Half of the bookings I accept do not have real guest photos

[Christopher187]

This hiding of the guest photo thing is really not working out.  When I accept a booking, roughly half of the time, the guest does not have a photo of themselves.  I constantly have to ask guests to change their profile photo after booking.  I live in a college town and a large percentage of my bookings are from overseas and they almost never have real photos.  Other hosts around me struggle with the same problem. 

Airbnb, please fix the mess you made. 

[Sarah977]

@Christopher187 You know what really irks me about these people who have grey sillouettes instead of a profile photo? Most of them have their selfies plastered all over social media- Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Tinder. Yet when they expect to be welcomed into someone's home, they are suddenly anonymous nobodies.

[Ann489]

@Christopher187   I think the vast majority  of us hosts struggles with this.   I have instant book on and one of my requirements is a clear profile pic of the person booking.  I have no problem canceling a reservation if the guest refuses to comply.  Airbnb needs to step up to the plate and require guests to download a clear, identifiable photo of themselves.  Unfortunately, the likelihood of this happening is very slim, since Airbnb is trying to do everything possible to make it easier and easier for guests to book while allowing them to remain virtually anonymous. 

[Paul154]

@Christopher187 

I use a carrot for them to post a face picture.

"For self check-in, please post a face pic. Thanks"

Most guests don't want to risk a clunky checkin by having to make timely arrangements with a stranger (the host) 

[Susan1730]

I feel strongly about this identity issue too. Hotels always require a drivers license or passport ID and car registration. Air bnb COULD very easily require guests to forward a photo copy an ID  prior to arrival. All parties of a group visit should also be identified! This could be done!

I had an uncomfortable guest situation where sex trafficking or substance manipulation between the male guest and his mystery partner was suspected and later confirmed. When guests bring another adult I request full names and addresses ...now.  Air bnb should have a "place" for this in the registration process.

I did register a complaint with ABnb.

This should not fall on our shoulders. Identity and accurate addresses need to be secured in advance!

[Helen3]

Hello @Christopher187 

the only way this can be happening is if you haven’t ticked the box on your listing to say you only accept guests who upload profile pics.

for added security I have it in my house rules that I only accept profile pics which have a clear photo of the guest.

problem solved. 

[Emilia42]

@Helen3, when you tick that box it only requires that a guest have a photo. The photo can be of a dog in a tophat but as long as a photo is upload the requirement is fulfilled.  @Christopher187 will then have to chase down the guest to provide an identifiable photo of the their face, which I agree can be annoying. 

[Alexandra316]

@Emilia42 I take it you've seen my profile photo, then :-D. It's three dogs in top hats, actually.

This really irks me. I know Airbnb has facial recognition in place, because when I originally set up my profile, it took days to get verified because it kept saying my selfie didn't match my ID and asking me to re-take, re-take, re-take. They have the capability to make sure that we're getting a photo of the actual guest: they just choose not to use it.

[Emilia42]

@Alexandra316 how funny, I actually haven't seen that photo... when did Airbnb take away the option to show more than one profile photo?? I remember signing up as a guest and going through that crazy ID process as well. I think I eventually had to shower and comb my hair for Airbnb to recognize my selfie with my licence photo. But after you complete the verification process you can instantly change your profile name and photo to say/show anything and I doubt Airbnb would even know. 

[Alexandra316]

@Emilia42 I didn't realize that was the case. I have 6 photos uploaded, but it seems you can only see the one now... odd.

I knew you could change your photo to anything, but I think that if the host has a requirement for a selfie set, the system should verify there is one and it matches the person's profile and ID. I really don't think hosts and guests should be able to freely change their name and pic once the account is set up.

[Helen3]

Hi @Emilia42 

That's why if you read my post through you will see that I also make it part of my house rules that the profile photo must be a clear photo of the guest.

I haven't had to chase anyone down. Guest have always submitted a clear photo of themselves.

[Taff0]

I agree with everybody, however my house my rules. I use the platform for bookings as well as bookings .com and my own web site. everybody benefits when we get a booking, abnb gets a cut we get a cut and the customer gets a place to stay......................

what annoys me as much as the photos is a lack of profile information. i am not a hotel i have a small apartment that i choose to let out to meet people. i like to know a little about people before i say yes. 

it is a worry to accept somebody who is too lazy to type in a few words? what else will they be too lazy to do, empty the bins/ clean up after themselves? better to decline the booking.