AM LIVID! Airbnb not allowing us to see photos of guests until after they book.

[Kat9]

I DO NOT AGREE WITH NOT SEEING GUEST PHOTOS!!!! VERY BAD DECISION. I DO NOT DISCRIMINATE AND TAKE ALL TYPES. BUT I BASE CHOOSING GUESTS BASED ON THEIR PHOTOS. PLUS BEING A SINGLE FEMALE ITS ALSO IMPERATIVE FOR MY SAFETY WHEN IT COMES TO GUYS. I CANNOT JUST TAKE ANYONE WHO WANTS TO STAY HERE ESPECIALLY IF THEY DONT LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ID HAVE HERE. 

ITS MY RIGHT TO KNOW & SEE WHO IS ASKING TO STAY HERE. REMEMBER AIRBNB THIS IS OUR HOMES NOT A HOTEL.

IF AIRBNB IS GOING TO MAKE THIS A PROBLEM THEN I HAVE TO JOIN THE SIDE WHO ALREADY SEES AIRBNB BEING A PROBLEM IN NYC. BECAUSE ITS NOT GOING TO BE WORTH US HOSTS RISKING LOSING OUR APTS DUE TO THESE SO CALLED SAFETY MEASURES AND AIRBNB CATERING TO GUESTS WITHOUT SUPPORTING THE HOSTS WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR AIRBNB TO BE IN ONE OF THE TOP MOST VISITED PLACES IN THE WORLD!!! 

PETITION PEOPLE!!

[Jayne20]

Agreed, Kat! Also, In addition to not being able to see a pic or what date they joined anymore- I just got a booking request and I can't even see the reviews this person had from previous stays NOR the verifications that AirBnB did on them!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! /:(

[Sarah977]

@Bryan10 For a lot of us who home share, it's more than a commercial arrangement. These are people who are strangers to us, who we are trusting and allowing to stay in our homes. They can see and read all about us and our listings, we should be afforded the same. I wouldn't turn down anyone based on their race, sexual orientation, nationality, or anything like that, but I sure wouldn't want to host someone who thought it was cool to have a profile photo of themselves with a gun, or scantily clad, or boozin' it up with their buddies.

[Jayne20]

Agreed, Sarah! That's exactly how I feel about pics of potential people coming into my home. Also, if people want to run a commercial operation, go buy a hotel! 

[Me2]

Agreed

[Frank643]

If I don’t like what I see or read in my dialogue with the guest I can choose not to accept the they pay then they stay arrangement.  That’s the point Bryan!  I am with you Kat this new policy sucks!  My new policy is I won’t rent to anyone I haven’t rented to before until I can see their photos.  Screw Airbnb’s political correctness!

[Jayne20]

Agreed, Frank! I have hosted for over 5 years now, and it is becoming more and more apparent with every change AirBnB makes and keeps making, that they are not interested in looking out for their hosts anymore - so sad! BTW, if you have guests you've hosted with good experiences who are interested in spending some time in Miami, feel free to send them my way! Now I have someone to refer my guests to, if they are interested in heading down to the Keys for a few days!  I have pics of my last trip down there with one on my guest on my ig feed Miami homes click here. 🙂 What's yours?

[Jayne20]

Perhaps if you were a woman sharing your own home with a stranger, you might feel differently, Bryan. Or maybe you just feel no need to be careful, even with everything going on in the world today! AirBnB is definitely NOT looking out for their hosts whom - as many have stated - are the primary reason for their success. I was a Super Host for several years until they added the requirement of hosting ten times per quarter. Living in Miami, FL - one of the top vacation destinations in the world - I have plenty of friends and family who like to come visit...and I love having them. The minute I didn't have 10 guest-stays through AirBnB within three months, I lost my Super Host status that I worked quite hard to get and keep! Now they are taking away the ability to see pictures of potential guests before an actual booking occurs??? I have rented to all nationalities and religions, but if the pic of a potential guest looks like they're trying to be a porn star (female or male) then I would not feel comforatble allowing them into my home - period! For AirBnB to take away the ability for hosts to see a pic - or even the date a potential guest joined anymore - is a TOTAL DIS-SERVICE to their hosts! Calling AIrBnB to cancel if you don't feel comfortable will still ding the host, so that is Not a viable option! The so-called "customer service" and AirBnB's symbiotoc relationship with hosts has gone steadily downhill, year after year! 😞

[Bob39]

I have to know a little about the guest and understand the guest's intentions for using my property, before I will agree to let them book. For me that includes actually seeing them as well as sending a few messages back and forth. Sometimes their initial message is enough. But without a photo I feel like I am agreeing to let a complete stranger into my house.

If the guest gets to see the host's photo before booking, it's only fair that the host gets to see the guest's photo before booking. It's a 2-way street.

I also had a fraudulent situation, where a group booked my house using a Superhost's profile, then when they showed up, none of the people in the group looked like the photo in the profile. I let them stay anyway but they turned out to be partiers who left the place a mess. That is a separate issue, but points out that the photo is crucial and that an accurate, current photo is crucial.

[Matteo340]

I think a change.org petition should be the only solution. Let's see how many of us can jump in. Let's see if this is a real community or not.

We can't accept so passively something so 'discriminatory' towards hosts. This is dreadful. Potentially the last straw for me. I could leave this platform anytime now and I've been a superhost for years. 

Ever since this new policy came into power I started declining every single request, by the way. I explain people what the situation is and why I'm uncomfrotable with accepting reservations at the moment. People seem to understand. 

And by the way, if guests try to send you their instagram account so you can verify their identity and see their pictures Airbnb now detects it and send you a threatening message saying both the host and the guest's accounts can be potentially marked as scam and removed. This is too much. I'm really disliking Airbnb and their bull**bleep** 'punishment' policies disguised as anti-discriminatory measures.

[Jayne20]

Maybe the best way to gather petioners would be to hold Meet Ups in various cities, Matteo. I've been to several of the AirBnB events held for hosts here in Miami, FL and have met quite a few other hosts, but from the way they have been treating their hosts lately, we would no doubt need hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures to get AIrBnB's attention!

[Tom797]

I agree, Kat, very unhappy that guest photos are no longer shown before accepting a request. I understand AirBnB sees this as a way to minimize profiling, but it doesn’t help when I’m trying to rent a room in my home. I’ve always relied on seeing reviews, a profile, and a photo ... and few people have all three of these, and now AirBnB has removed one, too.

I won’t be using AirBnB as much because I get requests with no or one generic review and no profile description and that doesn’t make me sufficiently comfortable allowing a stranger into my home. I’ve been an ongoing SuperHost and this hurts my ability to continue on AirBnB.