RE NOT GETTING GUEST NAMES: After I get an automatic booking, I have an automated response message that goes out that essentially says:
"Hello, thanks for the booking. This rental requires that the booking agent provide the full names of all people in your party. Additional names will not be allowed unless an extra fee is paid*. Please email or text names within the next 24 hours. Unnamed groups are subject to cancellation at the owner's discretion. Thank you." This shows you are serious and should light a candle.
*It's a problem when you get a booking for say 6 and they bring 10. If they don't tell you, then you won't get any 'extra guest' fee and can't control the number in your place. My initial response gives booking people a that unnamed guests are not welcome, and must be approved/paid for.
Another way that I found I can get names is by having a digital lock on the door. To get access the booking person needs to provide me names and cell numbers of guests who will get access to the front door via their phone. August lock is pricey but works great. It gives me a permanent track record of everyone who stayed at the house (or signed into the lock). It also gives me a track record of who is coming and going when, which can also be useful. This is worth considering because it saved me a lot of trouble needing to be at the door to meet new guests and provide keys.
NOTE TO AIRBNB: Hello, are you listening? Since booking agent already provides the names of guests to Airbnb, why can't that be automatically provided to the host?? On multiple occassions when I have asked the booking person for names, they say "But I already provided that, why do you need again." So I explain that Airbnb does not provide to guests.
I think it is entirely reasonable that hosts should want and be able to know who is staying at their home, and I think Airbnb should make this easier to get the guest names -- better yet, they should automate it.