Airbnb Answers: Guest information and flagging guest behavior

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Airbnb Answers: Guest information and flagging guest behavior

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.

 

436 Replies 436
Sherry117
Level 1
Granville, OH

I have been an airbnb host since Sept but have become a Superhost twice since I live in a college town and get a lot of bookings due to people visiting the collee or parents visiting students. This past weekend I hosted a graduate of the University and his girlfriend who is a current student. I wrote a glowing review as they were great guests. Later in the week I noticed the travel size bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body gel in the shower I provided for use while here were taken. That is the first time it happened in 8 mos of hosting. Now I am getting a wall mounted dispenser to avoid this problem in the future.  I felt this was rude behavior taking my supplies, but didnt know if it is something worth “dinging” them on in my review. I know people take samples from hotels but am I wrong to expect higher standards from house guests?

This is of little value and reactionary.  Case in point, person rented property, had all of the verifications including government ID.  House was damaged, numerous items stolen from the house.  Followed all of requirements, police report, receipts of original purchase, cost of replacement etc. 

Three months later, Airbnb supposedly million dollar coverage has yet to pay a penny.   It takes an act of Congress to get any response from Airbnb. The latest reply is they are overloaded with similar cases...!?   Obviously the system is tremendously flawed

The guesst needs to be made aware (& remineded) that these are not hotels with maintainance staff. That wear & tear is a bigger issue for us.  Our requests that may seem strange even petty - but they reflect the historical damage done: Taking your shoes off, being careful not to scratch the floor with your suitcase - you wouldn't beleive the sratches our wood work receives. 

Laura1618
Level 1
Sparks Glencoe, MD

We are in SW FL and the biggest problem we have is guests opening all the windows and running the a/c full tilt, even when they are gone for the day.  Of course, it is in our house rules that this is prohibited but that doesn't matter.  Many times, I don't know unless a neighbor tells me and then I get the bill and figure it out.  We have had guests sneak in pets as well.  I also feel it is highly inappropriate for a guest to contact me and ask for discounts.  This isn't WalMart and I don't think it should be permitted.  I take the time to converse with someone interested, only to find out 30 minutes in that she wants it for 1/2 of what it is listed for.  Come on!

Beth214
Level 2
Bristol, RI

I'm happy to hear, I'm not alone with the strange things guests do to my rental.  I know its awful, but sometimes I feel alone when it happens.  I have a 4 guests max policy, and counted 12 people entering separately from other doors.   With 12 guests also came more cars, me with not one space myself.  When, I tried talking they ganged up on me.  The weird thing, in over 10 yrs I never had that happen, then it happened twice in a row.

I would love a way just for Hosts to share info about guests without them knowing.

I have switched to another site for my bookings.  I have gone over the top for my guests for skid row prices and guests who expect 5 star service.  I was pricing per night as per Smart Pricing and it is too low for what I provide.  Breakfast, incidentals, providing services like the use of the kitchen, laundry - just so I don't get a bad review which I cannot challenge.  I started by not allowing children because kids expect a hotel experience, then I did not want to host people in their 20's and then I turned off instant booking and AirBNB hound me to turn it on.  I know what type of guest they are going to be before they show up,   dozens of questions that are clearly stated on the webiste, which they never read. I cancelled because you get an uneasy feeling that their expectations are through the roof and my Superhost was taken away.  My last booking was 6, twenty something that partied in my house until 3 am.  I was too scared of losing my Superhost status to cancel, so I let them book.  They kept me and my family up all night, even after I told them at 1 am that they were being loud.   I have people leave me a bad review because I have a dog and cat, it is clearly listed in the description, so why should I be penalized for their expectations. I had someone send me about 15 messages asking mundane questions and I knew they were going to be a problem. Sure enough, there was an ice storm and my walkway was slippery and they mentioned sueing me if they slipped and fell.  Until, ABNB changes the ability to screen guests based on previous Hosts review - I will use other sites.

Whitney25
Level 2
Austin, TX

Better vetting would be great.

 

I’d like to see guests have a high star rating with a minimum of 3-5 visits before allowed to instant book. These are not always my best clients.

 

Next, how about a place that they verify that they read the house rules before they can instant book?

 

I ask people to let me know when they’ve arrive and when the leave  the house. (I have keyless pads). Rarely do they do this. It’s a small courtesy to a host. But it makes me wonder if they read any of the house manual if they don’t say hello and goodbye. I always communicate with guests so they know I’m concerned about their stay even if not present at check in and out.

Margaret299
Level 1
New York, NY

As a host I always clean my kitchen thoroughly with bleach!!!! after my guests  and yet I have have gottencomments like "kitchen could be cleaner"- bringing me down to  3.

 This is not fair!!!!

Daniel420
Level 2
New York, NY

Hi Eugénie,

I do the same thing but the issue is the house rules, house users guide, special places to go, etc now is to long. If Airbnb, as Melanie mentioned, could try to give new guests a heads-up then that might help.

BTW: I just learn what a tea towel is 🙂

Cheers,

daniel

Anna1063
Level 2
Shakopee, MN

As a single woman renting out half my house, I wish there was a way to see more about the guest.  It seems like I get a lot of guests that are brand new to AirBnB and have very few ratings.  It's hard to gauge if the person will be decent and respectful when there is nothing to go on other than AirBnB saying they have verified credtials.  Perhaps AirBnB could have a setting where you can filter out guests with less then 10 reviews.  Safety is an issue for me as this is where I live.  

Todd122
Level 2
Nashville, TN

Similar to Melanie in Elizabeth Bay, Australia, I had the same thing happen recently......   three girls stayed only for the weekend and used 17 full size towels!   We have always tried to leave a few extra towels out and available, but after that have pulled all the extra ones out of our rental.  

 

It would also be great if it were suggested to them that if they are going to move the furniture around and/or into different rooms or even different levels of the house, that they put them back as they found them.  I have had three or four that have taken me up to six ten hours to get furniture back in place and touch up all the chipped and scuffed paint.  

 

If they break something, it would be very helpful to know that when it happens rather than "discovering" it after the fact, often when we are in a hurry to get the place ready for the next guest.  We have never charged a guest for something that got broken, we just took care of it and fixed it.  But sure would be nice to know.

 

It also was helpful when you used to include the age of the guest in the reservation request information.  We customize our space and amenities to each group, so that was helpful information to us.

 

All in all we have had very positive experiences.

 

All in all though I have had very positive experiences.

James830
Level 1
Denver, CO

My second and last guest was not a good early start to air bnb hosting.  She was nice enough as a person but turned out to be homeless, was a little older, and also had some medical issues.  She had trouble remembering to lock the door to the house, I was remodeling a nearby bathroom and when I had showed her where she was staying and the other bathroom, I mentioned fairly explicitly to not use the one that was being remodeled mostly for safety since there was a bare subfloor and open walls.  Within the first two hours she had used the bathroom that was being remodeled.  The bed was brand new and so were the sheets.  When she checked out 6 days later, there were blood stains on the mattress, mattress protector and the sheets.  There was also blood  on the toilet seat and sink in the bathroom that was good to use.  Dirty Dishes and trash were also left in the room despite the trash can in the room. I ended up not leaving a review simply because I didn’t really know what to say, and I don’t want to kick people when they’re down so to speak.  I felt kinda bad for her but now I have a $1000 dollar mattress that has only been used twice, a $300 white down comforter with blood stains, a $100 new bed cover, and a $120 set of linens all white with blood stains that I can’t get out.  I’m not all thrilled with airbnb setting up either because I had a price in mind but then the little thing showed up that said my price was way too high for the surrounding area so I lowered it to the recommended price range and offered the new host discount.  I think that had this feature not been in place I would have kept my original price, which may have deterred this particular host. Also this feature was accurate for a major metro area about an hour away but the average price in my rural area was exactly the average of other listings within 10 miles.   I made $150 from hosting this but it has cost me a much more than that.  She was the second person to have ever stayed in that room on that mattress and sheets.  Live and learn I guess.  The worst was when I finally did see her review she mentioned that my house was under construction, which it’s not really,  it’s a remodel of a bathroom I had asked her not to use.   Unfortunately I don’t know if I will continue with airbnb simply due to the fact I don’t feel guests are properly vetted and hosts cannot really say no to a guest without being penalized or forced into the quick booking thing or if that is off without incurring additional fees.  Not every host can accommodate people with disabilities,  it’s not discrimination it’s just not every home or location is set up for it.  Anyway that’s my second and last experience I think with this.  I guess it is not for everyone.  

Annette105
Level 2
Onaway, MI

Melaine:

I tend to agree with you on this. I have had families come in and leave the eating area floor (which is a mixed hard wood - and requires maintenance) a major disaster with food on furniture and smashed onto the floor under the table. Do they live like this at home?

I also saw one guest in perticular disregard my "house rules" of stripping the beds used, then telling me they did not use the sofa sleeper... I open it and find they did indeed use it. Why lie about it?

I have not to date enforced the extra fee if departure rules are disregarded, however I have made note to them in my private comments area that this should not be the norm.

 

However, overall i am satisified with my first summer as a host. I hope this year goes as well. I do agree with one other poster here that if the guest leaves a bad review among a sea of great reviews, it brings down your overall rating a lot. This makes me wonder if the rating system does not require tweaking? 

 

Deborah: 

For my bookings outside of Airbnb, I charge guests a refundable $150 deposit for any damage caused and do not refund it until I do a walk through after they leave. I have this noted in my area of charges on my Air page, however it appears that Air does not enforce this charge. And as to why??? I cannot seem to get the answer. I have called and emailed twice about this and received no reply. Also, when i was a new renter, I submitted a question (In June of last year - 2017) and finally got a call 2 months later! I told the lady.. forget it, I figured it out on my own.  AND... lastly, I send them via email a rental lease document, House rules document, and pet addendum. All require very specific initialing, signatures and answers of yes/no in various places... so should we ever have to go to court over something.. I have that as my documentation. I make it clear they are not allowed to rent my home without the documents completed. 

Dan376
Level 10
Mooloolaba, Australia

I think there should be an sms with a "must respond " button  policy for them to get the address and at the same time that confirmes the house rule and the consequences of not abiding (within limits of course) . If,for example, it is a no smoking, no party no animal..whatever we, as the host decide is right for our sanity and property,  then there would be a penalty set..standard..and it should be recorded in the system..first time get a "demerit"star , second time  another star AND a penalty..  even if it started with a minimal of say $30 and then increasing, a lot of people would think twice and I BET they WOULD read all of our indications and restrictions.. People react similarly when it is THEIR PURSE to have to open to repair their behavioural damage.

Also, if the booking is for a set number of guests, the host should be provided with a picture of each guest (other than minors) and those guests should be allowed at any time in the premesis, expecially when it is a room and not a self contained, as there are singles, people with young families or more vulnerable people that would feel very uncomfortable in objecting to unbooked guests staying and would possibly feel very unsafe in certain circumstance. I think that we, as home owners/host should have the right to say..for eample. i just want to let my room to single women..because I don't want to have a man walk around in my place having children or simply because I might be alone. ( i have mine set up completely separate, but as a woman i would think twice about it, otherwise).I mean, look at the Gold Coast , when schoolies time comes around how many "discriminate"based on age?! WHY CAN'T WE HAVE THE SAME CHOICE AND RIGHT?    Plus  We book, clean and get paid by a specific number of guests, therefore a higher number should be remunerated accordingly..and some places would be too small in a sense of safety and  for the home owner/occupied insurance policy to cover should anything happen.  THERE MUST BE AN OVEHAUL IN THE GUEST DEPARTMENT. THEY ARE EMPOWERED BY A SYSTEM THAT CONDONES THEIR SELFISH DISRUPTING AND DISTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR.

I would hope Airbnb takes advantage of this forum to take the temperature of their REAL income making clientele..their hosts. The complains seems to be consistantly similar. Maybe implementing a preventitive explanatory system together with a biforked reward/loss system, where the guest that does the right thing get rewarded..maybe a percentage off their next visit with that same host.. I would be happy to see my same good guest return and i would gladly give them 10% and knowing them already, then take a chance on someone new for a possible 100% of a mess.. I would be willing to forego my earned discount to go towards a system that not only would promote better behavior but RETURN CLIENTELE!!!  To me sounds most logic. please Let me know any feedback or other ideas to add to this list!  I wish there was another way for our concerns to reach the people that are in charge and have the power to turn Airbnb in the greatest it still can be. 

Diane364
Level 2
Cancún, Mexico

It would also be great if Airbnb explained to guests that these are not hotels. You've no idea how many guests knock on my door at midnight asking for bottles of water or fresh towels!