@Richard1830 I have never used IB because I always want to have some direct communication with prospective guests before they book. I need to make sure that they have read the description, and that they are going to be OK with being in a "transitional" neighborhood.
In the early years, the inquiry process was designed to be conversational and leisurely, allowing guests and hosts to get to know each other a bit before deciding if the booking would be a mutually good fit. Then Airbnb inserted the ticking time bomb ACCEPT or REJECT countdown into that relationship process, pressuring commitments based on a strict time limit, with penalties for non compliance. After that came the Instant Booking "feature," which discouraged any relationship building, and turns the booking into nothing more that a transaction. Not the way I want to run my business.
For years, it was possible for hosts to specify what verification elements they required for a booking. eg I require that guests have a government issued photo ID on file with Airbnb, and until recently, Airbnb listed the specific elements of the guest's verification on their profile page. Without warning, Host verification requirements were removed from our listings. Recently, those specifics were removed from guest profiles, as part of a "new" verification process, which there is apparently no way to opt out of. We are supposed to trust that whatever background check company that Airbnb is contracting with is good enough. It is not!
Since I can no longer see what is in the verification, I'm now put in the position of having to ask prospective guests about ID, though whatever they say, I can't see if they're telling the truth or not. All this takes time, with the ACCEPT/REJECT clock clicking away. I know of 2 relatively new local hosts, who presumed this cursory "verification" was thorough, and were burned by bad guests with common names who can't be traced. Frustrating as this is on a personal level, when these stories get into the press, they provide ammo for the hotel industry, which would love to regulate us out of existence. By making it harder for hosts to vet their guests, Airbnb is ruining what was best about the business model in the first place.
Guess you can tell that I'm REALLY frustrated with the direction the company has been going, particulary with IB and the changes to the verification process. I've complained and complained, and recently decided to just block my property for the next 3 months and see if these are issues that new Dir. #CatherinePowell will address...