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.

[Sarah977]

@Ramona2  Yes, I'm, well aware we can see guest photos AFTER their booking is confirmed. I'm not a new host. There are hundreds of posts on here which detail why hosts are irate at this, so I won't re-iterate all of that, but it's not in the spirit of openness and doesn't jive with home hosting. It's just Airbnb micromanaging our hosting.

I don't discriminate against anyone, and yes, I've had lovely guests, thank you. Being able to see a guest''s profile photo accompanying the booking request, just as they can see ours,  does not preclude getting to know each other through messaging. I don't need Airbnb to hide the guest photo so that I'll be encouraged to communicate with my guests.

[Ramona2]

Thank you for your reply, and thank you are the best, but not all the host and guest communicated. 

I saw you are not a new host, I just want to say that this is not an unresolved problem, and Airbnb makes decisions as a result of what's going on.
 I wish you a great summer, @Sarah977 

[Rebecca181]

@Matteo340 So I just went through something similar. 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). 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 *first* time I have ever had to go through something like this after 155 guest stays. Meaning, a guest clearly does not meet my requirements, but I must go through this long 'Decline' process, justifying why I do not want to host someone who did not meet ANY of my qualifications.

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. 

My question 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?

[Kelly149]

If I were a seedy motel I would:

-secure payment before guest walks in the door

- have a guest ccard with the ability to charge for damage

-be able to block access for a guest who is behaving badly

-have a real cancellation policy

-not be subject to retaliation reviews from guest who've never even stayed in my place

with ABB I have none of these protections so the only thing left is to be hyper-vigilant about who comes, so yes, when a guest can't be bothered to read the listing/rules - Decline or when they act like we're just a different kind of hotel - Decline or they have a non-existant profile - Decline or when they wait houuuuuuuurs to respond to our messages when we get exactly and only 23 hours and 59 minutes to decide if we'll take them - Decline.

ABB could solve all these problems, but they have not and I agree with @Sarah977 , this isn't just an accident. ABB makes it this way in order to drive out those with standards and to push the entire platform to blindly take any and all comers, host concerns be darned. The last guest I declined probably would have been a good guest, but ABB has given him no tools and no basis to realize that he needed to behave differently and they've given me no autonomy to create a better situation either and it's my home and I know that ABB doesn't back me up so guess what - Decline.

[Edie9]

I agree with everything you say....however....each time you decline, you are penalized by Airbnb. When contacting Airbnb support to change the penalties, there is no support! They don't have the power to alter anything!

[Mark116]

@Matteo340   I have absolute confidence that airbnb can and will find new ways to make hosting more difficult and less safe for everyone.  

As an aside, our most recent decline went like this:  we get a totally bizarre message about a 'burfday' celebration with the guy's ex girlfriend, where he says he hopes to get lucky and that his ex might get loud, but they are totally clean and respectful.  [yeah I bet, dude].   Of course we have no photo, the guy has zero info in his profile, which was created this month, and no reviews.  

We sent a message that we feel our place is not the right location for this anniversary celebration.  In the meantime, we reported the post. 

We then get back a more normal sounding apologetic message, he was just joking, but he also then claims his business/profession is in a different state than his profile says he lives in.  We again say thanks but no thanks, ask him to cancel his request w/no penalty, but we feel guilty and remove the report. 

Of course the freak doesn't cancel so we have to decline.  

Airbnb is a laugh a minute.  But I would hate to imagine what kind of nutso goings on would have happened if we had gone ahead and accepted such an insane sounding person to our house.

[Kira32]

A Furby and Tyrion Lannister from the "Game of Thrones" once booked at my place. 

I was a bit disappointed when Tyrion turned out to be a very polite English guy and Furby was a gracious French guy. 

I just really wanted to welcome Tyrion to my Canarian Castle and gossip about his evil sister. I wasn't sure if Furby could talk but at least we could follow each other on Furbygram? 

Now I learned from this experience..... a picture just doesn't cover it all. 

Kira♡

[Jaja-and-Chante0]

Four year ago when I started hosting, I tried to share my link with friends to see my listing. They could never find it. Because they had no reviews and my settings were set to " no one can see the listing without having reviews". Fast forward to now, ANYONE an see and try to book, despite my filters I have " NO BAD REVIEWS, NO ID, and reviews from other hosts. I kept declining the zero review guests thinking that my settings should be HONORED before I even have to decline them. I now have taken off instant book since AIrbnb is not honoring their own settings that they the offer us. If this is not resolved we will reconsider deactivating our listing, as the back and forth time with unqualified guests, is too much work in itself.

[Fiona58]

I totally agree with this.  I am often in the house on my own with the guests and I often have literally no idea who has booked.  The instant booking ought to be limited to guests with full details, a proper profile picture and good reviews.

It's increasingly worrying that Airbnb are more interested in guests than in hosts.

[Maria2288]

I don't believe in instant booking, because the last time they did it for me, the guest, wrecked my place, did booked for one person, instead he brought 4 people to party and left my house, like a total dumb, garbage everywhere!..I ended steam cleaning all the furniture and paying a high fee for cleaning it up..

[Maria2288]

I dont either, normaly I need two days to clean my place

[Kenneth12]

So much verbiage in response.

Either just @*$*$* decline the request or send a high dollar Special Offer before the timer expires.  Don't waste 80% of your time on customers who are going to provide 5% of your revenue-- obviously this girl didn't have her act together,  etc.

The system is annoying and I understand the frustration,   but just deal with it,  learn,  find how to respond better in the future,  and move on.

[Gerald127]

Oh boy! My wife and I have been considering listing our cottage, in our backyard, with ABB and I just read all these posts.....wow! Not so sure now. So many questions and concerns! For all the hosts that have expressed their distaste for how things are being run, is it worth the hassle to be a host? In other words, can you tell me some good stuff? 

[Sarah977]

@Gerald127  Good stuff- I've had lovely guests. I have zero problem with hosting or my guests-I enjoy it.  It's the company itself that is becoming impossible to deal with. So I just try to handle everything myself and not rely on Airbnb for much of anything apart from listing my place.

[Mark116]

@Gerald127 It's a good income stream and you sometimes meet nice and interesting people.