Yes, you are correct. However, I’m sure the amenity was available last time it was used. All things break eventually and not always when they are being used. A dishwasher I inherited in my property worked fine first time I used it to test it. I personally wash up by hand, so it wasn’t used again until the next guest informed me it wasn’t working. It had decided to die after I used it a single time. What are the chances of that? Just because an appliance worked last time it was used doesn’t mean it will work next time - even if you test every appliance after every guest. They should have at least given the host the chance of putting it right.
The point is that they should be checked before every guest. That’s what the walkthrough is for. Of course, it’s much harder to check that appliances such as a dishwasher is working properly as it may be doing something at the end of the cycle but the cleaners, host or co-host will have probably used the appliance during the prep so could have noticed.
It’s much easier with a TV though.
I realise that it’s possible that some hosts/co-hosts don’t do a thorough walkthrough but if new or potential hosts are reading this, the walkthrough is a good habit to get into to prevent poor reviews or star ratings.
For instance I once found a broken glass under the bed in one of the apartments. And I couldn’t blame it on a cleaner because I’d done the cleaning myself!
This is why I request a photo ID for insurance purposes. Guests send a pic of their drivers’ license or passport via Air messenger. BTW, I’ve had brunettes arrive and they’re blonde, bald men suddenly sporting extensions or very good hair pieces.
Honestly, a picture of me as the Mother of the Bride doesn’t show I’ve gained weight, grown my hair out, etc.
Good reviews, able to IB (shared host here who loves IB), and good communication (read HR, tells about any needs during stay), that’s all that matters. Oh, and a valid credit card. 
Exactly. Like a host in a business relationship.
I’ve hosted cats, sailboats, underwater shots of kelp forests… they’ve been fine. I ask for an up-to-date photo ID for insurance purposes.
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I’ve posted this multiple times but will post again…
I got an instant booking from Invisible Vengeance Returns. Their picture was a simple, hand drawn ink on lined notebook paper picture of a two headed rabbit. They told me they would be traveling with their two bunnies. I thought at first it must be some sort of test or joke but I just replied as I would to any guest except I used their initials, IVR instead of typing out their whole name.
A few days later I noted they had changed their user name to something conventional. They said they were on a trip from AL to CA and no doubt they found some hosts were not as amused as I was by their profile antics.
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Ask the guest all those questions! I’ve had a similar request from someone who had traveled with a spouse, friend or family member on their account, never used their own. They were wonderful guests. In fact I have an account too, have only traveled with my friend on her account, so I’ve no reviews and an account opened in 2013.
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I have had 3 or 4 guests who showed as having long-standing accounts, but no reviews.
All were great guests, including the 28 year old man who left his room and bathroom so immaculate my jaw dropped when I went in to check it out.
He even made the bed perfectly, although I hope he realized the next guest would get clean bedding 
I require that for IB. However at least 60% of my guests are new to Airbnb. If I required prior reviews, I’d have much less business. Yes newbies require more hand holding & work on my part but my rental isn’t appealing to partiers
New guests should be left to the pros to handle.
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Things do break…30 day guest. Day 6 dishwasher stopped working. Repair cost more than a new one. Dishwasher ordered, delivered, installed BUT was visibly damaged so removed, reordered, redelivered, reinstalled so now working. It was 3 days before their reservation ended.
Review-dishwasher broken. I don’t think it should’ve have taken a month for repair. My response was, “I agree. I wish it had not broken during your stay. I wish the first replacement installed was not damaged. I wish the reorder hadn’t taken 10 days to arrive.”
These guests had some kind of “break every thing” curse. During their stay a TV stopped working, a DVD player stopped working, dishwasher died & disposal started making a terrible noise (tiny shell had fallen in). I’m kinda glad they left
A good friend booked a beautiful rental in Charleston. She & her sister left it so clean & stripped the beds the owner refunded the majority of the cleaning fee! Good guest!
As we talk about bias, she was uncertain of the rental at first because some reviews called the neighborhood sketchy & guests stated they were uncomfortable. It was an older neighborhood with homes being renovated & mostly people of color living there. She loved it. Her comment: “We fit right in! It was great!”
Funny thing was, as you talk about bias, that guy was the only guest I was wary about. Not only were there no reviews to go on, his photo was of him and 2 other guys holding up glasses of booze, his profile write up said he liked a mix of partying and quiet times, and it said he was a student.
Turned out he hadn’t updated his profile since he created his account 3 years previous, which I advised him to do before future bookings, and I left him his first review, which was stellar.
Poor guy had his phone and debit card stolen on the beach his first day here. I felt terrible for him, but he wasn’t that fussed- said now his employees wouldn’t be able to reach him and bug him while he was on his 3 day holiday (he managed 10 Dominos pizza outlets and apparently they had been calling him a lot) and that debit card was for an account he had very little $ in, as a precaution.
What was cute is that I guess he had emailed his mom or sister to tell them about his phone theft in case they were concerned about why they couldn’t reach him, and his mom phoned me that night while he was out in town, concerned about him. She apologized, saying she knew he was a grown up, I told her I totally understood, having 3 grown daughters- you never stop worrying about them, and we had a nice chat.
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That. All of that. You won’t get that from any hotel.
But we’ve all seen the hosts who wouldn’t like that at all and would be here in a huff, complaining.
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Staying at a hotel and the TV isnt working I would call the front desk. So I disagree with your comment.
Ok, then: you are, indeed, guilty of conduct unbecoming. There’s no need to be rude or snippy when giving advice to a newcomer reaching out for help.
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I had the same question. Started hosting in Feb 2021. We’ve had a couple guest requests showing as AirBnb members for 3-4 years, but with no reviews. Both guests turned out fine. It could be that some guests don’t leave reviews, which is their prerogative. (Personally, I dislike getting review requests from stores and vendors). In the case of the STR community, the rating system gives both hosts & guests a level of security / comfort prior to booking. Perhaps there could be a “Super Guest” rating as well as a “Super Host” rating. In any case, it would be nice if AirBnB could update a person’s profile with how many AirBnB stays they have made, even if they don’t have any reviews showing. Also, on this thread, a photo makes no difference. Usually they are accurate, but some photos are of inanimate objects such as coffee cups! My rental includes coffee, so I guess I’m covered,
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I have to agree with @KKC on this. We get a few solo women travelers who’d probably prefer not show their faces clearly or be with someone else in the photo. Or POC who routinely face discrimination in this country. On this message board and Facebook groups, hosts have blatantly expressed their bigotry based on people name’s and skin color. I can only imagine what they would think if they saw a picture. We’ve hosted guests from at least a dozen different countries as far as Malaysia and South Sudan with completely “normal” names and faces, or from as close as Connecticut with completely exotic names and appearances.
I used to think pictures were more helpful, but it really does little to change my mind. My implicit biases are too unkind to be neutral when providing a accommodations. As a gay person, the reality of being denied housing is very real. I don’t want my biases to influence my hosting capabilities any more than they do already.
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I’ve had a few guests who have been members for several years but have had no reviews. I mention to them in a casual way the importance of reviews (ours and theirs) before they check out. Each time the person seemed to have had no clue and has promised to do one for us and we would do the same in return. That helps everyone.
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It happens. Last year, in one of our rental units, the microwave literally died the day after they moved in.
.
Honestly, we do not bother testing every appliance after check-out, except the fridge - which is really all about seeing if it needs cleaning (or stuff left behind).
Ok, since the topic of this post is about requests…
As a guest I hate RTB! It does seem that in some areas there are fewer listings with IB and although I could have filtered for it I did not. Yesterday I booked a weekend trip in LA for labor day, every place that looked good was RTB.
So I went along, crafted my message and 12 hours later it was confirmed. Not too bad.
Today I bought tickets to Maui for November, then went on to find a condo to stay in. Almost everything RTB. Now I find myself waiting to hear from the host to see if they will accept me. I cannot RTB other places until I hear back. So now my plans are in limbo, at the whim of some stranger who will now “vet” me.
Going forward I will be filtering for instant book.
RR
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Same, same, same. And on Airbnb I also filter for SH. I only go to RTB if there is nothing good available otherwise.