@Lori205
Over the years Lori, I have experimented with turning that function "Recommendation from other hosts" off or on at times and from my experience accessing that requirement has absolutely no effect on who can book.
I prefer to use IB Lori, and would use it exclusively given the option because, guests who simply want to pay and stay use IB, guests who have questions to ask (want you to give some ground) use a Reservation Request. For that reason I have not set any requirements for IB booking these days and most of my bookings come via that IB path.
When I first started using IB I set all the host requirements Lori.
I dumped the profile photo requirement at the point where Airbnb deemed a guest did not have to have an identifiable facial image to use the platform any more. Airbnb deemed a grey facial silhouette was sufficient for an account holder to use Airbnb. The net result of that from my experience was, guests who had nothing to hide, had a great past history and wanted to get the best out of the platform had no problem supplying a good identifiable profile image (and almost all of those have been IB). Problematic guests who were not comfortable showing their hosts who they were or any details about them, for one reason or another, would choose to hide theirs, but Airbnb deemed that to be fine, they had supplied a photo, just didn't want it public!
I dumped the second item Gov issued ID when I found out Airbnb ask for it but are quite happy to let account holders use the platform without it......sometimes for years....or until something goes wrong!
So Lori, I found these guests requirements mean very little to the host, and the fact that 'Hannah' arrives on Oct 30th as a cleanskin with no past history despite your guest requirements does not strike me as the slightest bit strange. It simply confirms my observations in the past.
It also does not mean Hannah will be a bad guest. I have hosted a number of new profile holders and they have turned out to be excellent guests who I have been able to give a great review to start their Airbnb career. To me Lori, it not a matter of that email subject....
"New booking confirmed! Hannah arrives Oct 30.".......it's the message that Hannah sent with it that is important! Does she just want to stay or, are their strings attached....is she passive or aggressive?
Cheers.......Rob