That good guests feeling. Adding guests to the Itinerary

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

I'll just put this here and put my neck on the line. I've been advocating this to other Hosts , I have it in my Booking Terms and I send out automatic messages to booking guests to 'add guests to their itinerary'.  I believe that Airbnb should make this compulsory. 

I firmly believe that many of the problems we hear about are down to anonymity and here is a tool which Airbnb provide, which if all Hosts were to adopt would help in reducing the amount of crazies... I've got my eye out for number 8, He/She/Them could be Maverick.

Despite me stating in the House Rules and my Message reminders to add guests to their itinerary, not all booking guests invite their other guests - Unless, where I feel appropriate, I insist of course. And I will always register guests on arrival if they are not added to the itinerary.

Useful too for those cases where the booking guest doesn't turn up first.

This group, almost fully identified, I expect no problems with. Isn't that a great way to start a weekend with a group ?!

Hopefully everything will go as expected... Watch this space.

[Kelly149]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I often have 6-10 unrelated adult guests, and I have had listed in my terms for YEARS now that I will give a 5% discount if all adults are added to the reservation with a profile - I've had exactly NO ONE take me up on the offer.

I do get name, age, cell# & city/state listed for every guest via rental agreement immediately after booking and I'm not above checking IDs if needed.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kelly149 

Its not a money thing. It’s a platform thing.

Other platforms allow you to hold a real deposit which commands responsibility.  That’s not the case here. The responsibility needs to be commanded from elsewhere.

You get names and ID which is great and necessary which shows as a host you won’t be messed around, this - adding guests to an itinerary - is something all Hosts could insist on and make it the de facto modus operandi - the way AirBnb operates.

Would it scare off guests? Of course! But only those who you wouldn’t want in your property in the first place.

I think it has potential.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  I can see where it could be a good thing. But it sort of depends on the booking. I have a friend, who is also a host, who attends a big family reunion every few years, which is held in various parts of the world. They look for huge places that hold up to 20-30 guests. One of the family members always does the looking and booking, and explains to the host that they are looking for a place that is flexible on the number and names of the guests, because some say they'll attend, and then don't, some say they can't make it, and then show up at the last minute, etc. Some may drift in a day or two after the others, some may leave earlier. So for them, what you suggest wouldn't work at all, but certainly IDs could be checked on arrival, if the host wanted to.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

but certainly IDs could be checked on arrival, if the host wanted to.

"If the host wanted to..."  can be countered by "if the host was there..." The host may never be there, such is the Airbnb platform.

Believe it not one of the most difficult aspects of using this Itinerary system is the booking guest ACTUALLY having friends' email addresses in order to send the booking invitation. Whilst they all might have home addresses and phone numbers they use for Text and WhatsApp Groups with auto log-in for Facebook and Messenger etc.. When it comes to emails, its like that doesn't happen anymore! This is the one single excuse which has been given umpteen times which I've had which holds up proceedings.

Having done this once, and once you're an Airbnb member there's no registration obstacle and it works fairly easily. I haven't actually checked how easy this is, but a recent group had it topped it off in less than a couple of hours. This group I'm hosting at weekend said, "I don't think anybody's on Airbnb". Turns out they were.

The obvious benefit to Airbnb in this is that they ultimately acquire members. The obvious benefit to Hosts is we obtain some level of security by all the guests not being anonymous.

The advantage to groups like your friends 30 group is once they've done it once second time is easy. As to numbers in a group changing, there is a facility to remove guests too.

When you mention a group of 30, I would immediately think of other situations this would happen in here the participants are anonymous or where as a host you would'nt be sat on a large damage deposit. I can't think of any. Normally an event of more than 30 people would need a large venue as well as accommodation but those people would be registered individually or as couples in the event accommodation. I don't think a group of 30 needs to be made a special case to the point of abstention.

I wouldn't feel the need to register all 30 guests in your friends group either. If I had 24, I'd be pretty happy. Much more happier than if I only had one registered.

Anybody organising a group of 30 would need to use a group mailing system of sorts, it could already be email, it could be Facebook group or WhatsApp group, whichever it is the information would already be available or there would be a way to get the registration information spread amongst them, there should be no issue in registering all.

In a more regular situation, the following might apply:

- The guest(s) wouldn't necessarily know if the host was on site or not. Requiring registration would just be part of the Airbnb procedure, like getting booking guests name, address, email, etc... is with other sites. This registration at individual guest level will make them more indentifiable and more responsible for their actions.

- Keycodes could be withheld until all guests were registered, purely as a matter of course.

- Staggered access would be possible because guests identity could be verified as part of the group.

- Airbnb hold guest details which could prevent security issues in the future.

There would be a justifiable reason to refuse access should all guests not be registered if that was a House Rule.

Nothing is ever perfect, but removing anonymity would have to be a benefit.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Guests just messaged. Booking guest will be arriving later than other guests <Insert Names> will be arriving first....

No problem with me, I already know who they are as they are on the list.