Guests insisting upon our personal contact information

[Diane514]

A guest that is arriving next May from Chili is requesting our personal contact information.  They claim that their employer is requiring an emergency contact in the US in order to approve vacation time overseas.  We do not feel comfortable with request.  Has anyone else experienced this? 

[Alexandra316]

@Diane514 is the booking already made? If so the guest already has access to your phone number. What else are they asking for? 

[Diane514]

They want our full name and permission to give it to their employer as local contact information. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Diane514 Is this really such a big deal? what harm is there in their employers being given contact details even if it is a bit weird. it is actually refreshing that they have asked permission.

[Z-2]

I will give them my full name if they have booked. But won’t give personal phone, email and address.

[Z-2]

I will give them my name, phone, email used for Airbnb and rental address if they have booked. No other information I will give.

[Colleen253]

@Diane514 It’s one thing for a guest to have your contact info, which they do already if they have a confirmed booking, as your name, phone # and address are already available to them. But it’s another for them to give this or any other info they may be requesting, to a third party. Whatever the employer requires is not your concern. If you don’t feel comfortable with what they are asking, then politely refuse. End of story.

[Inna22]

@Diane514 as many have pointed out, they have access to most of this information already. Soon they will have access to your entire home! And I hope you ask them for their ID. Seems like a fair exchange to me. You can also ask who the employer is and reach out yourself to verify they are asking for this

[Mike-And-Helen0]

I propose a simple solution. Ask the guest for their employer details and say you'll contact the employer directly.

[Diane514]

I explained that my personal info could not be used for their employers.  They just needed a number for someone who is in the country while they are here.  I suggested that her husband get WhatsApp and provide his number or that he use WIFI calling.

[Sarah977]

@Diane514  As others have pointed out, your phone number is visible to guests as soon as a booking is confirmed, as the guest's is to you. So if all he is asking for is a phone number, he already has that, he just didn't bother to notice.

You can't prevent the guest from giving their employer the phone number the guest already has access to.

I can imagine some guests might even give the phone number and listing address to a friend or family member in case of emergency.

[Katja202]

@Diane514  The employer can contact you through the Airbnb website. He can use the button 'contact the host'  🙂  It is what everybody does when the want to contact you, why not the employer 🙂

[Diane514]

The employer in Chili would need to be signed into Airbnb.  I am aware that they are have my number. I let them know that  it is not appropriate for me to be their emergency contact especially since I am 2000 miles away. The husband will be his wife's emergency contact using Whatsapp. 

[Kevin2172]

I don't remember having to do this for Chile 20 years ago, but when I traveled to Brazil, I had to provide information for a visa to visit their country which included the name of the point of contact (host/inviter),  their address and the reason for the visit.