Guest profile pictures removed

John232
Level 10
Bangor, United Kingdom

Guest profile pictures removed

I have been an Airbnb host for many years, but am very concerned to find just now that profile pictures of potential guests are now not being displayed until a booking is confirmed. For me and I am sure many other hosts who welcome guests into our homes it is vitally important to be able to see what a guest is like and make a judgement about their suitability for accommodation within ones home where there may also be children. I am VERY concerned about this decision that seems to encourage 'incognito' travelling, and I cannot continue to offer accommodation unless hosts are able to see a good clear and recognisable profile picture of potential guests BEFORE we accept a new booking.

 

Withdrawing profile pictures makes selecting our guests a lottery, and takes away from us the ability to exercise choice. This is not what I regard as responsible hosting. I have always valued the vetting process provided by Airbnb but have many times expressed my concern that so many guests seem to seek accommodation with avatar profile images. In my opinion this is an insult to the hospitality offered by hosts. This new decision to hide all profile pictures of guests until after acceptance is not acceptable, because it encourages this incognito invasion of a hosts private home.

250 Replies 250

@Randy-and-Linda0  Dating someone is a completely different circumstance from providing accommodation. If you wouldn't feel comfortable accepting a guest because of their race, you shouldn't be hosting on Airbnb.

@Ben551  It's one more tool that airbnb is taking away from hosts. 

 

They already heavily, heavily favor Instant Books...where there is zero interaction between guest and host, and certainly no opportunity for any back and forth messaging to get a feel for the guests.  Of course this isn't going to matter to the professionally managed properties, because it's nobody's "home" and is another example of the businses model that airbnb is moving toward.  

 

The photos are helpful, I'm sorry, they just are.  They show us how the prospective guest wishes to be seen:  is he/she glaring at the camera, or smiling, are they posed with weapons, alcohol, clothing with controversial messaging, sexually suggestive clothing?  Are they posed with a pet or baby...this can be a clue that we need to verify about the pet/children policy, it can also provide a basis for conversation, it tells you approximately how old the guest might be, and this too, may require slightly different sets of focus on the discussion and welcome.  I could go on and on as to the benefits to a photo, that far outweigh the tiny minority of people who may discriminate based on race or ethnicity.

Agreed, how a person chooses to present themselves in one photo absolutely gives us an indication about who they are. Does one picture tell you everything you need to know about a person? Of course not. But in the limited ways we are able to learn about potential visitors to our homes, it is a factor.

 

It's not even so much who is IN the picture as it is THAT they have a picture. I accept people who I feel will respect my space and the home sharing process. The presence or lack of a picture was an indication to me how serious a person was and how agreeable they would be to the process. Now that is taken away, and my listing is punished when I don't accept people who have no picture, no verifications, no reviews, and no profile info.

 

Hosts share photos and other details about our home but this is no longer a mutual exercise in sharing. 

 

I will continue to decline people who don't take the time to let me know anything about them, and if my listing gets deactivated, so be it.

Like a person who looks 18 years old around prom time.

 

Hey Ben, what if a guy toting a gun has it in his profile picture PRIOR to approval so that I don't have to have him show up as a boyfriend, guest, or otherwise?  Seems more efficient to me.  Don't mean to argumentative, but I'd rather run my home my way and not be dictated to by AirBNB. Get me? I really don't want to work harder, I want to work smarter. They see me, I want to see them...easy peezy. - Rhonda

Ben honestly I respect u  that you found that amusing and  because you are willing, but if someone put that picture I would not accept that person that is why for me is important to know who is coming.

"I rely on much more than a profile photo when vetting guests. Past reviews and other verifications are more important to us."

And while that's great, you have had one tool you can use taken away. Frankly, I'm with John, Christine and Mark.

Hosts should have the ability to have their listing not show up if they require a photo and the guests who elect not to provide same would never even see my ad. (This would be just like my ad not showing up if it's not available for the dates the guest plugs into the search criteria)

I too will be looking at a different platform for our short term rental. The changes to the cancellation policy, and now this erosion of my right to determine who is in my home has sullied the experience.

 

Oh dear @Ralph-and-ChristinA0

 

I don't think you have read the change regarding guests photos properly.

 

You still have the ability to see a clear guest photo when they book. If they provide a photo posing with guns, of a pot plant or cartoon you can still cancel.

 

You absolutely do have the ability for your listing not to be available to those not willing to provide a photo. All you have to do is tick the box on your listing to say you only accept guests will to provide a photo.

 

 

Yes you can cancel, but a) they have your address and possible instructions on how to enter your home and b) you are penalized for canceling. 

Great to see an actual solution to a very real problem presented!!!. it’s about options / choices / rights that are being dissolved by airbnb 

LOL!! You can rest assured he won't trash your house in a drunken rage!

Mandy3
Level 6
Falkland, Canada

I am so pissed about this.  This is more than a two way street.  I live in my airbnb listing.  It is my home.  I show my smile in my profile photo, I show photos of the inside of my home, the outside of my home, and list what I have in my home - all available for a potential guest to see and on this information decide if they want to pay to stay at my home.  But, as of January 1, 2019, I am not to see the potential guest's face until after I accept their request to stay in my home and share my bathroom?  Nope.  Not this single woman over 50 who lives alone in a village with less than 200 homes.  

I invite you to preview my listings.  I've removed my actual photos.  There is a clown in my profile picture, and my listings show a photo of a hand written note, "I'll send you photos of my place when you send me a current photo of your smile.  I'm okay with not getting any guests or earning any money, until airbnb shakes their head and realizes this is a STUPID situation to put their hosts in.  If you don't live in your listing, you may be okay with unknown strangers coming and staying there.  Perhaps you have good insurance.  I've lived in my home for over 25 years and I'm not clearing it out because I can no longer trust who is coming to stay the night. 

Paul1255
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Mandy0 can't seem to tag you. Have you de-listed, I can't see your listings on your profile.

 

Paul.

Good for you! We may consider following your lead here.