Questionable booking

[Julie3765]

I try to be honest and trusting when I get a request. Of course you can’t look up their info or see their photo until after you accept the booking. The. You see a photo of the person partying it up in a questionable position with a drink in their hand. I’m kind of nervous about this one. What do I do in this case? Do I just hope for the best that they will be good renters or do I go with my gut feeling and cancel? 
Julie 

[Dale711]

@Julie3765 ,

If I were you, “ declined and cancellation” with no hesitation.

As a host, first impression and the six sense experience always come true.

No doubt, In the next minute or after a day, surely new reservation opportunity appeals on the same date.

[Sarah977]

@Julie3765  You absolutely can see a guest's profile and reviews when they send a request. That's one of the advantages of requiring requests instead of offering Instant Book.

Just click on the circle icon for the guest and it will take you to their profile page. You won't see their photo, but you can read their reviews if they have any, and whatever blurb they've written about themselves.

If you have a red flag feeling about a request, follow your intuition and decline. Hosts' intuition generally proves to be right.

A guest who thinks a photo of them being a party animal is an appropriate way to present themselves when asking to book someone's home is probably a guest you don't want.

But it seems that this is a confirmed booking you would have to cancel? You will receive penalties for that. Contact Airbnb, express your uncomfortability with this booking and see if they will cancel it without penalties to you.

In the future, check out a guest's profile and communicate with them before deciding whether to accept a request. Honest is always good, blindly trusting is not to your advantage.

[Pat271]

@Sarah977 A guest who thinks a photo of them being a party animal is an appropriate way to present themselves when asking to book someone's home is probably a guest you don't want.

My sentiments exactly. It’s not so much that they like to party, as much as it is that this is the personal brand they wish to present to the world. It’s symptomatic of an undeveloped brain. My preference is to have at least 1 adult on the premises. 🙂

[Julie3765]

The profile only shows how long they have been a member of Airbnb and reviews which they have been a member for 2 years but no reviews. More people are first time renters because of covid. So it’s hard to keep denying people for that reason and no red flags came up with their request until I saw the photo. 

[Sarah977]

@Julie3765  I've accepted guests with that sort of profile- they had been members for a few years and had no reviews. It can be a red flag ( they were bad guests but the host was wary of leaving a bad review) but in the cases of my guests, it was quite innocent. They had either joined and never had a chance to travel, or they had used Airbnb before, but their hosts didn't bother to leave a review. Their communication with me was fine and didn't throw up any red flags and they were really good guests.

One of those had a profile photo of him and 2 other guys holding up wine glasses and said he was a college student and liked a mix of partying and quiet times, so I was wary. But his communication was nice and polite and because I'm a home-share host, it's not like anyone can get away with throwing a party or sneaking in extra guests. He turned out to be sweet guy who left his room and bathroom absolutely immaculate. 

Turned out he'd never updated his profile since he signed up, wasn't a student anymore, but manager of 10 Dominos Pizza outlets. I advised him during his stay to update his profile info and photo.

So I'd say you just have to base your acceptance of this booking on the guest's communication. Tell him you're curious as to why he has been a member for 2 years and has no reviews, and see what he answers. Reiterate your house rules and ask if he is clear on them. There's also nothing wrong with telling him that his profile photo makes you wary about him being a partier and see what he answers to that.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Julie3765 Airbnb's policy is that profile photos are not available to hosts until after booking to try to reduce the opportunity for discrimination. I suspect they will fine you and block your listing if you cancel the reservation.

[Linda108]

I agree with @Sarah977  in that communication with the guest will be a more reliable predictor of their behavior than anything else.  If IB reservation, you can cancel if you find a lack of communication and/or difficult communication.  If not already booked then decline the request.  You have choices and whatever you choose to do, you will learn from the experience.  In general, don't be afraid to engage a guest more directly about concerns. It is often a learning experience for them as well.

[Ginny51]

During the pandemic I’ve not had nearly as many requests-we are usually booked every weekend-and many people are first timers with ABNB so they have no reviews. I message them before I say yes and explain my reluctance and I’ve been pleased with the responses I’ve received. It’s always best to know what people expect and what their reasons for traveling are so I can feel confident in hosting them and having a great experience for all of us.

[Russell49]

LOL. I had a guest who's profile picture was him deliberately making a crazy face....he got cancelled quickly and told that his picture should be a comfort not a concern to future hosts. LOL

[Anonymous]

@Julie3765  i can understand your apprehensions if you're a remote host and worried that a guest might turn out to be a Trojan Horse for a house party. But I'd be much more suspicious of a guest with no face photo, or a picture of something other than him/herself.

I think we can hold guest profiles to a different standard than a host profile. They're not building a public brand with their profile; they just set it up to book a vacation, which is not a thing that usually requires you to upload a selfie. A snapshot of oneself having fun might seem appropriate in that context. On the other hand, when you're a host, your profile is a part of the brand you're selling your guests, so it's important not to send the wrong signal. If you're looking wasted - or worse yet, not even showing your face - you can't inspire much confidence from a paying customer.

I wouldn't recommend cancelling someone because you don't like the looks of them - that's an easy way to get yourself de-listed. Just communicate with the guest, reiterate your rules around parties, and make your judgments from the correspondence rather than the picture.

[Julie3765]

It’s not how they look or what they are but how they are representing themselves in the photo that has me nervous. No I would never rent to someone that won’t put their photo on their profile. I’m not going to cancel and I’m hoping that my gut feeling is very wrong in this situation. If all is well after I may tell them that I appreciate them respecting our house rules and taking great care of our home but maybe they should rethink their photo choice. 

[Nick]

Hi @Julie3765, and welcome to the Community Centre. I'm jumping to suggest also this thread by my colleague @Quincy, as I believe you can find helpful information on it, in addition to the suggestions you've already received here from your fellow hosts.

Thanks

[Julie3765]

Thank you