I was wondering what most people do. It is very difficult when the guest profile is in Kanji characters (Mandarin or Japanese). l would personally prefer to know their name. Years ago I had to deal with my condo when it caught on fire (arson) and the fire dept. wanted to know who was inside. Also, I now live in Sonoma county and during the wildfires, I heard very sad stories of neighbors not knowing the names of the people inside their neighbors’ homes. So sad.
Many of those hosts, who are short-term renting out whole homes, are now considered hotels (at least under Seattle law) and as such requires that we request the guests to provide their identity (full name) at check in;
6.98.020 - Registration of guests.
Everyone operating, managing or keeping a hotel as defined in Section 6.98.010 shall require registration of each guest at the time of his or her arrival on a register kept for that purpose and shall require identification of any adult guest whose room has been paid for in cash, including money order, traveler check or personal checks, or by voucher at the time of registration. Such identification shall be in a valid and current form issued by a governmental entity. A photocopy of such identification shall be maintained by the hotel or the identifying information and form of identification shall be transposed into the hotel registration record. Such record shall be kept available for inspection by any peace officer at any reasonable time, or in a police emergency at any time of day or night. Provided, that before such inspection the peace officer must have individualized or particularized suspicion of illegal activity by the guest or in or nearby the room. No guest shall write or cause to be written in a hotel register any false information or name other than his or her true name. For any guest taking occupancy through a prearranged advanced reservation in his or her name, name of a corporation, business, association or any other entity, the hotel shall require identification of the specific guest at the time of registration. PROVIDED that said hotel need not photocopy or record the identification of a person whose personal or business credit card (containing a name and expiration date) has been verified as valid in advance of the registration.
Airbnb states;
Types of ID
Depending on your location and what country you’re from, you may be able to add one of the following types of government ID:
Driver’s license
Passport
Visa
National identity card
It needs to be an official government-issued ID—not an ID for a school, library, gym, etc.—that also includes a photo of you.
If you add a driver’s license, you’ll be asked for two photos: one of the front and one of the back.
If you add a passport, make sure the photo includes the numbers located at the bottom of the page with your picture.
What gets shared with your host
If you’re asked for a government ID, the following may be shared with your host:
The first name on your ID
Whether you’re over or under 25 years old
Whether your ID has been successfully added
Your profile photo and profile name
The following will never be shared with your host or anyone else who uses Airbnb:
The photo of your ID
The photo you take of yourself (if you’re asked to do that)