Pending guest that has no reviews and no bio info

[Karen423]

I'm not comfortable hosting a guest under these circumstances, my system is set up with "auto approval" so it got by me...   If there are concerns over safety does Air Bnb drop my rating for cancelling? also, does anyone else have input on hosting someone without any reviews and short bio.   ( the one sentence he had was "an easy going guy that likes to drink occasionally).   I will cancel this reservation but wanted input.   

This makes me wonder about Air BNB vetting...

[Annette33]

@Robert117, is that your answer to my specific question about your 8am check in?

[Robert117]

It was intended to be, but reading it back, it was a very poor answer. My apologies.

I am not in residence. An 8 AM entry can work for me if my entering guests respect that the building has other tenants, and they need to be quiet coming in that early.

The keys are available after 7:30 AM in a nearby Key Cafe location. Usually the place has been cleaned the day before.

I have many international travellers, who get off the plane at 6:30 AM and want to get to my place to relax as soon as possible - and for them, I try to accommodate an early arrival. What I try to guard against are arrivals after 8 PM, but I can't predict when a flight will be late.

I use Key Cafe in two nearby locations, one open to 3 AM in case of emergencies.  Whenever guests are checking in, I am on my phone monitoring their moves in case they need my help.

Is that a better answer? the one before was terrible.....I was trying to share the idea that hosting takes a lot of work to make it a good and safe experience for guests.  Contact, security, monitoring, communication, but also respecting privacy.

[Tim-and-Holly0]

@Karen423:

Every guest starts their Airbnb journey with no reviews. If no one ever let them book there would be no guests. However, every host's situation is different. We have two houses that are not part of my personal home so we allow instant book with no reviews. It has worked well for us. The only person who destroyed our home had a great review from a previous host.

However, if I was renting a room inside my own home I would want the guest to have reviews too. You need to go into your administration panel, click the three little lines far left in the charcoal colored menu to view the slide-out menu. Scroll down to booking and click it then tick the box next to "Recommendation from other hosts." NOTE: When you choose this option your listing will no longer be visible unless the potential guest is logged into their Airbnb account and has reviews.

Before you cancel you might give the guest the benefit of the doubt and email him some questions and try to get to know him.

As for cancelling, Airbnb allows hosts to cancel without penalty if someone instant books and the host does not feel comfortable with them. BUT you have to call Airbnb and talk to them directly. Airbnb has to make the cancellation otherwise you could receive cancellation penalties and the dates will be blocked on your calendar. Even if you call Airbnb and have them make the cancellations for you, your listing may drop in search rankings if you use this option too much.

Contact information:

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165/highl...

Good luck in your hosting!

[Niki24]

You have put your finger on the nub.... it is EXCEPTIONALLY difficult to contact Airbnb directly... they are so hedged around the FAQs and Community Helpers, etc, etc, etc.  This last booking has a motorbike as his picture, he has a different name to the name on his profile, I know nothing about him, but Airbnb has instantly booked him and he is on his way (after he has messaged me to ask if he can stay longer and is refusing to cancel).  What am I supposed to do??  I have tried everything to report him, stop him, ask him to cancel... nothing works.

[Robin154]

Hi Niki,

Do you have Skype? I have called Airbnb via US toll-free number with much success. Here is the number:

855-424-7262.

Good Luck.

Robin

[Niki24]

Thank you, Robin!!!

[Annette33]

@Niki24, sorry this is so stressful for you, totally understandable. As it is, It seems like you absolutely do not want this guy in your house, again totally understandable.

Why don't you just go ahead and cancel him yourself then? since that  booking was made when you still had IB on,  you can cancel penalty free, important thing is that you just do it asap. And as you said yesterday that you will delist your property anyways, so I wouldn't worry about the status with Airbnb - just cancel the guy and don't let him into your house. Good luck!

[Robert117]

Good luck! Keep trying!! And never use IB!! Check all your filters. IB is a terrible idea!!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Karen423

I wouldn't be worried for his lack of reviews but his message worries me. Why would anybody who wants to rent someones place left such a message if he just drink one beer with barbecue? No sense.

I would say he is an alcoholic and you will probably get calls in the middle of the night because he forgot the address and get lost 🙂

[Sharon64]

Do you have your system set up that only those recommended by other Airbnb hosts can IB? If not, do so immediately. Also, I would reach out to Airbnb and tell them exactly what you set forth. I wouid be very skeptical about hosting this person who has no bio, photo, or previous Airbnb referrals. It makes me nervous just to read it. When I first started I got a reservation via IB and the woman started texting me demanding this and that and the other thing....I called Airbnb and they found her other accommodations. I was not penalized. Airbnb does actually care about our welfare. Good luck.

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

At this point, since you already have the booking you will be significantly punished for cancelling - as others have said, however, you can if you want.  First, message him, asking questions about what brings him to the area, and what he thinks his schedule might be.  You might be able to frame the questions in terms of allowing you to better prepare for the visit (maybe a guidebook of he is a tourist, etc).  These questions might give you a better idea of who this guy is, and with luck, might reassure you.

I always ask these questions.  Nobody gets offended. Sometimes, the info is offered with the initial communication, leading me to think that most people understand that when you open your home, it is reasonable to get an idea of who this person is.  

Secondly, adjust your instant book settings to require some additional verification, perhaps, and also previous positive reviews.  This will prevent future similar bookings.  You might also want to put into your house rules something about "drunken behavior" not being OK, which draws a clear line between something with dinner versus stumbling back to the house drunk.

Last, if you really feel unsafe either before or during the stay - pay attention and trust yourself.  If you need to cancel ahead of time in order to be safe, it is worth it, and if you feel like you need to call the police during the stay, do it.  Everyone's safety is paramount.

Good luck.

[Annette33]

hi @Karen423 , while I understand your hesitation and sympathize with that, it is not clear if you have a confirmed reservation. On one hand you are talking about " auto approval" which makes me think you have Instant Booking on, but then, looking at your listing I don't see Instant Booking turned on. and you also mention in your post title "pending guest" , which makes me think you don't have a confirmed booking, but a reservation request, so cancellation doesn't apply in that scenario, but we are talking about declining a guest.

Simple enough, if that is the case, just hit the decline button, as you are uncomfortable with the  drinking bit. No penalties or repercussions by Airbnb, unless you do it more than 3 times in a row.then you lose good placing in the search engines. 

On the long run, being concerned about requests with no profile or reviews: how about you set a good example and put something extra into your own profile? that would give you more leverage asking prospective guests about more info on them. Good luck!

[Karen423]

Thanks Annette I took your advice and added my 5 favorite things and more.   

Him: No employment listed, fuzzy photo, no reviews at all yet member since 2016, no bio info except for " Drinking", given name does not pull up anything on google, blank profile essentially... too much risk for me!  perhaps not for someone else.     

Have a good evening. 

[Mark-and-Patty0]

I don't have autobook and will not have it.  If we get someone who has a limited bio, we'll politely ask them to complete their bio to make sure that our property is a good fit for them.   Have gone so far as to google them once the profile is complete.  I've had a bad experience (with damage) for someone w/ reviews and bio, and really good experiences with guests who are new, w/ no reviews, but only after seeing a more complete bio.  We've learned to ask more questions and request a complete bio before deciding.   Good luck

[Annette33]

@Karen423 , sounds great - but not sure I follow you, as I don't see any writing in your profile now, it is just like before. Or do you mean the extra info you put into space description? That sounds like something personal about you, but I would put that into profile, not space. and While you're at it, how about describing the space a bit?

I'm still curious if you just had a request, or actually a confirmed booking by that guy? so did you decline? (that's what I would have done...) or cancel?