Should I accept guests with no last name?

[Deirdre12]

I have recently had two occasions where after accepting the booking, I still could not see the guest's last name, only an initial  -- "Will C."  Has this happened to anyone else?  I do not feel good about allowing a person to stay in my house without knowing their full name.   Why does Airbnb not force guests to enter their last name when they make the reservation?  I thought that in the past Airbnb did demand this.

Thanks all.

[Marie405]

Hi @Deirdre12, similar thing happened to me last month.  Ask for the guest's complete real name and if he doesn't respond ring ABB to report.  Do not cancel his booking as it will cost you dearly, get ABB to do it by telling them you don't feel safe with the guest.

Also, add it in your House Rules that travellers who wish to book your home must give their full name and show their ID upon arrival. 

Good luck!

[Gordon0]

If they've been passed by Airbnb, have references and completed all the ID stuff, why would you need their surname? I'm genuinely interested. 

[Deirdre12]

@Gordon0  Because they hadn't done any of that --  no verified ID -- all they had was a verified phone # and email address.

[Carolyn-And-Don0]

Gordon, it's at least in part an accountability thing. If a host knows my name, I'm more likely to mind my manners and be on my good behavior.

Those of us who rent our family retreat/second home/beach place and are absentee hosts feel especially vulnerable if the person who's staying in our place with our furniture, dishes, pictures, kitsch, etc. is anonymous. Trust has always been a huge factor in Airbnb. I trust my guests with my beloved beach cabin; they can trust me with their name.

[Charlie231]

There is risk in having strangers stay at our houses. As Airbnb hosts, the extra income and the chance to meet interesting people from all over the world makes that risk worthwhile. Bad actors generally seek anonymity, so names are important. We invite people into our homes, in some cases to interact with our families. Our homes are generally huge investments. So, as Carolyn says, the least guests can do is to provide us with the basic respect of telling us who they are. 

[Christine615]

Because their vetting is garbage. Here’s a guest vetted by Airbnb who ....days before this event...performed a series act in front of a female host. He left before she could get the police on the phone.

http://www.plattecountycitizen.com/theplattecountycitizen/price20112019

Known felons are okay but God forbid we get to know who is staying in our homes or rent to someone under 25x

Even hotels require full names and ID.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Deirdre12 @Gordon0 @Marie405

if you didn't set a rule "only guests with verified ID can book" then anyone can book. I got bookings without any verifications except phone number, no real name just a nick name or a name in chinese/corean font, no profile photo, no reviews and they signed up recently (often the same month)

But every guest has to show me his photo ID on arrival and I take all their personal informations and make a photo of his passport/ID by myself. It is obligated in Croatia but I would do it anyway bc I have to know who has my keys.

I am surprised how hosts arround the world give access to their properties to total strangers! 

[Marie405]

Hi @Branka-and-Silvia0, unfortunately I cannot switch the ID requirement on because I can't even verify my own ID. I must have tried a hundred times scanning my IDs but ABB system cannot read them 😞

[Deirdre12]

Thank you! @Branka-and-Silvia0  I had no idea you could set that reservation requirement-- I just did it and I'm thrilled.  Thanks so much!

[Zoe34]

@Deirdre12 sometimes the emails only say "Amy C." or whatever, but then when you click on the details of the stay, it should say their last name.  Sometimes, I have to go into the payment page to look at their full name, but it should be readily available at some place in the app, all the time.

[Gail-And-Bruno0]

I just came across this as well, and I was not happy. It requires quite a lot of trust to give your home to strangers, so to allow the guests to not provide a last name seems just plain wrong. I would like to know who is staying in my home and I am not there to greet them to ask for ID, as others have suggested. I have called airbnb and was invited to give feedback, which I did. They also told me to reach out to the guest to ask his last name, which I am guessing, he can say is "Smith". I did ask the guest for more information and apologized for the intrusion. Any tips for nicely asking guests for more personal information? Thanks.

[Matthew285]

@Gail-And-Bruno0 other hosts have mentioned saying something along the lines of:

"Hello! For everyone's security, we always must verify that the person we are handing keys to is the same person who made the reservation. (This is for your safety also!)

Please provide a clear photo on your profile so that we can recognize you when you arrive, and please be sure to have your ID with you!

Unless we are able to verify identities upon check-in, we cannot provide access to the listing.

(I am sure you would not want us giving the room you paid for to someone who wasn't you.)

Thank you!"

[Gail-And-Bruno0]

Hi Matthew, Thanks so much. That would be great and makes a lot of sense, but our home is a self check in home and pretty far from our residence. I reached out to the guest and he responded immediately, and in fact changed his profile to show his actual name. I wish I could meet the guests but it is just not possible. I really appreciate your response. 

[Matthew285]

@Gail-And-Bruno0 I am glad the guest was agreeable!

(I didn't even notice before that you are also in San Francisco.)

(Well, not your listing, but yourself.)