Are any other hosts disturbed by all the guests who aren't required to post any information about themselves before they arrive?

[Carol12]

Would you support a petition to Airbnb to require guests add at least minimum information to their profiles on the platform -- like sex, age, language spoken, a little about themselves and any problems or preferences to watch out for (like allergies -- I leave my windows closed, do extra cleaning, and turn on an air filter in my guest room if I know the pollen count is high here and I have a guest coming with allergies)?  Or do you have other suggestions about how I can better feel safe and comfortable with guests -- like withdrawing instant book privileges, maybe?

I've been a Superhost for several years now, and have always allowed Instant Book.  Since my guests stay in my guest room, in my apartment in a duplex I own, and share a kitchen and bathroom,  I've always looked at their profiles and reviews to see if I have any questions or concerns I want to follow up on before they arrive, or if I want to make any special arrangements for their visits. 

Here's an example of MANY bookings I've received recently.  He booked this morning and is arriving tomorrow. I can't tell from the photo if *** is a man, woman, or undecided, young or old.  I wonder why he's been a member for 6 years but has not one review. He sent me no information about his trip, time of arrival, plans here, where he's coming from, etc. He hasn't yet responded to my questions either.  I'll probably call him (or her) next to find out at least what time he's coming so I can arrange for someone to let him in if I'm not home (I try to accommodate guests by leaving a very wide window for coming and going -- I think 10 AM to 8 PM or something like that).

A more concerning case is a no-information guest arriving in ten days and staying for four. Just joined Airbnb in March.  No photo, no profile information, no information sent to me. He or she has a Chinese name but is "living in London".  Maybe grew up there, maybe works there, maybe just arrived as a student.  Phone number is international and I don't have international service. Hasn't responded to email questions sent March 14 and May 7.  

Lately I've been getting lots of bookings with NO information except the city they've listed and their phone. I've been using Airbnb messages and their phone (IF it's domestic) to follow up, 

**[Sensitive information removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Enri1804]

@Carol12  Sometimes inquiries come to me without even the city or state they live in, which is strange because AirBnB suggests we do not rent to locals (because that’s a a red flag for a party). It IS difficult having no information to base booking on but of course you have to be careful about asking age and other things. If I were you (living there renting a room) I would ask a lot of questions upfront that they have to answer before instant booking. I personally stay ON AirBnB (no phone calls or texts). If I were you, I would require they respond to you and you have agreed/confirmed their reservation before their request to stay is booked. You would check with AirBnB CS but if the potential guests don’t communicate with you, that may be valid reason to ask them to cancel the reservation.

[Huma0]

@Enri1804  How would you ask these questions before a booking if it's an instant booking? Sure, you can put them on your listing and in the pre-booking questions, but it doesn't mean the guest will answer them before they IB. Most don't. This is one of the reasons I recently turned off IB, but I know that it can be difficult if that means you disappear from the search results. 

@Carol12 I believe the guest not responding to your questions is an adequate reason to cancel an IB penalty free because you 'do not feel comfortable hosting this guest/think they might break your house rules'. One of my house rules is that the guests must provide certain information prior to/at the time of booking.

Yes, it would be great if Airbnb required all guests to fill in their basic information. However, to avoid discrimination, it becomes a bit complicated in terms of gender and nationality, or even languages spoken. 

[Carol12]

Thank you. I asked Airbnb Superhost Support to contact an international guest for critical information for me.  The reply: ask again just before the arrival date if they haven't responded. I hope it doesn't cause the guest trouble if there's a last-minute problem. She or he has a Chinese name with UK phone (I don't have international phone service).

[Carol12]

By the way, what does "Level 10" (or 2 or 4) mean?

[Debra300]

@Carol12,

The levels just represent the amount of posting activity you have on the blog.  The level don't go past 10 no matter how active you are afterwards.

[Val76]

I also rent a room in my home and I'm a single woman living alone and 80% of bookings have no information on a prospective guest some guests have no picture and by the initial only I have no idea if they are man or woman. 

It's not fair they see everything about n e my picture, my personal information pictures of my home and nothing from them.  

[Huma0]

@Val76 

Hosts do not get to see a guest's profile photo prior to a booking being confirmed, regardless of whether they have posted one or not. That policy was introduced to avoid discrimination. I know it's not fair as they get to see a lot of information about us.

However, you can go to your settings and make it a requirement that a guest must have a profile photo in order to book with you. I would recommended doing this. Even then, that doesn't mean that the photo they have posted is one of their face. It could be a random image of their foot or something. I would in that case ask the guests to post a proper photo. This usually works, but not always.

The other day a guest cancelled after I asked her to do this (her photo was of a bunch of flowers). She had stayed at loads of airbnbs, so I am surprised no host had asked her to do this before. 

[Carol12]

@Carol12  Definitely!!  Not only is there no information and no photo -- I've had several whose profiles start in 2022 and have NO VERIFICATIONS.  I allow people to register without asking my permission, and like doing so, but it's very disturbing to have guests in my own home with me that I don't even know are verified with Airbnb.  Another issue I should bring up in the community is how and why Airbnb has frequently been charging my guests and giving me less than my listed price without my permission.

[Carol12]

Like Val76, I'm a single woman living alone and guests stay in my guest room.

[Huma0 · Accepted solution]

@Carol12 

It sounds to me that you are relying on Airbnb to vet your guests for you. They do not. There are loads of discussions here on the CC about it. Some hosts are happy to take every guest they can get and others are more choosy. You have to decide for yourself.

If you use Instant Booking

- Set the filters so that guests must have a profile photo, verified ID, recommendations from other hosts  (this means newbies must request to book) and that they answer your pre-booking message, in which you can ask them for the information you would require as standard, e.g. "What is the purpose of your visit?" or "Who will you be travelling with?". If they don't answer the questions, ask them!

- You have three penalty free cancellations a year if you do not feel comfortable with the guest/think they might break your house rules (after that you have to request them from CS) and to me, a guest being non-responsive is a good enough reason.

- Mention on your listing/house rules that you require this information.

- If none of this works for you, turn off IB.

If you don't use Instant Booking/only accept request bookings

- Again, mention on your listing you require this information.

- Select in your settings that the guest must have a profile picture.

- If the guest profile has no verification nor info, tell them they need to get verified and provide this info to book with you. Most guests will comply. Those that don't are probably people you don't want to host anyway.

- You have 24 hours to accept/decline a booking request (with enquiries, you just need to respond). I will chase for the info and remind the guests that I have a limited time to accept/decline. If they are not responsive, then I will decline. It's not ideal, but it's better than risking hosting someone you know nothing about.

Another way to vet guests (those that do have reviews) is to check out the reviews they have left for other hosts, which can be very telling. I would recommend every host does this. You can use the AirReview Chrome add on to make this easier.

As for your issue about the payment, I am not sure what you mean. Airbnb charges guests a fee on top of the accommodation rate and also takes a percentage cut from the host's payout (around 3% but depends on your cancellation policy), so you don't get paid your listed price ever. That's the way it's always been and that is how Airbnb charges for advertising on their platform. If that is what you are referring to, they already have your permission as you agreed to those ToS when you signed up.

[Carol12]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!  There are several things I didn't know I could do, like change the filters to require verifications.  I don't think I've changed or even looked at the filters for years!  On the payment side -- Aibnb deducts local occupancy taxes as well as advertising expenses here, but they should be consistent and aren't.  Maybe I'll check with Superhost Support on that question.

[Huma0]

@Carol12 

You are very welcome.

I didn't know any of this when I started hosting and some of these things have changed over time, e.g. you used to be able to see if the guest had a profile photo BEFORE they book.

Airbnb doesn't always inform hosts of these changes and the only way I keep up with these things is to keep an eye on this CC, which has been invaluable. If I can't find the answer to something (either here or on Airbnb's help pages), I ask other hosts for advice. It's time consuming, no doubt, but I think it's worth it! Plus, you make some nice virtual friends and friends and family that do not host can never really understand what it's like 🙂

You are right in that the way Airbnb charges is not consistent. Taxes will vary from place to place anyway I guess, but the guest service fee also varies, which seems a bit murky to me.

By the way, "Superhost Support" is a misnomer. I strongly believe there is no such thing as better support if you are a Superhost. All it means is that you might be put through to someone a bit faster. If you read the fine print, you will see this is true. It's all the same customer service, hit and miss as it is.