I'm feeling like AirBnB will turn into the HS and college party lodging b/c so far in all the bad guest stories I've been reading I have not seen a host say, "But AirBnb had my back and I was reimbursed for the damagaes." I currently have a reservation request pending that I am trying to vet. A male with a picture of a park for his profile, has only 2 reviews and one is negative about how messy the BnB was left. The guests' response is that it's the "only negative review I've ever received out of the hundreds of homes I've rented." Hundreds?? Really?? Because he has THREE reviews, and one of those is negative. Where are the reviews from the "hundreds" other hosts he has stayed with? He lists a high school in Washington state, and they happen to be on spring break the week he is requesting our place. We are in a relatively small university town in Arkansas so his request to come here seems odd. He says he travels for sport tournaments, which makes me cringe slightly that there will be 6 or more guests staying at our home. Pretty sure my neighbors don't want half of a sports team partying at my home in a nice residential neighborhood.
AirBnb could make it easier on hosts to vet our guests by supplying the guests last name when they inquire. I have questions set up, but no one ever answers them when I get a request or reservation....WHY am I not getting this info that I'm asking?? (Why are you visiting area? Who is traveling with you? Why type of pet is traveling with you if you are bringing one?)
Also, if a guest has their AirBnB account linked to the Facebook account, then why not let the hosts see that?? If someone's FB account is public for the whole world to see, then I might as well take a look to help me in my decision if someone is going to respect my home and rules.
I'm seriously considering checking into other home vacation rental options to see if I have better access at vetting the people who stay in my home.