The "new normal" frustrating booking process

[Matteo340]

Taking this situation as an example because it just happened but it could be anybody. A girl from Korea requests to book my room. She has a name on her profile which doesn't tell me much, the rest is completely blank, no description, no picture (we are not allowed to see them, remember?), no reviews. She asks to book my place for her and her friend. Airbnb doesn't seem to care less, they only need the place booked quickly, but it's my home and I need to know who this person is. I can't see her face, that would be very helpful despite of what they might think, so I ask her to please provide some basic information about her and her friend, just to introduce herself. This delays the whole process. The potential guest see herself being required to provide some extra information in order to be accepted, might even be frustrating and time consuming. Me, on the other hand, I need to get some extra information in order to understand who this person is and this is too using too much of my time. She's in Korea, I'm in NYC. I text her back more likely when she gets to bed and she text me back when I'm going to bed. I wake up, I see her message, she didn't provide any information about her whatsoever but she told me she used Airbnb before and she also has a picture and reviews, which I don't see. The reservation in the meantime expires. My dates get blocked. She tries to book again again but they're blocked. I then unblock them for her but being Friday night she's probably out not checking her Airbnb messages and rightly so. This goes to the third day. At that point I get a dumb email from Airbnb suggesting to watch a video so I learn how to respond quicker avoiding any possible potential guests frustrations. Is there anybody's else "frustrations" that matter here? Not really.

Now, I'm wondering, how could this possibly became so idiotic? And in the name of what, exactly? In the age of transparency, safety, and some sort of liberated "freedom" thanks to the internet, this bunch of Silicon Valley anti-social nerds decide to "improve" their platform by removing people's ability to freely communicate to each other, see each other faces, talk to each other in a transparent, clean, and polite way. Like normal people, a concept they clearly don't even have the vaguest idea of what it means. No, instead they only see potential discrimination in any given communication and exchange, a crime that urgently needs to be repressed, therefore the decision that we are all not good enough to have such a privilege as being able to see our potential guests in the face. The same guests that, by the way, are not even required to upload an image of themselves or fill up a description on their profile if they don't want to do so. The same complete strangers that are requesting to spend a few nights in our apartments. Instead of closing the gap between perfect strangers it's now completely acceptable to expand that gap. And, by the way, why not trying Instant Booking and get it done with it? Wouldn't that be so wonderful.

So, at this point I'm wondering if it is possible for Airbnb to make this process even more complicated, less transparent, and frustrating? We can probably open a discussion and see what other stupid measures they can or should come up with to frustrate people even further. I would really encourage them to do so, just to clearly see how far they can go to make the supposed "Airbnb community" a better place for themselves only.

[Kari6]

@Gera0ld403  

I have been a host since 2016 and for the most part have had incredible guests.  As they are in my home at the same time I am, and I am a single, older woman, I make sure I ask lots of questions even after the instant booking.  Airbnb is weak on how they protect hosts from sketchy guests, but I have never been penalized for not taking a reservation from someone who has no reviews, no profile information and no photo (or one that is scenery or avatar).  My guests must answer questions (listed in my listing requirements) "what brings you to (my city)?  Are you traveling alone? What is the full name of each guest?"  I ask them to confirm that they have read and accept the house rules and have clearly understood my house manual.   I also state clearly that I require personal information on all my guests as I like to know a bit about people with whom I am sharing my home. If they have no reviews, but it says they have been a member since years before, I ask them shy they have no reviews.  Frankly, I don't care if it insults potential guests (which, if done correctly in the spirit of curiosity and warmth), it is my home and my safety after all.  Out of the approximately 200 guest stays I have hosted, only 4-5 have been poor to horrendous experiences.  In the really bad one, Airbnb had my back once they viewed the pictures of the disaster left behind.  The others were all, without exception, when I was not here to 'babysit' and keep an eye on my place.  There's something about shaking a guest's hand and saying welcome to my home, that gets their understanding of it not being a motel or a quick hook up location.  I also inquire as to age.  In the past, hosts could choose to decline guests under 25, but that seems to have gone by the wayside as well.

SO in summary,  you must be clear in your listing, clear when they check in about what parts of your home they can access and to what degree, and sadly, I have had to put notes on the walls in the rooms and bathrooms about excessive heating, damages or out of ordinary cleaning, lights off when not in the room, and being considerate of other guests and the host as there are shared spaces.  I also let them know they are welcome to use the microwave, coffee bar, tea pot, and mini fridge, but if they want to cook something, there is an extra fee of $15 per day if they clean up, wash, dry and put away, or $25 if they leave a mess.  Also clearly posted in my listing.  I also ask them at the end of their stay if there was anything they would suggest to make it better.  The location  rating is a really, poorly thought out rating choice, as the guest is the one who decided to book the place where they are.  I've gotten 4 stars in that category several times, but I just let it roll off.  Hopefully Airbnb is one day going to see the folly of their location rating.  I also believe when a guest is complimentary to your face and says they will book with you again, and then leaves a 4 star rating for anything, they will not be my guest again.  Once bitten....

I will say, that if it weren't for my Airbnb, I literally would not be alive.  As one of my guests, a registered nurse, noted my poor coloring and shortness of breath upon her arrival and gave me no choice about going to the hospital.  Indeed my heart stopped and was restarted twice. So, I am quite thankful for my Airbnb angels.  Do I occasionally  miss my alone time and privacy?  Sure, but then I just block off some days and catch up.  Without Airbnb, I might not pay my mortgage so easily and there are other advantages.  The only think you can do is try it.  If you don't like it,  just deactivate your listing, and find someone who wants to live small, or list it on some other venue.  Hope this helps!  I am seldom sorry that I chose to become a host.  And the relationships formed are priceless.  

[Rebecca181]

First and Last Name Required To Book Here...

[Sigrid30]

Couldn't agree more to every concern raised by hosts here.  when will AirBnB listen to the people who are their cash cow base ??  I read the lame answers on this topic in Q&A Sessions.  First of all, travellers can  still always see the hosts profile pic when browsing, so why the one-sided logic?  I don’t buy the ‘anti-discrimination’ reasoning. In fact, AirBnB discriminate against their host base assuming hosts might reject someone on one of the standard-quoted discrimination reasons. Everybody is a minority these days and good luck to all of them. Live & let live, I say - true hosting, i.e. with a personal touch, is all about meeting diverse people, after all ! If a guest has an issue with having their (and not the dog or the kids !)  photo visible to a host before being accepted for a booking, then I would question the guest’s motive for that, in fact. 

So again, they make it more difficult for hosts to decline without penalty, particularly if don’t have instant booking switched on (for VERY good reasons )

Quite frankly, hosts who invite people to their HOMES should have 100% discretion on who they accept - or not-  without having to give any justification.   Enough nanny-state elsewhere in our lives...

[Simon209]

AirBnB is a money making machine.  It would seem that they only care about Host's concerns when those concerns align with their own.

How could they make booking more complicated, less transparent, and more frustrating...?

I don't believe they can.