Poll solicited by @KKC.
If Airbnb goes to a NO photo system (which I think they are going to do, hotel style) will you stop hosting?
- Yes
- Depends (-> Please explain below)
- No
0 voters
Thanks Guthend for doing this.
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I prefer to see a photo, for security reasons and because I feel more at ease when I know who will show up at my doorstep. But no photo would not deter me from hosting. Hotels also never know who will show up.
@KKC Youāre welcome!
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Iām an old school bed and breakfast landlady and in the āolden daysā all we had was a letter or phone call from the guest booking their accommodation. All we had was the name of the person booking - and nothing to say that that wasnāt fake. (In those days, it was de rigeur for unmarried couples to stay as Mrs & Mrs Smith 
)
We didnāt have reviews from other hosts to check and we certainly didnāt have photographs of the imminent guests.
So Iāve had loads of guests with inaccurate or no photographs and so it makes no difference to me at all.
P.S. I know that thereās the argument that people want to know who is coming into their home but the bed and breakfast business was in my own home.
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If Iām hosting out of my own home, I would require a photo. If Iām hosting remotely, I may be ok with not knowing who is coming. But maybe not. I get that hotels operate with anonymity, but Iām not a hotel. Iām a human opening my personal home and properties to strangers, and I want more protection than a hotel.
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I thought they had already done this, 40% of inquiryās /bookings this year have no photo
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There is a corollary hereā¦ if profiles donāt have pictures, hosts wonāt have them either. Is that another poll?
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Poll solicited by @anon67190644.
If Airbnb goes to a NO photo system for hosts will you stop hosting?
- Yes
- Depends (Please specify below)
- No
0 voters
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The real poll would be for guestsā¦ if there is no photo of the host, will you feel comfortable renting a space on AirBNB? But this isnāt the right forum for that question.
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Our photo does hint a tiny bit about us being gay, so it keeps away the homophobes. Without a photo it would be different. I also hate everything being depersonalized.
You are right. But I think there would also be disadvantages for the hosts.
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If truth be told, Iāve never had a facial photo on my listing because I am an off-site host so it matters not to a guest. Iād have to take a plane to greet them or bid them farewell.
On the other hand, I am always interested in seeing what my guests look like. Itās the voyeur-gene in me. ā¦ 
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Hotels take your ID and a credit card when you check in. Doesnāt the person that checks in have to match the name on the reservation? Thatās what itās about for me, I just want to know, if thereās a problem, that the person that checked in is really the person that booked and had his/her credit card on file with Airbnb.
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I do not do it yet but taking ID on check in strikes me as being a very good idea.
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I just started hosting, so it could be my ānewbie anxietyā but I like to know who is coming in. I also am in the home with the guest, so that adds to my desire to know who is coming. Would airbnb replace the photo with a required govt ID verification, or something like that?
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Iāve also thought about doing this, although self check-in makes that a bit difficult.
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I would still host guests recommended by other hosts, but no-one else, as I donāt think it would be safe for someone like me. Itās an important extra safety measure to be able to recognize guests when they arrive.
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Hotels have security staff. That said, no one uploads a photo on HomeAway or VRBO. Ever. But that was what made Airbnb about community, but please ā¦ that is looooooong gone.
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Half the time itās just duck faces, taken several years ago, or looks nothing like the guest in real life.
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Isnāt a photo one of the few remaining ways you can verify that the guest arriving at your apartment is the Jane Doe with 5 stars and recommendations from other hosts who booked your place and not the John Serialkiller using her likeness to win your trust and get you to let him inside?
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Maybe I am unusual (I always ask people to upload a clear photo of themselves if the one in their profile is unclear), but the people in the profile photos always look very much like the person who arrives on my doorstep.
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