Hospitable allows hosts to request guest verification for accepted reservations. This helps you confirm a guest’s identity and review potential risks before providing check-in details.
Verification can be requested at any time after a reservation is accepted across supported booking platforms.
Guest verification is automatically included with Direct Premium reservations. Manual review may still occur if automated checks detect irregularities.
Who Is This For?
Requesting ad-hoc guest verification is available for any accepted reservation across all online travel agency (OTA) platforms:
Airbnb
Agoda
Booking.com
Vrbo
These platforms control their own account creation and identity processes. In many cases, hosts do not receive verified government ID details directly and have limited visibility into how thoroughly a guest has been vetted.
Hospitable’s guest verification provides an additional layer of screening, controlled by you. It allows you to independently verify a guest’s identity and assess potential risks before check-in.
If you rely on third-party platforms for bookings and want more control over guest vetting, this feature is designed for you.
When Guest Verification Is Available
You can request ad-hoc guest verification for any accepted reservation across platforms.
The only exception is:
Direct Premium reservations, which already include guest verification by default.
In some cases, Direct Premium bookings may still require manual review if automated checks detect irregularities. This ensures consistent protection across all reservations.
Types of Guest Verification
When requesting verification, you must select at least one of the following checks.
Identity Verification
If you’ve purchased this check, the guest will be required to:
Upload a photo of their government-issued ID
Take a live selfie
Hospitable then runs automated checks to:
Confirm the ID document is valid
Match the ID photo to the selfie
Match the ID details to the reservation information
If discrepancies are detected, such as a name mismatch or an unverifiable ID, the reservation will be flagged for manual review.
Common triggers include:
Spoofed or altered IDs
Cropped or incomplete images
Unreadable details
Inability to confidently match the ID name or address
In these situations, the guest may be asked to resubmit their ID.
Identity Verification
If you've purchased this check, the guest will be required to upload a photo of their government-issued ID, and take a selfie. Hospitable runs checks on the photo of the ID document to:
ensure its validity,
confirm that the image on the ID matches the selfie,
and to match the information on the ID with the guest's information on the reservation.
If there’s a cause for concern—such as a name mismatch or an ID that can’t be verified—the guest will be flagged for manual review.
Common triggers include issues like spoofed IDs, cropped photos, unreadable details, or cases where the system can’t confidently match the ID name or address. In these situations, the guest may be asked to resubmit their ID for verification.
Full Guest Verification
Includes:
Identity Verification
Sex Offender Check (USA only)*
Risk factors
Sex Offender Check (USA Only)
If purchased, Hospitable checks public U.S. sex offender registries for names matching your guest.
If Identity Verification is included, the name on the government-issued ID is used.
If Identity Verification is not included, the name provided on the reservation is used.
Sex Offender checks are available for U.S. guests only and rely on publicly available registry data.
Risk Factors
In addition to any purchased checks, Hospitable automatically runs the following risk signals on every reservation where verification is requested — at no additional cost.
Fraud Detection
Analyses technical signals such as:
Guest location
Browser configuration
Internet connection type
Other fraud indicators
Screening Assistant
Reviews reservation and property details to surface potential concerns, including:
Short booking lead time
Unusual length of stay
Guest count relative to property size
Risk signals should be evaluated in context. A flagged factor does not automatically mean a guest is fraudulent or unsafe.
Understanding Flagged Reservations and Host Actions
Reservations may be flagged if discrepancies or risks are detected during verification.
Hosts are notified by email when manual action is required.
Common triggers include:
ID mismatches
Unverifiable documentation
Direct Premium reservations requiring manual review
Repeat guest bookings initiating a new verification process
To resolve flagged reservations:
Guests may be asked to resubmit required documents (such as a clearer ID).
Hosts may manually review and approve a reservation if urgent, using their discretion.
For previously vetted guests, bypassing vetting is only possible via a Direct custom quote.
More details are available in our help article discussing guest verification as part of Direct Premium