Positive Guest Reviews that contain a Host's Personal Identifiable Information.

[Allan147]

I am a host with a small number of listings.  Many of my guests have personalised their review of their stay's and have included my legal name, which i refere to as my Personal Identifiable Information.

More recently we moved to a 5 start hotel.  We have a spare room, so I listed in on Airbnb.  Within 5 days the hotel chain and building management became aware of our listing.  They are, and continue to threanten us with a 'notice to leave' stating under our Australian Tenancy Agreement, we are in breach of Tenancy Agreement section 34 (1) "the tenant may transfer all or part of the tenant’s interest under this agreement, or sublet the premises only if the lessor agrees in writing".  Naturally they are not going to agree to this.  I wish to state we do this not for commerical gain as we only take 1 booking each week with a max stay of 3 nights.

After reviewing Airbnb's content Policy I reached out for their help https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/546/content-policy

Naturally I received a very blanket answer from both their customer support centre and their specalist team.  This specalist team has the power to edit and remove guests reviews, should they wish.  

Whilst I acknowledge this may not be Airbnb's general policy, but acting within reason, Airbnb MUST act responsibly to protect hosts that are facing harassment and threats from hotels, lessors and building management, where evidence can be supplied, which is my current situation.  On top of that I deal with depression so this matter has a very negative impact on my mental health. 

I have been a Airbnb host for 5 years now and do not wish to delist all my propeties and create a new profile.  I would rather use another platform altogether.

Has anyone succesfully had Airbnb remove their personally identifiable information from parts of their Airbnb in profile which also includes their guest reviews?

Any help would be apprecaited!

[Corliss2]

Let me see if I understand this. You are staying in a 5 star hotel which does not allow you to sub-let the second bedroom of your hotel room. Yet, you are doing it anyway. The hotel is not happy with this and wants to evict you for not following the hotel rules. How is this an AirBnB problem? If a guest at your premises is not following the rules, you can evict them.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, or if I have missed the point.

[Allan147]

The hotel, like most that we have lived in in the last 5 years,  is a mix of residential and hotel.  We are not living in the hotel rooms, just in the building.

[Lisa723]

@Allan147 I don't see how that makes any difference. You are breaching your tenancy agreement; what do you think Airbnb can/should do for you?

[Allan147]

thank you for your unhelpful reply.

[Ana1136]

@Allan147 , @Lisa723 and @Corliss2 are right but you don't want to hear it because it is not the answer you expected. How would you like if someone rented one of your Airbnb and sublet it to other peoole on Airbnb and make profit? Airbnb can't and won't help you, you are breaking the rules of where you are staying and you should be evicted if you dont respect their rules just as you would evict someone that does not respect yours. 

[Sarah977]

@Allan147  " I wish to state we do this not for commerical gain as we only take 1 booking each week with a max stay of 3 nights."

Of course it's for personal gain- you're charging for the room aren't you? 

I can't believe you actually expect some kind of help or support here- you are contravening the lease agreement. You are acting illegally. The hotel has every right to boot you out.

[Ana1136]

@Sarah977 as they should, since he is not being apologetic but he only wants a way around the rules. If you have a spare room, rent a smaller apartment, it will be cheaper and you won't be tempted to rent anything. I can't believe he actually wants Airbnb's help to do something illegal. 

[Allan147]

@Lisa723  @Corliss2 Great sense of community support here.   You must all own Hotel chains or are Airbnb Support 🙂 You have all missed the point.  Should I be doing this or not, is illelevant, however we all should have some level of control over our personal identifiable information.  I dont need advise nor did I come here for Tenancy Law.

Do you really think I am the only person to sublet part or a whoel apartment.   Its a resonable assumption that a very large percentage of alll airbnb private rooms are excatley that. 

Please have a think why you are here and what Airbnb stands for.   Every airbnb space is a option, a choice not just to say no to hotels, but to provide a guest, a traveler with an expericne, a opportunity to make a friend, discover a culture.....OR just help them save money.  Remember hosts do more for guests and it is NOT all about money.   

It really seams you all do not understnad the orginal idea/movement behind Airbnb, however I admit for most, and for Airbnb it is just another money making machine and will quickly turn in to some garbabe like bookings dot com.  

if you do not have something helpful (helpful for me) to say, then just say nothing.   Thx in advance.

@Corliss2 Its not directly an airbnb problem, its my problem, but it will become a problem for Airbnb when they are not making their service fee from my legal or othewise rooms. 

@Ana1136  assuming they are a good tenants, I would take the view, maybe the need the moeny to meet ends meet, and I would not give a poo.  Alot better than them potentially not been able to pay me my rent on time, would you agree?  

@Sarah977 you talk like you have never broken a rule or law in your life.

To conclude why does my request to have my name which bears no relevance on the transparency of the airbnb platform with relation to guest reviews pose such a threat??

Best. 

[Allan147]

Has anyone succesfully had Airbnb remove personally identifiable information (such as their name) from guest reviews?  Thanks in adance. 

[Kelly149]

@Allan147 if that is your name,  (btw ABB does allow people to list whatever name they like so maybe that is a solution for you), no, I don't think ABB would remove your name as it is you who has listed it in your profile and have shared that info with the world.  However, if a guest say referenced something like "Scooby Doo was a nice guy but he was really dodgy with wanting us to not tell the management at Hoity Toity Hotel that we were ABB guests in his second room at 413 Penthouse DR." Then yes, ABB would probably remove that review. Not bc of your name but bc of the address.

However, I wonder how you think it will work out when you call over to CS to say "hey, I need this taken down bc the information is allowing my landlord to harrass me for subletting illegally."

There are lots of illegal listings on ABB, no argument there, but you probably need to be more careful about how you set up your next one. And, no, I wouldn't expect that a bunch of hosts who actually own their properties and have legal listings would cheer you on with your illegal listing. Hosts like you make it harder for all the rest of us. Don't act like it isn't a big deal, it is.

[Sarah977]

@Allan147 

FYI-  I have one listing, a private room/bath for 1 guest in my home.

          I certainly don't work for Airbnb- most of what they've become disgusts me.

          I very much host in the original concept of Airbnb- meeting people from all over and giving 

          them the opportunity to "live like a local".

          I'm not some goody two-shoes who's never done anything wrong or minorly illegal.

None of these things you talk about in rebuttal to our responses have anything to do with renting out a place you don't own in contravention of your lease agreement. And the notion that you, as the host, should not be personally and publicly identified so that the landlord won't know you are STRing the place isn't what most of us consider to be open and responsible hosting. This forum is incredibly supportive to hosts and guests who are being shafted somehow.

The concept that you have some right to rent out a place which doesn't belong to you, against the wishes of the landlord, seems incredibly entitled.