Can’t view guest profile picture

[Pamela-And-Jack0]

I see on the help desk that I won’t be able to view the guest’s profile picture until the reservation is confirmed. 

Is this something new?

Being that the room is in my home, I’d like to see who is staying here. 

Thank you. 

[Gordon0]

Sorry, you can't @Pamela-And-Jack0. Loads of threads on the subject but effectively it's about reducing discrimination. Not sure what a photo tells you?

[Pamela-And-Jack0]

This wasn't the case before.

I've had prospective guests have pictures with sunglasses and of another individual. Kinda scary as this is my home.

We've had people from all over the world, far from discrimination in our home.

We just like to see who will be staying in our home.

I had one who actually was giving the finger and grabbing his crotch. No, I didn't accept that reservation.

[Ann489]

@Pamela-And-Jack0   There are literally thousands of hosts who have complained about this latest "policy"
 by Airbnb.  Transparency needs to go both ways--otherwise, it isn't transparency.  Potential guests are able to see my profile pic before they book .... I would like to see theirs as well.   If this policy has done anything, it has made me even more cautious and wary.  I am now asking even more questions of potential guests.  If I don't like the answers, I simply decline the booking.  

All this is about, is Airbnb wanting it to be virtually effortless for guests to book- no profile photo, no verifications, instant book, done. Fast money in the Airbnb coffers.  Cloaking it as being about anti-discrimination is vile.

[Gordon0]

It is the case now, @Pamela-And-Jack0 and, while it may not happen in your house, discrimination is very much live and well out there. I appreciate we're all different, but I don't need to know what my guest looks like (although tall, dark and handsome is a bonus).

As for the 'thousands' of hosts who've complained, I'd like to see the data behind those numbers.  

[Pamela-And-Jack0]

Yes. Sadly there is discrimination out there. Too much of it. 

But I suppose if someone doesn’t want a particular individual in their home because of their skin color, then that is their choice and their loss. 

Besides, it’s kinda unfair if the guest sees our profile picture but we can’t see theirs. I wonder if they would choose to not stay somewhere because of what the host looks like. It should be reciprocal. 

[Sarah977]

@Gordon0 Well, there have certainly been many hundreds of hosts who have complained about the removal of the profile photo before booking on this forum. And as this is just the English language forum,  it's reasonable to assume that this is also being protested on other language forums as well. 

Also, only a small percentage of hosts actually participate in these forums. 

So I'd say for every complaint here, there are many more who feel the same way, we just don't see them posting here. Some hosts aren't even aware of the community forums.

And companies with decent customer service who take user complaints seriously count every complaint they get as representing many more users who feel the same way, but just don't bother to complain.

So I don't think the assumption of thousands of hosts objecting to this policy is far off the mark, hard data not withstanding

[Ann489]

@Gordon0  other than your comments, I have not seen any others in favor of this "policy".  The vast majority of hosts has spoken up very clearly against it.  Have a good day.

[Patricia55]

@Pamela-And-Jack0 

Agreed, me too, I would just like to see who's staying in my home - but I've grudgingly accepted that I'll see the photo once the booking is confirmed 😕

[My current pet peeve is the removal of the Government ID requirement, without notice or explanation.  In other words, I can accept a booking and all I get is someone's email address and telephone number.  Very poor show, Airbnb, very poor show.]

[Gordon0]

@Sarah977, @Pamela-And-Jack0, @Patricia55  

Would I feel better about seeing a would-be guests' photo? Not really. I'm more intersted in the tone of their communications.
Do I understand why some hosts are struggling with/fighting against it? A little.
Do I think it's the right thing to do to on the basis that it's already reducing discrimination? Who wouldn't.
And if Airbnb went back to how it was, isn't that ignoring the discrimination and/or saying it's OK to decline guests based on their colour?

If there's another way to weed out the racists from the platform (unconsciously so or otherwise) I'm sure Airbnb would be all ears.
As for the voices on forums, very few come along to say nice things. 

[Patricia55]

@Gordon0 

It's great to hear that this policy is already reducing discrimination; I was hoping to hear that would happen. Where did you hear it?

Me too, I'm more interested in a guest's communication... just kinda like to see what they look like as well 😉  Adds to the sum of information, I suppose (one hopes! I know the photos can often be misleading.)

[Gordon0]

As well as hearing a black guy (at the London Airbnb session) talk about how it felt to be repeatedly declined for no good reason, @Patricia55, the team said that 'no-photo' bookings had already [several weeks ago] made a massive difference.

It's all very well for some to say there's no discrimination, especially those who are white, middle-class and heterosexual, but pull back the nets (or blinds) and it's a different story.  

From a personal perspective (and this so isn't about me) here's what happened  last week when I requested accomodation from a seemingly well-thought-of host (with some cracking reviews). My note to her included both of our (clearly male) names and a jolly 'about us/our stay' blurb. I got a very quick response: 'No offence, but we're more of a family place'.  Her profile vanished soon after.

PS. Love Jesmond, and your place looks ace!

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

@Gordon0  You may not want to publicly answer this, but I'm curious- did this profile vanish soon after because you reported it as discrimination, or did it just get caught by Airbnb? I mean, I know they don't just read all the messages people send, unless it is called to their attention for some reason. And an algorithm can't pick up the nuance of a message like this. 

I can see where if a guest reports this discrimination it would lead to the host being delisted, but if the guest either doesn't catch it as discrimination, or doesn't report it, don't you think there are hosts still getting away with this?

And could you explain what the difference is between this host being able to see a profile photo of you before booking, or after, has to do with it? Because your profile photo doesn't include your partner/husband- she responded the way she did after reading your booking message. 

And if your profile photo did include a photo of your partner, and she could see it before accepting your booking, and declined, what's the difference to you? Prejudiced is prejudiced, why would it matter if you were declined before or after the booking was confirmed?

There have been several posts on the forum regarding this profile photo issue from guests who are in demographics which get discriminated against, who have said they would prefer to be declined by a racist or homophobic host before the booking is confirmed, rather than after.

And what about hosts who may have tons of listings, use IB, and don't really pay much attention to a guest's messages? If you booked a place like that and arrived to find the host was taken aback that you and the man you arrived with were going to be sharing a bed, wouldn't you have preferred not to put any $ in this host's pocket in the first place?

I seriously doubt if the majority of hosts out there are discriminators, I just don't see why all hosts have to have what they may consider a valuable tool taken away from them just because some hosts may be prejudiced.

[Gordon0]

Sorry for the delay in responding, @Sarah977, sleep and work (not enough of the former and too much of the latter) got in the way. 

Without going into the detail, I responded to the host's decline message but didn't flag them. When I clicked back on their page (after mulling it over), I got the 'ice cream/whoops' page. Whether Airbnb monitors keywords and it was picked up via this route, I don't know.     

In terms of the tangent of my experience, I was making the connection with discrimination/predjudice versus the photo issue because some (on this very forum) think it doesn't exist or is vastly inflated, and protection isn't necessary. I imagine had I not mentioned Jorge on the note it would have been a different outcome (he's included in a profile pic too, so this would have been visible before the changes). 

In terms of the many IBs we make (personally), I follow up with a note which, if the host is creeped out by two men sharing a bed, they can take action. I don't think avoiding the racist/homophobic/misoginistic and other vile hosts is the answer, but hitting them in the pocket (by discovering/outing/delisting them) is a better tactic. 

While I don't agree a photo is a valuable tool, I respect you hold a different opinion. 

Night.

[Ann489]

@Gordon0  It already reduced discrimination?  I'd love to see some (unbiased) data on that.