Guest profile pictures removed

[John232]

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.

[Rhonda93]

@John232 @Chris694    

Here is an (very long) excerpt of the conversation I had online with a member of the "Trip Mediation Team".  Please note that I also took the time to do a feedback form stating my case for wanting profile pictures to be visible for BOTH guests and hosts which was recommended in the thread. 

Airbnb Support

Hello Rhonda, I hope you're having a wonderful day and that this message finds you well. My name is Tushaka from Airbnb Customer Experience team, and I am here to assist you with the appropriate information.
I understand your concern that you always want to see the profile picture of a guest prior to booking. Please know that we have updated our system in that regards and provided our hosts with an authority to cancel the reservation penalty free if they find the guest does not have a profile picture of their own. In order to get this facility, you have to follow the instructions given in the below help article:
https://www.airbnb.co.in/help/article/2377/how-can-i-require-guests-to-have-a-profile-photo?q=guest%...

 

Rhonda3:54 AM

I want to talk to a person. You only repeat rather than answer my question. I want answers.

---

MARCH 12, 2019

Airbnb Support1:20 AM

Hi Rhonda,
I've forwarded your inquiry to a member of my team who can better assist you. They'll be getting in touch with you soon.
In the meantime, please feel free to respond to this message with any further questions or concerns.
Best regards,

---

MARCH 13, 2019

Airbnb Support4:59 AM

Hi Rhonda,
Hi, how are you today? My name is Akira. I will be your Trip Mediator with the Trip Mediation Team. I’m here to resolve all your needs and concerns. Would you like to continue with communication by phone or message?

I am in the office today until 2pm PST.

 

Rhonda7:17 AM

I do not have a question or inquiry about a trip, or a guest. It is a general concern. A proactive step on my part to understand ahead of time how to keep myself safe. I am available after 2:45pm HST most days. - Rhonda

Airbnb Support8:16 AM

Hi Rhonda,
thank you so much fir following p with me. unfortunately we are on different timezone and I will not be in the office when you are available. Would you like to continue through messaging and I can answer all questions you have? Or I can transfer you to an agent that is available when you are?

 

Rhonda9:13 AM

If you have a viable suggestion, that would be great. Or follow through with my request and concern, that would be great. Please consider my concern via email or text, yet I am looking for satisfying resolution to my safety. If you are unable to share that with me, then I suggest you find someone in the same time zone. All that I ask that things not get repeated when no attention has been given to my safety concern. Thank you. - Rhonda

 

Airbnb Support10:08 AM

Yes, I understand unfortunately all the sites will tell you the same thing. There is no way for us to show the guest picture before booking. I think the best thing for you to do is cut instant book off if you have it on and request a photo of each guest one they send you a request. You can also add on your listing details that you require the photo to be shown before booking that way your guest are aware. Our system doesn't allow the guest photo to be shown until after the booking is made and confirm.

I understand your safety concerns and feel as though you should be able to see their pictures before booking. If you like you are able to submit feedback so that we are able to get this tool changed within the system.

Rhonda11:47 AM

Ok, that is what I have done. My insta book has been turned off from the beginning. I have it now advertised on my listing to send a picture at the time of request or it will be ignored. OK, I will do just that. Thank you. - Rhonda

[Nic18]

Good try Rhonda, I wonder if this staff member still has their job since she agreed with you that you should be able to see profile and photo.??? No different to instant book which we won’t use... I too have complained to Airbnb, good luck to us!

[Rhonda93]

@Chris694  @Julie4  @John232 

This is what I wrote in my feedback form to AirBNB: 

"I want to see my guests profile picture when they make a request automatically as in the most recent past. They can see my profile picture. It's discrimination that half of your customers get the right to see and the other half does not. - Rhonda"

[Amos18]

I had a similar booking in december 28th of a guest who his profile picture was displayed. we negotiated and he booked for a 1 day stay. But after some days until now when i passes the messages he sent prior to his booking his profile picture have never been displayed again. What could have caused this?

[John232]

I don't think I can adequately explain this Amos.  But I take it that you hosted a guest in December who liked your pkace and the guest rebooked for a second trip.  So when you refered back to your correspondennce the Airbnb had again removed the profile puicture because in their computers mind you could be guilty of discrimination.  I think this shows confusion on the part of Airbnb software writers between 'discrimination' and 'prejudice'.  They also fail to appreciate the value of influencing, challenging and changing  public attitudes and ruthlessly imposing or enforcing their own values over other people. 

[Claire164]

I have been hosting for over 5 years, I am also very unhappy about the fact that profile photos of potential bookings are hidden until booking is accepted. That is one reason why I dislike instant booking. I live in the property and most certainly like to choose who I like to share my space. Very disappointed with this policy!

[John232]

Thank you for your message about this. You sumarise the feeling that many have expressed who host guests in their own households. Please write and complain to Airbnb. They will claim this decision is all about their policy to prevent discrimination but in doing so they are in fact discriminating against the hosting community. They are also confusing the difference between prejudice and discrimination.  We all have a right to be discriminating - this is the chouce we have every time we make a purchase.  It is only discrimination on religious, race or age that shuld be discouraged, but in many cases this may be justified, especially where we invite people into our own homes.

[Rosemary12]

I have been a host for 5 years but had to temporarily suspend my listing due to a family emergency and just opened up my home again for this summer. I was shocked to see that we can no longer see the potential guest's profile picture until after they have booked! Airbnb obviously don't want us discriminating but this has gone too far! I checked the option of having the photo show AFTER they book but since I live alone I want to be able to decide who I will have in my home before I confirm a booking. I have only turned down one person but that was because it was a young male with a profile picture of him pointing a automatic weapon at the camera and this bothered me.

I would like to know how Airbnb can justify taking out this option without letting us know and have some input into the decision. Like the one where we can't charge for children under 2, I don't believe that they are considering their hosts. Ironically, any potential guest can see OUR PHOTO when they look at the site so what is the difference??

[John232]

Hi Rosemary,

Thank you for adding your view to this debate.  You you raise some very good points - that this new policy is infact discrimination against hosts, and those of us who may live alone do need to see who we offer hospitality to before deciding to accept each booking. 

The agrument has been made that it is impossible to get an accurate picture of people from a profile picture, and any decision made on this basis is pure personal prejudice.  But I am over 70 and I feel I have had lots of experience in judging a person's personality from a picture.  But you raise a vital point, that allarm bells ring when a potential guest presents themselves in a manner that is deliberately set to deceive the host.  I had a guest who  posted a puicture of a pengiine in sunglasses.  I have also had a guest who posted as a picture of a crowd, and also another with the front of a camera lens.  I do not want to offer open hospitality to people who are not prepared to post an accurate profile picture.   

I have written at length to airbnb abut this situation and just get the same inane replies, and no undertaking to change.  I have therefore decided reluctantly to close down my air bnb hosting and I now operate through a different platform. 

[Rosemary12]

Hi John

I read your other posts and you have hit the nail on the head! I had one potential guest contact me and when I asked her to post a profile picture she refused so I declined. My gut told me that something was wrong. I too am over 70 and I have never had a problem sharing my home but I think it's because I trust my gut but the photos have helped in making that decision. The young guy with the machine gun was an easy one since one of my sons is a police officer and I feel strongly about guns in the wrong hands. I would say that 99% of my guests have been wonderful and this is probably because idiots don't want to share someone else's home but I will be contacting Airbnb and letting them know that they are discriminating against hosts by posting our photos and not those of guests. It's bad enough that we are penalized if we don't use Instant Book and I have to wonder what being a super host means to them?

[Rosemary12]

Hi John, I emailed Airbnb to complain and got this response.

In regard to your concern for potential guest profile pictures that are blocked until after a reservation is confirmed, I truly do understand your frustration. You want to have a face to the name and request, that makes sense entirely, but this is a new policy that we have to follow.

It does help with decreasing discrimination, and that is why Airbnb has launched this feature. That being said, you can set your listing to Instant book, where you are able to cancel a reservation, if you do meet the canceling instant book criteria.

Well, my feeling is that if hosts don't like the "new policy" then it needs to be addressed! I emailed back and said I purposely do not agree with Instant Book as it gives a host no option but to cancel after the fact if they aren't comfortable with the booking. You can only cancel IB 3 times before you are penalized. My home is not close to public transport so I have to have a conversation with potential guests to ensure they are aware of this if they don't come with a car. To me, that's just be a good host.

I also asked why they didn't address my question about why host pictures are visible but not guests. I guess discrimination only works one way!  I am sure I will get another sucky response!

.

[Chris694]

John do you have the contact info of any of the higher ups?

[Lindsay207]

I don't host. I'm just making things up here, but perhaps abnb did this because they did some internal research and saw people turning down bookings more often when the guest is not the same race as the host?

I alway send something to the effect of:

"Hello X! Thank you for considering my request to book a stay at your home. I am a 34 year male who works remote, and I'll be traveling to Y on Z date for C reason. I would be at home during the day for work and at home ~50% of the evenings. I'm a non smoker and would be bringing my own vehicle. If you have any questions please let me know! I can be reached on my cell phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx

Thanks again,

Lindsay"

I would hope that me writing like this would indicate to the host I am a responsible and considerate individual, regardless of whether or not they can see my photo?

[Rhonda93]

hi lindsay, the problem is, is that it is NOT enough information. If you read through the posts you will hear all of kinds things that a host has to manuever like SAFETY and the fact that people lie. One gentleman had a underage teenage boy show up after his mom used her profile to send him. there is a certain amount of vetting that even you would want to go through if someone was sharing a home with, you don't just move in with a bunch of people you don't know. hope that helps the concern we have.  besides all that, our profile pics are previewed our (hosts) faces are out there, but hosts can't see quests?...this IS the definition of discrimination.

[Rosemary12]

Hi everyone

After Airbnb gave me an unsatisfactory explanation as to why profile pictures of potential guests were removed I wrote back and asked her how she would feel sleeping across the hallway from a guest that she felt uncomfortable with and that our concerns are not about discrimination but safety. This is their latest response.

Rosemary, I truly understand where you are coming from. You are right, it is a good question, and I would feel the same way in your position. Although there is nothing that I can do presently, we do have the feedback tool for our hosts and guests to utilize. This does go to another team that look into the matter. If enough is voiced on this issue (which as you have mentioned many hosts are not happy with this new feature), changes will be made as this is how Airbnb can gauge an understanding of how out hosts and guests opinions.

Here is the link to the feedback form: https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/1640

I would encourage everyone to send their feelings on this feedback form.

I too will submit feedback on this matter on your behalf.