Where are my guests coming from in the UK? Location, Covid and Lockdown!

[Sarah327]

Hi Airbnb,

I understand you are a global company but in the current and ongoing Covid-19 situation, it is now more important than ever that WHERE a guest is travelling from is provided upon booking!

I have a number of guests whose profiles simply state "Lives in England, United Kingdom". This is no longer acceptable considering the whole of England is lockdowned under various Tiers (1, 2 and 3), with those in higher risk areas (Tier 3) being advised not to travel. As a responsible host, I would like to know where ALL my guests are coming from and be able to politely decline any that are travelling from a high-risk area; for my own personal safety, so that I do not break lockdown rules and help stop the spread of infection in my local area/community.

Please, please, please will you update your systems to ENSURE this is provided!

[Emilia42]

@Sarah327 

You are never really going to know where a guest is coming from unless you specifically ask them. Never rely on their Airbnb profile info even if city + state + country is listed. 

[Emilia42]

@Sarah327 

Just FYI: Your profile states:

In your profile settings is your town listed but Airbnb is hiding this info?

[Sarah327]

Hmm... as a host, rather than guest (I have never travelled via the platform) I do not know why it states this. I do not recall being given the option to hide/reveal my exact location. 

A guest's location should be accurate and provided in their profile given the current and ongoing Covid situation. No matter how frustrating some find it, I feel it is sensible to help protect each other and, as a host, I cannot always rely on the honesty of guests to disclose this or other information.

[Emilia42]

@Sarah327 Your profile on Airbnb is the same whether hosting or traveling so I would look into updating yours with more detailed info. 

An Airbnb profile states "Lives in: XX" but it does not state where a guest is actually traveling from. A guest could live in another country but could be staying in your area for weeks before they stay with you. Airbnb does not ask guests to update their profiles. That is on the guest. 

Also, if you cannot rely on the honesty of your guests what makes you think the guest will be honest with Airbnb?

[Ann72]

@Sarah327 @Emilia42  I can't tell you how many guests I've had who no longer live in the city they were living in when they created their profile.  I agree with others that your best bet is to include the question in your pre-booking message and re-iterate it when you hear from them.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah327 If you are so concerned why not add in your house rules that you insist that people provide their location (and while you are at it how many houses they live in) so that you can determine if they are travelling in accordance with the law and/or guidance.

[Sarah327]

I will certainly look to include this but I feel it really should come from the top down i.e. Airbnb. It supports us hosts and reinforces Government rules etc. and takes the onus off us. Things are challenging enough and if every host does not abide/adhere to the rules then it appears to guests as though I am being difficult.

Perhaps this is my perception but having adjusted my check-in by one hour, to allow sufficient time to clean my property thoroughly in line with Government guidelines and Airbnb's enhanced cleaning protocols (not just say I am), I have found guests are not very understanding of this nor very supportive. This is just one example of the many guests who are being somewhat blasé about Covid-19.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah327 I have sympathy with Airbnb and would prefer leaving this to hosts. Should Airbnb follow the law, the guidance, or what they think is right. If the last of these it would be disastrous based on the madness that is the enhance cleaning protocol.

Also if you look at just Great Britain you have Scotland with 5 tiers, England with 3 tiers and Wales Locked down - There is no way Airbnb could cope with all this and get it right

[Helen427]

@Sarah327 @Mike-And-Jane0 @Emilia42 

Look up "Neil Ferguson Wales" and see where all this nonsense has originated from, it helps to be informed.

Add to the mix read the Science Paper he is leader of the Team about UK & EU & Brexit written a couple of years ago.

Then look at Timelines of the chain of disruptions to World Peace & Harmony.

We have all been caught up in his carry on & ideologies.

Airbnb @Airbnb  @Catherine-Powell @Lizzie  and others need to do their bit and start addressing issues that have arisen directly with Professor Neil Ferguson, Robin Shattock & their associates.

Enough is enough for all of us.

 None of these issues should even have arisen within the ABB community or in our lives had he/ they had  not scaremongered the world into believing over 500,000 people in the UK were going to die of Covid19 with his methods & modelling which stupidly are still been used by UK & other Governments.

Meanwhile exercise commonsense.

[Jerry250]

@Sarah327   I've been asking guests who enquire to book (another good reason not to have instant book) where the various members of their group are travelling from, and how many households they are since the summer. It was always clear there would be regional lockdowns eventually.

No one has had any problem with this and been very forthcoming. I've been clear that if revised rules later prohibit their stay we will refund or move their dates  (we have strict cancellation). 

We sleep 10 in normal times, reduced to 6 now (rule of 6). Usually this is extended family groups travelling from different parts of England. So even if Airbnb listed the lead guest's postcode (and it would have to be the postcode to use the govt postcode checker accurately) it wouldn't give the whole picture of the group of guests, who may be some from no-travel tier 3 and ok to travel tier 1.

This is probably best left to hosts to manage, rather than Airbnb to impose. I would prefer profiles show the area of residence, but in my experience guests are always happy to say where they're travelling from.

Airbnb should help you cancel tier 3 English resident guests without penalty if you ask.

[Helen3]

Hi @Sarah327 

You are seeing only the country because some guests like some of hosts like yourself and other UK hosts posting here have not filled in their profile completely leading to a lack of town/city being identified.

This is nothing to do with Airbnb it’s down to the individual filling in their details.

As hosts who are running our STR business it’s down to us as the business owners to make sure we comply with Covid legislation for our areas. Airbnb is just the listing provider. 

I now include an IB question asking guests to confirm where they are based and that if coming from outside the UK safe travel corridor that they meet our quarantine regs. 

[Lawrene0]

@Sarah327 , are you thinking something like location tracking built into the Airbnb app? Guests are followed, so to speak, and it is visible to the host? It's all that is going to work. People move. Airbnb can't reasonably ask everyone on the platform every two weeks whether they are still at the same address, and it can't reasonably track us. At least it can't track us and show someone else (a host) the location pin...

The good news is that it's not that difficult to ask once you have done it a few times. 

I just looked at my upcoming guest list. If I were to believe their profiles, I have guests coming from British Columbia, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Germany. They are not. I asked them. I said something like, "Yikes, but how will you get here? The border is closed!" or "Surely you are not driving from Kelowna!"

All are in Ontario, and have been for years/months, but they are the sort of intrepid souls that move around. A couple of them updated their address as soon as I asked. But next year or next month they may have moved somewhere else, and their next host will have to say, "Yikes, but how will you get here?" and they will answer. 

"Are you coming from a Tier 3 area?" would not be at all unreasonable for you to ask, and if they are put out by it, you don't really want them as guests. 

I do understand your frustration, but think about just making it part of the routine. It's what helps me keep the Americans, poor things, from booking here.

[Helen3]

Great reply @Lawrene0 

I’ve had guests who’s profile says China but have been studying here for over a year so I always ask them. 

[Emilia42]

@Sarah327 Another thought ... you don't have a pre-booking message:

You may want to add something here that guests will reply to when booking. Something like "Per UK Covid regulations I will need to know where you are traveling from . . . tier 1, 2, 3, something something . . . (I don't know the rules)