I mean, come on - Airbnb really expects us to accept bookings from a round gray circle with some all caps initial on it with only a first name and NO associated profile information? And/or, I am expected to do all the 'vetting' and 'guest education' from there?
More specifically, my question for Airbnb is this: Why are people who have NO profile photo, NO profile information, and NO last name on their profile allowed to book through the platform at all? Why such a low bar? And why would Airbnb expect any host to accept a guest under these conditions when even the most seedy sort of 'motel' won't?
Sorry, I really don't get it. Airbnb could easily require that travelers using their platform enter their FULL NAME (first / last) prior to their being able to send out any kind of inquiry or booking request. My time is valuable - So why does Airbnb expect me to spend 30 to 60 minutes (if not more) educating 'newbies' and/or guests who fail to complete their profile on how to meet basic guest / community requirements, such as sharing their last name? I've already been forced to give up any expectation of seeing a profile photo until after the booking is complete. But, come on - Not even a last name is required of users of the platform?
Real Life Example - This is what happened to me last night: I require ID, a profile pic, previous positive host reviews, etc, for a guest to be able to book my guest cottage (which adjoins my primary residence where I actually live full time). So, I got a booking tonight from someone who made an account this month. Only his first name is available (it seemed to be a male name, but who knows for sure?); no profile photo; 0 guest reviews, etc. But he did have a Government issued ID on file.
He obviously didn't read my listing because I specifically say in my House Rules that anyone who wants to book my place needs to message me to specifically say that they agree to my House Rules. I was forced to do a 'Decline' as he met NONE of my requirements and his initial booking request message was one sentence with no personal information.
During the decline, Airbnb invites us hosts to tell the guest why their reservation was not accepted. So I told the guest why I declined him and suggested he beef up his presentation on Airbnb so that he might be able to more easily book a place of his choosing, including via Instant Book.
So he writes me back a very nice, appreciative, and apologetic note. Based on this note, I was able to arrange to see a copy of his government-issued photo ID, and after a few exchanges I felt very comfortable accepting his (second) booking (turns out he lives just two hours from me and it will be an anniversary celebration stay).
This is the not the first time I have had to go through something like this (I've hosted 155 guests to date). But now, since these recent changes, it seems even more tedious, i.e., a guest clearly does not meet my requirements, but I must go through this long 'Decline' process in writing, checking various boxes and writing small narratives justifying why I do not want to host someone who did not meet ANY of my qualifications. And/or educating a traveler on how to use the platform so that they could provide me with what I require.
It is clear to me that new users of the platform do not at all 'get' that the platform is 'community-based'. This guy (who is actually quite nice, now that I am getting to know him) just assumed it was like booking a hotel. I had to educate him about how the platform worked, why we hosts like to see a full profile, etc - All the while being aware how EXTRAORDINARILY careful I needed to be so that I would not sound 'discriminatory' during my explanation. I found it all very tedious and time consuming. To put salt on the wound, all this extra work on my part was required of me on one of my precious days off. It caused me to wonder if I should put my Cottage 'back to sleep' on Airbnb again (I only recently re-listed it).
Still deciding...
