I apologize if this issue had been discussed before, but in a search of the forums I didn't find anything related to this.
Is it just me that finds this new Host profile change a bit baffling? I understand having to fill out some basic information, uploading a picture, but being asked to fill out personal information weirdly similar to ones in dating apps seems a bit much. That paired with the information that soon host profiles will show up in searches for places makes me feel extremely icky.
I'm a single woman living alone. I find the relationship of sharing my home with guest already really delicate and I always take care to make sure that no lines are ever remotely in risk of being crossed, but when guests are booking places not for the accommodations but for the profile of the host I feel like the line is crossed even before the guest even arrives.
I feel like this change of focus just ruins Airbnb, I always relied on the reviews of previous hosts and felt safe with this being a professional platform, but if the focus changes from renting out a space to strangers to a personal relationship it just feels like an invasion of privacy. I get that guest and host interaction has always been a crucial part of airbnb, but it seems to me that the basic information and reviews from other guests should be enough.
If I meet a guest and feel comfortable maybe I'll want to tell them about my favorite song from highschool, of my most useless skill...but being required to give up any personal information so that I don't get less exposure on a professional app just seems wrong and I hate it.