Guests need profile pictures of themselves

[Sarah984]

Why does Air B&B not require guests to have a clear profile picture of themselves, rather than an inanimate object or a pet? I have had nothing but great experiences with my Air B&B guests until this last one. She had a photo of a dog as her profile picture. She turned out to be a horrible guest and has caused quite a bit of trouble for me. She actually made the reservation for another person, so I had no way of knowing who was staying at my house. This should be completely unacceptable by Air B&B! I will never again accept a reservation from someone who does not have a picture of themselves in their profile and I have stated that in my listing. How can we get Air B&B to change the rule on this matter?

I also recently had a reservation request from a lady who had an animal skull as her profile photo. I declined her offer because I got a bad feeling about it. She then sent me another reservation request from a different profile that she had just created. The profile photo on this account was of a very young couple kissing, but in her message she stated that she was in her 60's. I declined this request and reported both profiles. I'm just baffled as to why Air B&B allows this.

[Peter618]

@Sarah984actually it is required, but sadly not enforced. Same as the description of 50 words which are omitted without consequences by many accounts:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/67/why-do-i-need-to-have-an-airbnb-profile-or-profile-photo

Good news is that the incomplete profile a valid reason not to accept a booking.

[Sarah984]

@Peter618 Thanks Peter! This is the same "Gremlin" that I was referring to in my previous post that you replied to. I never imagined I would have this much trouble from a guest!

Do you have any advice on how to get Air B&B to help? They keep telling me that someone will contact me and they won't transfer me to a case manager.

[Peter618]

@Sarah984

As me and others already told you, overcome yourself and write now the honest review for the gremlins that they deserve. Once both reviews are visible you have a real base to talk to airbnb. If that unexpectedly would not turn out the way you want (deleting the gremlins review), you still can write a professional reply to theire review. Any future guest would immediately recognize who's stand is the right one.

[Sarah984]

You're right. Thanks @Peter618!

[Marit-Anne0]

@Sarah984

For the future, I think the best approach would be to ask the guest to supply a profile picture that matches their ID.  Mention it in your house rules too.  

If they refuse, cancel on the grounds that you are not comfortable with the guests.  You do not want guests that have something to hide.

[Peter618]

When people upload the photo it clearly states what is required:

Also, I have added the following to my house rules:

"The Airbnb profile must be complete with description and picture on which the booking guest is clearly identifiable."

This way I have all the rights to decline a request, or cancel an instant booking because guest states he will not follow my house rules.

[Paul154]

@Sarah984  

While I do agree with Sarah and do prefer face pics, not all landscape photos are nefarious.

Many American women don't want to show their picture publically. They may be shy, May be afraid of unwanted attention.  Also, the older generation is not accustomed to internet greetings with a face pic - we have been trained that it's not our looks that are important, but our service. (I remember in 1999, my Spanish friend sent her face picture with her CV/resume. Such invitation to discrimination shocked me as an American not having this tradition.)

Also, some people are afraid of discrimination, based on looks.

Unfortunately, this too is fodder for the scammers also.

You are free to deny requests without clear face pics. You also are free to ask for ID at the door.

[Karl99]

I do agree with the sentiment here but AirBnB does not allow you to see the profile before accepting or rejecting a booking in 2022.

[Phil60]

Hi my name is Phil and I am a Host with airbnb.  I have a guest arriving this week and he has no profile picture.  I have no idea what age he is and he has never been an airbnb guest before.  I presumed that airbnb would not accept a reservation without a profile picture but I see from this conversation that they do.

I was not in a position to refuse this booking as I have instant booking option and if I was to cancel it I would lose my Superhost profile.

I really think it is completely unacceptable for airbnb to accept anyone without profile picture.

What can we do to amend this?

[Fred13]

@Phil60, perhaps it is best to look at Airbnb as a booking agency with many perks, not a screening agency that could do just as they really wanted to. The whole mess with pictures or no pictures and now not even divulging age and a string of other exercises is for them to meet social pressures from other quarters where they operate from (U.S., though registered in Ireland if I not mistaken). They (and hosts) were operating happy as clams for 10 years before all these tricky 2017 changes took effect.

I believe, you do not loose Superhost status for cancelling an IB if still under your 'quota' or exercising other criterias.

[Phil60]

Thank you for your feedback and I do understand that airbnb is a booking facility not a screening agency. It is Airbnb policy that only the person that books the facility is insured with them.  So where does that leave me if  the person who turns up is someone different.

I know I can look for ID when the guest arrives but this is still really not acceptable.

We have our picture on our page and I really think it is not too much to ask for the guest to do the same.

I am not sure what the criteria is with loosing Superhost status, but I have worked hard to maintain it and do not wish to jepordise it in any way.

Anyway my male guest is arriving on Wednesday and fingers crossed it will all work out alright.

I am not sure how I will deal with this issue should it happen again.

Once again thank  you for your feedback.

Regards Phil

[Fred13]

@Phil60In all likelihood it will turn out alright, and yes a pity you have to do the checking at your end upon arrival, versus just concentrating in welcoming. This picture issue is the subject of many past threads here for the last few months btw, and yes most hosts by a long shot do not welcome it at all.

[Gaylle0]

I too want pictures of the folks I'm letting in my home, but let's be frank.  If they don't want to put up their picture, they'll put up someone else's picture.  If they're intent to deceive us, they'll do so, and there's nothing we can do to stop them until we meet them at the door and realize we've been had.  I think if we ask in our house rules that they post a picture or they won't be accepted, then that's all we can do, and if they don't match said photo when they come to the door then we deal with it on a case by case basis.  And Airbnb had better not be penalizing a cancellation of an instant book that we cancel because there's no picture.  Man!

[SleepIndustry0]

I found that guests from some specific countries didn't like to put their own pictures in their profiles. I feel uncomfortable at first. The name in other languages, I can google to find the pronunciation but how do you translate an animated character. Finally, I just have to let it go, telling myself that maybe there's something about their culture or how things are in their countries. I started talking to them to understand our differences. All of them didn't mean it to be an insult or trying to hide things from me. Some cultures revealing their identities to public is just not their nature. What I do is I asked my guests who didn't use their picture in their profile and those who booked for other people  to send the picture of the staying guests to me in the message box. If they are hiding something they won't send it, then I reject their booking request.