What guest info is typically shown with a request profile?

[Craig368]

Hi, i got a request to book and all i see is the requester's first name . City and join date. Shouldn't their be a rating, review info and more?

[Rachel177]

@Craig368 if they haven't stayed anywhere before then there won't be any review/rating details. And those only show if you've got instant book switched on.

I find that I need to educate/prompt newbies with a minimal profile  & details of why they want to stay with me to provide more information about them and their stay. And if they're reticent about providing those details, or don't respond then it's makes the decision to decline the booking request a lot easier.

[Craig368]

So without 'instant book' turned on, we just see a name, city and join date? That seems too little to rent out my home. 

[Rachel177]

@Craig368 if they have reviews from previous stays then those will be visible to you without IB, but not the ratings for cleanliness etc 

[Ann489]

@Craig368   Airbnb sure doesn't make it easy for us hosts to be able to properly vet potential guests.  A long time ago, Airbnb was all about matching hosts and guests, now it is all about THEIR  bottom line.  The host, who carries all the risks, does not matter any more.

I suggest you turn on Instant book and, th set the requirements to government-issued ID required, profile pic required and maybe recommendations from other hosts required.  Ask a lot of questions.  If you don't like the answers, decline.  At least, with IB on, you have the option to cancel any reservation that you are not comfortable with.   I also have a minimum age requirement of 25 and state that I may ask for an ID upon check-in.  If an potential guest is not ok with providing an ID, then that's a major red flag for me.

[Rachel177]

@Ann489 how do you get around airbnb's anti-discrimation policy with the minimum age requirement?