@Mark116
Yes, I believe you are right. Airbnb wants the booking process to be as swift and simple as possible to get as many bookings as possible and therefore as much commission as possible. Who cares if it causes problems for the hosts down the line?
However, it's not great for guests. It would not be an unreasonable assumption for a guest to wonder why, if this information was as important as the host claims it to be, they were not just asked for it upfront. Or, maybe they stayed in other listings where the host didn't ask. Then they are left with the impression that this latest host is just being annoying and doesn't trust them.
I hate having to nag guests for information, but I've found it often be necessary. Because it's been such a challenge in the past, I've turned off IB and now will not even accept a booking until I get that information. If that means my acceptance rate suffers (and therefore maybe also my position in search results), then so be it. I don't want to take unnecessary risks just because Airbnb pressurises hosts to accept bookings regardless of what information is provided.