Airbnb is Hiding Guest Phone Numbers: The Airbnb Walled Garden

Airbnb's Walled Garden: Why Losing Guest Contact is a Wake-Up Call for Hosts (and How OwnerWebs Helps You Break Free)

For years, the promise of platforms like Airbnb was simple: easy access to a global audience of travelers. Many hosts started there, found success, and built their businesses. But as these platforms have grown, so too has their control over the host-guest relationship, often at the expense of the very people who power their ecosystem.

OwnerWebs.com is closely watching this trend. In fact, we were just about to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!) on an article detailing the increasing restrictions on host-guest communication and what it means for the future of vacation rental businesses.

However, a recent article on Medium by Justyna Golawska titled "Airbnb is cutting off host-guest contact. Here’s why you should care and what to do next" hit the nail so squarely on the head, with such clarity and insight, that we decided to cite and incorporate Justyna's piece into our own message. Along with this post, Justyna's piece is a must-read for every vacation rental owner, and we wholeheartedly recommend you dive into it here:

Read Justyna Golawska's Article on Medium

The Core Problem: A Disappearing Direct Relationship

Justyna's article articulates precisely what we've been observing and warning our hosts about: the deliberate erosion of direct host-guest contact on Airbnb. From masked email addresses to discouraged off-platform communication, the platform is creating a "walled garden" where they control every interaction and every piece of guest data. Airbnb is making themselves the gatekeeper of whether a host can be successful, and that is NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HOSTS trying to run a succesful vacation rental business.

Why should you care?

• Loss of Repeat Business: Without direct contact information (like an email address or phone number), how do you encourage guests to book with you again directly for their next trip? You can't nurture that relationship, and that is exaclty what Aibnb wants.
• No Direct Marketing: Building an email list is gold for any business. It allows you to offer special deals, announce new properties, and stay top-of-mind. When Airbnb obscures guest contact details, they're stifling your ability to market your business effectively.
• Reduced Control: Your guest list is one of your most valuable assets. When a platform controls access to it, they control a significant portion of your business's future. You become entirely dependent on their policies and algorithms. If you fall out of the favor of Airbnb's algorithms it can be business-ending. I hope that fires you up enough to put your foot down. Airbnb's hiding guest contact information is unacceptable and shall not be tolerated.
• Limited Personalization: A truly memorable guest experience often starts with personalized communication. Restrictions make it harder to build that rapport before arrival. Don't message the guest from Airbnb's stupid app or through their messaging system. To do so strips you of your identity and your brand. Your guest is not doing business with Airbnb. They are doing business with you. Keep it that way by communicating with guests via your own channels, not Airbnb's channel!

OwnerWebs: Your Key to Breaking Free from the Walled Garden

This is precisely where OwnerWebs.com comes in. While platforms like Airbnb offer reach, they often do so at the cost of your independence and long-term business health.

Imagine this: You've welcomed a guest to your beautiful property, and they've had an incredible stay. They tell you they want to book directly next time to save on fees. But if you can't easily connect with them, that opportunity is lost.

With an OwnerWebs direct booking website, you regain control:

1. Own Your Guest Data: When guests book through your OwnerWebs site, you collect their full contact information. Build your email list, send personalized offers, and cultivate lasting relationships.
2. Foster Repeat Business: Easily invite past guests back for future stays, bypassing hefty OTA commissions and ensuring they book directly with you.
3. Build Your Brand: Your OwnerWebs site is your brand, not a generic listing on a massive platform. Showcase your unique property and personality without competing distractions.
4. Take Control of Your Pricing & Policies: No more algorithm changes dictating your visibility or restrictive policies limiting your flexibility. You set the rules on your own site.
5. Future-Proof Your Business: Relying solely on one platform is risky. A direct booking website diversifies your income streams and protects you from sudden policy shifts.
6. Beat Airbnb's ass in Local Search! : When you have a book direct website it is very hard for Airbnb to beat you in local search. Here is how to beat VRBO and Airbnb in Local Search.

Justyna Golawska's article is a timely and urgent reminder that the landscape for vacation rental hosts is changing. Don't let your business be trapped in someone else's garden. I quote from Justyna's article, "Direct Bookings: The Only Real Hedge Against OTAs".

Ready to take back control of your guest relationships and build a truly independent vacation rental business?

Discover how easy it is to set up your own professional direct booking website with OwnerWebs.com today.

About the Author: Matthew Thompson

Matthew Thompson is a licensed employing real estate broker in Louisiana and Colorado, with twenty years of experience in the vacation rental home industry. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and is also the developer and founder of OwnerWebs.com, a vacation rental website builder. (View his professional profile)