Airbnb rolls out mandatory guest verification: How it works – Times of India

Online hospitality major Airbnb has announced a number of new safety and product upgrades as the home-sharing giant looks to attract even more hosts to the platform and sign up more guests. The company announced that all guests will be required to verify their identity for a successful booking. It also plans to crack down on parties booked through its service.
According to the company, the new policies that went into force on November 16 aim to enhance hosting experiences and increase platform bookings. Tara Bunch, head of global operations of Airbnb, told The Verge that about 80 percent of the company’s guests and hosts were already verified before this expansion.
Mandatory guest verification rolls out globally
Airbnb will now require all users to verify their identity if they are booking in any of the platform’s top 35 countries and regions. “Our aim is for everyone to feel confident that guests and Hosts on Airbnb are who they say they are. That’s why when you book a stay or Experience – or when you become a Host – we may need to verify your personal information, such as your legal name, address, phone number and other contact details. We may also ask for a photo of your Government ID and/or a selfie,” says the company on its website.

Cracking down on party bookings
The company also announced the expansion of its anti-party screening technology across the US and Canada which mostly targets younger guests who try to book nearby stays close to their homes. When an earlier version of this programme was tested in Australia, the company had claimed that the number of reported unauthorised parties decreased by 35 percent. Early in 2023, anti-party screening and required visitor authentication will both be implemented globally.
Most of these new features are included under an expansion of AirCover, Airbnb’s free damage protection program for hosts. The company is also increasing its limit for damage claims from $1 million to $3 million.