Lack of Guest Profile Information

[Julie4]

I’m concerned about how easy it is for guests to set up a ‘non-profile’ and make a booking request and how it seems increasingly more difficult to feel safe when letting a room in your home through Airbnb. When I started 6 years ago, I enjoyed it. I was able to see a profile picture, name, age, gender, location and a profile description. This helped to give a sense of who I was inviting into my home to share my living space. I am female and single. Now the majority of profiles are just blank with a name & some don’t even make the effort to use their real name. Little effort is made atall. Recently I have had Cj and Rug. I am expected to make a decision purely based on this information and nothing else. I feel pressured by Airbnb to accept these requests because they penalise you if you don’t! I have asked for help from them, I was told ‘if you don’t feel safe you can install a camera in your home’ my reply was ‘ you should not put me under the kind of pressure to make me feel so unsafe I need a camera in my home.’ Airbnb are losing more and more bookings from me because of this. I feel they are more geared up now for hotel / whole property type bookings now which is so far removed from its original intentions ie sharing a home with the host. Is anyone else experiencing the same? 

[Julie4]

Thank you everyone for all your support and advice. A lot of these things I do already but it’s good to know I aren’t on my own in trying to filter through the minefield of booking requests and feeling safe in the process. Most of my experiences are positive that’s because I have a strong filter. I don’t feel Airbnb makes this easy though. Some of your suggestions seem only available on Instant Book which I aren’t able to do, they should be available for ordinary bookings too but it seems to be all about bookings over safety for Airbnb. I’ve had some unhelpful and frustrating advice from them, much better from you all. 

[Michael4858]

I am totally aligned with you as I want guests who i know will be compatible. Our place is bespoke and we want guests who will respect this and will come to ours because of the unique nature of the house. How do we insist the guests provide more information, some of them dont even provide a photograph. 

[Julie4]

I don’t accept a booking now unless I feel comfortable. I base this on the information potential guests provide me and previous reviews. (Please explain the nature of your visit and any other useful information when you make your booking enquiry. Consider what you would like to know about someone coming to stay in your home). I also ask for a clear profile photo. Airbnb will allow you to cancel without penalty if the guest doesn’t provide this. I still think the booking system favours the guest, not the host.

[David8720]

Hi, new host here. Listed yesterday, and have a reservation for tomorrow from a guest with positive reviews! However  I also have a question about booking from someone with zero reviews who joined in 2015.  Not too sure here,  I would like more information about this person...any thoughts here ?  Also, is instant book really a good idea ?

[Anna636]

@Airbnb I too as a long time host recently have troubles with complete lack of information in guests' profiles. A lot of them just give a name: "Hello, I am xyz". I am not comfortable not knowing who is the person who will be renting my apartment. Why is Airbnb allowing this? I understood the lack of picture, so we do not discriminate. What  I do not understand is allowing guests to remain completely anonymous and for hosts to take on all the risk. To remedy that I added to House Rules a question to potential guests - "please let me know a little about yourself and your reason for this visit". Unfortunately, most potential guests ignore my question. This should be addressed.

[Helen3]

Guests don't always look at the house rules carefully @Anna636  much better to include in your IB questions if you use IB or if not ask the guest when they send a request for a booking.  That's what I do and most guests do respond, if not I ask them to answer my questions.

[Anna636]

@Helen3   I had to stop Instant Booking. Although technically you are allowed to decline within 24 hours when guests book instantly, in practice airbnb only lets you do it a couple times. After that you need to go through the customer service, which is a big hussle..

 @Airbnb another problem with Instant booking relates to deciding who can book instantly. You cannot ask for a profile, so many times someone with one review and no profile will want to book instantly. I had to turn it off. I feel airbnb does not really care for hosts safety and comfort, they just want as many booking as possible. It did not used to be this way. Sad.

[Helen744]

@julie4you can put in your requirements that you need a clear profile picture ,no avatars,sunglasses or obscured faces and if you are still doubtful ask the guest for id and a 'selfie ' . that way the current pic can be compared to the happy snap . communicate and over communicate with your guest . all of my reviews show peoples faces , every one. Some hosts just have blanks . your choice , but most people have little to hide. Tell people it is your home ,in other words you own it ,if you do  and that for your safety and theirs you will need to know who is staying. Also tell them that Airbnb do not share Ids with you . this way you should end up being fairly sure who is arriving. also check that people have read and agreed to your rules . double check the number of people booked and if it seems to few or too many suggest they might be more comfortable somewhere else. Its up to you to make yourself safe . the tools are there . Learn the dashboard. Use the messaging tool and use the guests phone number when you need to ,but duplicate your messaging H

[Geoff503]

Totally agree it's getting dodgy in my humble opinion. I'm not comfortable with it at all!

[Lenka108]

I definitely agree and share the same opinion as most of you. If the host can see literally into your bed or wardrobe, I just do not understand why seeing guest's full profile is not allowed. It is not fair and in fact, it is discriminating. We have been sharing our place for almost one month, but I consider stopping using Airbnb as it brings me more stress than benefit or earnings. Sorry to say that 😞

[Lenka108]

Own correction 😁: If the guest can see literally into your bed or wardrobe, I just do not understand why seeing guest's full profile is not allowed to hosts.

[Hélène266]

@Lenka108 I totally agree with this statement - guests should be near or as transparent as hosts are. Another thing is you cannot book a hotel today unless you provide full address and when arriving at a hotel we almost always have to provide an ID or passport if travelling abroad.

[Marisa182]

@Julie4 

I was going to start a new conversation about the lack of information on guest's profile, but I see that other hosts have similar concerns.  I am noticing more and more when I check the profile of a guest trying to book, that all there is is the " Their profile has not been updated yet". I have no idea where some of my guests are from, and why they want to stay at my place. That makes me a little bit uncomfortable. Most guests do update their profiles and do let me know why they are coming. I am wondering if it would be okay to say to a guest to please update your profile  because that is important information for the host.

I feel that Aibnb should insist that guests provide basic information on their profile page or they take a chance on hosts not accepting their booking.

[Julie4]

I explain in my listing profile and I reaffirm when I reply to enquiries if not  provided as many don’t actually bother reading the listing:

As I live here please explain the nature of your visit and any other useful information when making your enquiry. Consider what you would like to know about someone coming to stay in your home.

I am only able to accept guests with a fully completed profile, good reviews and a clear accurate photograph so I recognise you when you arrive.

if a guest doesn’t comply they aren’t welcome in my home.   It’s fair. I never accept a guest with no or poor reviews. My safety and comfort is my priority not the money. I do feel discriminated against by Airbnb in that it is expected of hosts to have profile information and a photo but not guests. 

[Hélène266]

Hello @Julie4 , I just posted a question (link below) about whether I should add a note in my listing for new Airbnb guests OR guests with no profile info, prior trips or reviews. I recently removed instant book - and I too live in my house and move to our downstairs studio with private entrance when guests are upstairs.

Earlier this week I received a request from a guest coming for a girls trip but giving me no information about herself or other guests; no past trips or reviews and no information in their profile. As this was a first for me - I respectfully declined for those reasons and the guest replied asking me to put a note in my listing to indicate that requests from new members with no reviews would not be considered - adding that because of this she had wasted her time and they had no more options in my area for their dates - which actually was false.  I politely replied, thanking her for her feedback but also recommended she adds information about herself in her profile to help hosts accept with confidence. In retrospect I could have asked her for more information before I declined.

After considering responses received from another host to my question - I decided to remain opened and before declining future requests from new guests with no trips-reviews, I would ask them to provide more information.

Last night I received another request from a new guest (2023) for a popular long week-end in my area, no trips, no reviews, identify verified with ID and phone, no email, no profile info. Request was as follows for 4 people: 'Coming to your city for the week end :)'

I honestly sensed it was a red flag - but still replied asking for more information about the guest, purpose of trip and other guests.  An hour later he retracted the request - no response or explanation. I was right about this request - possibly red flag and at least I did not have to decline. However I noticed that when I search for properties in my area - my listing no longer appears  first - but often on the 2nd or 3rd pages (5 stars only so far, guest favourite and superhost).  

I hope that my next request is from a guest that has good reviews - but will continue to vet newbies - hoping if they are trouble about to happen, that they will retract their request before I decline.

Here's link to my question to other host with a few responses FYI
https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Support-with-your-bookings/Should-hosts-mention-that-they-will-d...