I just got a reservation request from someone overseas. Not only do they not have any reviews from other hosts, which is one of my requirements for booking, they don’t have any info in their profile. No e-mail address, no government photo ID, nothing. I’ve dealt with lots of people with sparse profiles, but I’ve never seen one with NO info. Has anyone else encountered this?
No. I’d just report it. You might want to call Airbnb on this one.
I constantly run into this with new users. Just their name and the city they are from. I send this message
"Thank you so much for your interest in staying at my place. I see you are a new user. Welcome! I just wanted to touch base with you so your first Airbnb experience goes smoothly.
Before I confirm your request, can you please tell me a little about yourselves and what brings you to XXXX. Because your profile is blank and you don’t have any reviews and there is not much info for me to get a sense of who you are.
If you haven’t already done so, please thoroughly read the listing and house rules, ask any questions you might have, and when you arrive you’ll know what to expect for an enjoyable stay. Afterward, Airbnb will ask us to review each other. Since we strive to get 5-star reviews we want to be sure my home is a good match for your needs, that you understand how Airbnb works and any concerns you might have are addressed. Thanks again!"
It works most of the time.
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@AvaH I send something like that as well, it’s just that I’ve never seen an empty profile. I usually ask them to update their profiles and add as much info as they can including government photo ID, e-mail etc.
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@GigiSuvari there is a possibility that they are still in the process of uploading all the required pictures, documents, etc. I seem to recall I ran into that once as well.
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Hi @GigiSuvari
I’d say about 70% of my bookings come from those who are new to using Airbnb, so that doesn’t put me off.
If I get this I ask them about purpose of their stay, why they chose my place and who is accompanying them.
I also remind them I only take bookings from those with photo ID and who upload a clear photo of themselves.
Then if they don’t reply I just let the request expired.
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@Helsi That’s exactly what I do. It’s just that, in this instance, their profile was completely empty. First time seeing that.
According to the Airbnb website, any guest that doesn’t meet your booking requirements can still send a reservation request. What I’ve never been able to nail down is if you approve it, do they have to complete their profile/verifications before they can actually book -OR- are you basically approving the guest to bypass your requirements.
I just tell the guests to complete their profile/verifications and I will approve, otherwise, I will decline.
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I hate it when guests put nothing in their profile!
And they don’t tell you anything about themselves!
When I see someone who is new just set up their account I usually expect trouble!
Hi @Brian_R170
No the guest doesn’t have to complete their profile/verifications to make a booking with you, unless you have them as a booking requirement - for example I only accept guests with photo ID on their profile and verified photo ID.
@Brian_R170 I’ve seen profiles that didn’t have all of my stated requirements, but this is the first time I’ve seen a completely blank profile. Not even an e-mail address. I asked her to complete her profile, including photo gov’t ID, and never heard back from her.
@Helsi I have gov’t photo ID, reviews from other hosts listed as requirements but still receive reservation requests from people who don’t have either.
@lililou1 I ask them to complete their profiles. If they push back, which some do (one guy accused me of being “invasive” because I wanted “too much info for a stupid booking”), I decline their reservation.
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There is a ten year gap between the guest registering on Air, and making this booking. In addition to having little to no information, this would be a concern for me.
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Yeah, I agree.
If their profile is years old I always ask if they’ve stayed at an Airbnb before. Sometimes they have and the host didn’t review. Other times you get the sense they’ve stayed plenty, but hosts abdicated the responsibility of leaving an accurate/damning review.
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Yes they can still request but they can’t use IB. Did the guest ever come back with additional information @GigiSuvari
As others have mentioned, new users are constantly arriving on Airbnb, so it could be that this particular guest hasn’t quite got to grips with setting up a comprehensive profile yet.
Check in with them, welcome them to the platform and ask if they can fill in the gaps in terms of their planned visit. If the policy is to only accept booking from those with photo ID then reiterate this and ask they comply prior to moving forward with the booking.
Screening guests is always a useful in the quest to find out who you are letting into your property!
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Yeah, that is what I said in both my answers on this thread. 
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You should start a company that provides generic hosting tips. 
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