condition after these guests left.  The front door was WIDE open ("10 days open to an ice storm and sub 0 temperatures")  and the screen door was unsecured and unlocked.  These people did not show any respect for the security of this property AT ALL.  There was a fowl smell of cigarettes throughout the house.  The garbage bags were filled with butts and ashes.  The blue recycle bucket filled to the brim with liquor bottles.  "We will not be at the house much as we are in town for a party at friends".  Looked like the party shifted to our house.  When I returned to our  main manor, I responded to the review for these guests.  Carefully responding with  4 star only because there was nothing unusally about the unmade beds, dishes and towels in the sink, and afterall garbage was were it was supposed to be, etc.  Then I read the review they left me.  Shocked that they said it was extremely small, bathroom not suitable for tall people (?) and the beds 'very, very firm' and not as comfortable as their own beds.  In the private message she commented that my description was in error, poor communication and should make sure people are aware of the negatives of this home.  (There are NO negatives...according to all other guests!...rather quite the contrary).  So I have now lost my superhost position which I am not happy with AT ALL.  

I responded to a previous email and reminded the guests that they should always read ALL of the desciption and not assume that every guest home offers 'THEIR mattress style' and that perhaps what they expect as the perfect accommodation is not what the majority of hosts may offer.  I mentioned that I was disppointed that they were irresponsible leaving the house with the door handle locked but the door left wide open.  I also commented that they should read the reviews left for them from their other hosts...they all say the same thing...."odd odour left behind".  I said that perhaps their clothing is so filled with smoke that they dont realize how it impacts the interior space they occupy and how that cigarette odour permeates the furnishing that they sit on after they smoke.

This followed with and additional 4 long responses from this guests (as she did with the other host reviews).  I was not surprised as I had just read all the other host reviews on this couple and they all said basically the same thing, "clean and showing respect, however left an odd odour in the house".

So with the door left open for 10 days, this smell is still lingering and a guest who is now calling ME rude...I have decided to sell this little house and get out of the Airbnb hosting.  (purchased a little cottage for our son as an investment..he is just not ready for the responsibility)  Just not worth it.  and after the first year, too many burn holes in my new carpet...and blankets!, damaged kitchen doors (that we had to replace), holes in the walls and ripped linens...in my non smoking house.  We have a forested area that is volnerable to burning down due to hot summers and I will not risk yet another "non smoking guest who smokes".  Thank you Airbnb for thinking you can fix a problem...but YOU CANT!

[Basia4]

 I had the exact same experience. We were hosting a 4 bedroom home and came up with the same issues.  Our walls would be smeared/streaked with prints, there were gouges in the walls, in the hardwood floors, white linen and towels were stained to the point you couldn't get it out, the upholstered furniture all had dark stains from what i'm assuming was coffee or tea or other drinks.  The house was too large for the cleaner to notice every time there was a new issue.  We only rented for a few months and i can honestly say, the guests did more damage in under half a year than my family could possibly do in MANY years of use.  As a host, i didn't feel protected because of the threat of retaliation with reviews and it just put me off hosting completely.  

[Robin317]

I’m a new host. We have our first booking in May. I gotta tell you hearing the words ,tens of thousands’ strikes fear in my heart! We plan to book our home and in turn book another as a way to afford vacations.  Maybe it’s not going to be worth it! So far our two bookings have several good reviews! I like the idea of a superguest status. I will see how my two bookings go but probably drop out after reading this article and comments from hosts. 

[Richard316]

Eduard,

I understand your point of view but there has to be a limit.  I expect and demand a level of respect when it comes to " my house".  Just because someone is on vacation is no reason to treat another person's home as a pig sty.  If that is their mentality then they are better off in a hotel, as I have mentioned in their review.  Fortunately, for us, we've only had two incidents requiring a poor review.  I'd rather raise the bar for the guest as to lower the bar when it comes to common courtesy.

[Joseph313]

  It is hard to figure out the proper balance in your ratings. You don’t want to be so hardcore and at the same time you want people to understand when they do not meet expectations.  Basic policy of leave it as you found, is never followed. Simple instructions about putting all the sheets and towels in the laundry room, gets you every comforter and pillow and wet towels in one heaping pile.  Frustrating.  

I also do not like finding out afterwards that the booking of 9 people ended up being 28.  This last time they left the place in good shape, but throwing a party without consent is not cool.