I've confirmed a booking for a guest who has no reviews, what should I do?

[Aoife0]

I'm a little bit worried that in my excitement at becoming a host I've booked in a guest who has no reviews and no references. 

Should I ask them to get more verifications and references or just cancel the booking?

They'll be staying for 6 nights...

All advice is very welcome on this one.

[Janice1]

Hi

I'm relatively new to hosting and I did exactly the same thing with my first booking.  I proceeded with the booking very nerviously and ended with 5 star feed back so all is well.

However, my next guests, who had heaps of good feedback and are in fact hosts, ended up in a complete disaster.  Sometimes I think it is just the luck of the draw.  I'm actually undecided if I will only accept recommended guests.  I'm not sure about asking them for refences.  Maybe worth a try. I never done it myself so would be intrested to how it turned out if you try that option.

I guess its up to you if you want to take the risk or not.  But before you cancel make sure you check on the penalties . Penalties  do apply when a host cancels, unless there are extenuating circumstance , or there are some exceptions with instant book.

I hope it works out in 

Regards 

Janice

[Janice1]

Hi Aoife

Just to clearify my post earlier.

I do expect my guest to have verified their id eg e-mail, phone, photo id. Also, I only accept guests who uploaded a clear headshot photo of themselves onto their profile.

I have accepted guests new to airbnb who have not recieved any feed back or recommendations from other hosts.  I have no problems with these guests

Regards

Janice

[Andrea9]

Hi Aoife,

What a beautiful listing!

Most of my guests are newby bookers and have absolutely no track record. They may just not be familiar with this whole "bare my life to all and share much about myself" modern thing. Many of them write something about why they are in town, and I follow my gut feeling and/or ask more details.

But your guests are already booked, so I'd say don't panic but be vigilant, and I'm sure it will all be fine.

What's important is setting boundaries in the House Rules. Imagine really bad guests and then set down in clear points what you expect. What is shared/not shared, do you allow non-booked visitors etc.

And make sure you additionally print them out (with maybe other useful info like wi-fi etc.) and having them in the guest room.

That way, if an issue comes up, you can always clearly refer to the rules.  And important is that you stick to your own rules when  guests don't respect them.

Do check out past posts on the community, there's some horror stories and great answers! An instant learning curve!

Best of luck to having good guests!

Andrea

[Clare0]

@Aoife0 You can also set your Reservation Requirement to only Verified ID users can make reservation requests.  It's just to the left of the Manage Calendar screen.  

[Linda0]

Hello Aoife -
Do not cancel the reservation because there are huge penalties for host cancelations and it could be monetary. Just contact your guest and ask them to update their profile with more description of themselves and to have their drivers license or passport verified with Airbnb. Usually guest are very happy to do it and it gives you a feel for how cooperative they will be when they arrive at your place.
Happy Hosting,
Linda