Brand new to Airbnb...important questions about my upcoming reservation

[Laara1]

I put up my listing and followed suggestions from Airbnb about pricing, instant reserve etc. 

I trusted that by selecting that Airbnb verifies ID, I would be fairly safe to let Guests book.

Yesterday I received a reservation from someone with no photo, no profile and I have messaged him with questions and received no response.

I would appreciate advice from seasoned Hosts about how to proceed from here as there does not seem to be a way to contact Airbnb directly.

I don't know if this will be held against my listing for future visability and booking or if I am going to be charged for this....anyone have some insight on this?

When I have stayed at an Airbnb there was dialogue back and forth between me and the Host so that was my expectation in setting up my listing. Clearly I have missed some settings somewhere. Any suggestions on how I can set my listing up so that I have more control over who is booking, as verified ID does not seem adequate due diligence to me?

Many thanks. Reservation is next week so need to do something soon.

[Emiel1]

Hi,

If you are a new host, better turn of "instant book". It gives you more control. Regarding pricing also trust your own knowledge, do not use so called "price tips" from Airbnb. I can't view your listing at the moment, as it is not active. If you feel uncomfortable with the current reservation, you can cancel it. But depending on your settings you risk to be penalized. Otherwise call Airbnb and explain you are a new host and are uncomfortable with the first reservation, by reasons you mentioned here.

Contact Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/help/contact_us

Best regards,Emiel

[Matthew285]

@Laara1, contact AirBnB immediately and tell them about the lack of guest ID, lack of guest response, and your concerns. They may try to reach out to the guest to try to encourage them to respond and complete their profile.

Tell them you are not comfortable with the guest if they do not provide more information and more communication. Hopefully they will offer to allow you to cancel the booking penalty-free if they see the guest is not adhering to the standards required of them.

[Laara1]

thank you Matthew! I didn't see any contact info on the website for Airbnb but just googled it (why didn't I think of that before, lol). Any ideas on my listing set up or suggestion of where I can find info? I have paused my listing until I figure out the best way to set it up.

Thanks again for your response!

[Matthew285]

@Laara1, I went to your profile to look at your listing, and I instantly realized that no one can see the listing because it is paused!

Anyway, if you have Instant Booking on, you will have the option to require certain things above and beyond the normal requirements:

1. Government Issued ID: the guest will be required to send a photo of their government-issued ID and a selfie that matches. Note: the host does NOT get to see this ID. Only AirBnB sees it, but certifies that AirBnB has seen it and verified it. This is above and beyond the normal verified info.
2. Recommendation from Other Hosts: The guest must have previously traveled with AirBnB, have gotten a positive recommendation from at least one other host, and have no negative recommendations from other hosts.
3. Guest Trip Information: When guests book, they will see a custom greeting message from you AND a set of questions about their trip that they must answer.

You can turn on any or all of these requirements. If a guest meets all the requirements you choose, they can instant book. Otherwise, they will be limited to sending you a booking request that you must manually approve before their booking is confirmed.