Airbnb Will Hide Guests’ First Names in Oregon Until Bookings Are Confirmed to Fight Discrimination

[Michelle53]

"Airbnb is taking steps to tackle discrimination from hosts on its platform with a new update for guests who are residents of Oregon. Unfortunately, it seems like people in other states, and around the world, will just have to keep on fighting to be treated fairly on the platform.

Beginning on Jan. 31, hosts will only see the initials of guests’ first names until they confirm a booking request, Airbnb announced in a December news announcement spotted by the Verge. After a host confirms the booking, the guest’s full name will appear. The change to how names are displaced will be in place for at least two years...."

https://gizmodo.com/airbnb-will-hide-guests-first-names-in-oregon-until-bo-1848294121

Is anyone a little troubled by calling a prospective guest "X.Y."  if they reach out with a booking request ?   Does it seem friendly to anyone ?   Goodness knows we get almost no information about prospective guests, in many cases.

[Kelly149]

Again. Silly. I absolutely in no way shape or form care what a guest’s name is, before, or after booking. What I do care is did they read the listing (yes, I can tell) and do they present themselves in a manner that indicates they’re visiting my HOME, not a generic hotel. Abb could lessen declines by: educating guests, empowering hosts & getting the booking pages to focus on quality over quantity. 

[Helen427]

Wow, this is quite unbelievable.

Do they really think this will break down Discrimination in society?

I think not.

Who is pushing all these divisive ideas in society?

All it's doing is breaking down harmonious relations which is sad.

Whoever suggested this idea perhaps needs some form of psychological counseling and realise we all live in this world #Together.

[Yu37]

This sucks for hosts. The name preview is really useful 

[Christine615]

I’m on the record for saying some people see racism where it doesn’t exist and one complaint shouldn’t impact the safety of hosts.

There is a huge difference between absentee commercial investor hosts and  hosts like me and my daughter who host in an owner occupied building.

What the heck!!! 

This wouldn’t be an issue if Airbnb did background checks on hosts and guests before they are approved to use the platform. But remember…Airbnb is the platform that has hidden theft, and violent assaults.

I  am African American and those overly sensitive cry baby guests screaming discrimination need to book a hotel. If discrimination happens, (eye of the beholder) kick the guest or host off the platform. Don’t force everyone else to play guessing games or roulette with their safety.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Christine615 

Thanks for your excellent response to this. For me, as a home share host, this seems like when I get an inquiry with no photo or information. The guest already has all our personal information, photos, bio, etc. I ask profile-less guests to please introduce themselves, put up a bio, a photo. It  helps everyone be friendly and personal. Also, when I message a prospective guest, what do I call them? Initials? That seems a rather impersonal way to communicate when someone is being welcomed into my home. Strange! 

[Emilia42]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 @Christine615 

It would be really interesting to know if there is any correlation between name-less and profile-less hosts and bookings rates. Do guests really feel comfortable and confident booking with a faceless circle whom they address by Z.? I would surely skip over that listing. I wonder if Airbnb has this data. 

[Sarah977]

@Christine615  "I am African American and those overly sensitive cry baby guests screaming discrimination need to book a hotel. If discrimination happens, (eye of the beholder) kick the guest or host off the platform."

Thank you for that. These accusations of discrimination that fly around with wild abandon these days, whether it's voiced by those who claim it was because of their race, when it was in fact because of their poor communication, past bad reviews, or red flags that they were intending to throw a party, or whether it's a claim of discrimination by a guest who claimed their ill trained pandemic puppy is a service dog, are way out of hand.

I'm sure there are prejudiced hosts out there, but I would imagine they are a very small minority. Since Airbnb seems to be able to come up with algorithms for just about everything, seems like they could come up with an algorithm which identifies a host who consistently declines bookings by POC. 

I also find it repugnant when people in demographics that do get discriminated against play that racism card whenever things don't go their way, as they are trivializing real racism against their own people. 

If one falsely cries wolf long enough, no one believes them anymore, even when a real wolf presents itself.

I also don't understand why anyone would want to "trick" a prejudiced host into accepting them. Seems like if someone was prejudiced, you'd  want to get declined right out the gate, not put your hard-earned money in the pocket of a bigot.

[Susan990]

@Sarah977  Thank you for your well reasoned arguments. And yes ABB can come up with algorithms for anything. It could also add as a professional booking service should, the paid for data base  screening of guest lodgers which all hotels and resorts use to screen guests.  They can and do screen out convicted felons, child molester listed persons and reviews submitted to that platform of guests who have trashed the place, like  Rock Stars.  The only business wise reason ABB does not participate in such platforms is that it is trying to portray itself as something other than a booking platform.  It's own corporate model and self definition of entity set it apart.  That is why us Hosts are referred to as Partners ( quote BC)  not customers or subscribers.

[Richard531]

Message deleted by poster.

[Stephanie365]

What an unbelievably stupid idea.

[Jennifer2682]

Airbnb allows guests to use fake profile names (literally, I recently had one that was just a jumble of letters), so... yet again, complete disregard for hosts in the name of virtue signalling.