Guests with no reviews or profile pictures

[John1231]

Pretty new to hosting and just wondering about accepting a booking if there are no reviews or profile picture for the potential guest(s)? How do you feel about this?

[Fred13]

Ask them further questions, nothing to loose. In a nutshell, thus far you have zero to go by, except for the fact they registered with Airbnb. 

[Nina204]

@John1231  I look them up on facebook.  There is usually enough information (school, employment etc) that if you search facebook you can find them.  Do a little investigating.  I find them about 7 out of 10 times.

[Brenda280]

how do you look them up on Facebook when all you have is their first name?

[Clint-and-Kendall0]

When you click on the guest's name and go to their profile, it will show their first and last name.

When we first started our Airbnb, a more experienced host recommended that we stalk our guests on Facebook, but to be honest, we just don't have the time for that. I think one of the best things you can do is price your listing high enough to keep away most of the riff raff. Also, have clear house rules posted on your listing.

We've had 9 stays through Airbnb and 4 through HomeAway and have yet to have a bad guest...and 3 of my guests had no picture on their profile.

If you are really worried about having a bad guest, you could include a security deposit requirement on your listing.

Good luck with your Airbnb business!

[Pete69]

I require government ID and photo. If they destroy the place then how will you track them down if they didn't get verified with a government ID? And how do you know if it's your guest checking in or a burglar showing up at your place? That's what a selfie is for.

[Ava30]

Per advice given in several threads, I state in my House Rules that one must have a profile picture to book.  If I get an inquiry or request that has no profile picture, I asked them politely to please upload a profile picture and will explain that is so I know who will be staying in my home if we come to an agreement. Almost every person has uploaded profile picture immediately. I’ve only had to decline one, and this was just yesterday, that not only did not upload a profile picture, there was also no location for them.   I waited 12 hours for them to answer and or upload a picture. They did neither.  The whole inquiry was a little weird, they were asking in what town I was located, and it shows it clearly on the map the general location. 

[Alison754]

Hi

Sorry if this has been covered before but we are new to hosting and have had a number of requests from potential guests who seem to have no profile, only a first name  and no ratings, despite seemingly being Airbnb members for a while (2 years plus). Is this something to do with restricted profile viewing prior to accepting the booking? I know photos are not visible but it seems strange that profiles and ratings are not visible.

Any information gratefully received.

Thanks

Alison

[Helen3]

People can set up their profile years before they use it. Having said that, if a guest has reviews it will show up on their profile and you can see them be clicking on their profile. @Alison754 

I would suggest you only accept guests who provide photo ID, you can also tick the box on your listing so that only guests who have uploaded a photo can book (you can see this after they book).

[Beth44]

What Ive learned from guests that have been members but have to ratings is to comment "I see you have no reviews even though you've been a member since___". I usually get an explanation such as " my daughter usually books Airbnb". My message is to open the door to an explanation. Its put me at ease. 

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@John1231 We ask folks to thoroughly read our hose rules and reply in the app that they accept them. We share that when issues have arisen, as infrequent as they are, it has been with folks who are new to the platform or have no reviews. On a few occasions, we have not heard back from folks, so assume they didn't like what they read or found a place that better met their needs. 

[James2566]

Very apprehensive, now that we have established reviews. In fact, for our best seasons, I require some AirBnb history for peace of mind. At first we accepted nearly anyone, and I think that first-time users are best suited to new AirBnb hosts so they both build experience.

[Robyn351]

I always ensure that the guest at least has a verified ID, and when I'm using instabook I only allow guests with profile pictures and positive reviews to instantly book. That way anyone without a picture, 0 reviews, or less than 5 star reviews must "request to book" and I can ask them some questions on why they're booking, etc.

I have only ever declined 2 booking requests from guests without profile photos after they gave me a bad feeling - I find it is best to trust your gut, and if you price your place high enough you tend to attract the right guests.

P.S: Welcome to hosting!