Category: Autohost AI

Here are some highlights of the many recent features we released:

Airbnb Deposits

We are thrilled to now offer more control and simpler resolution to any Airbnb-related damage or violation claims. With recent updates to Airbnb’s Off-Platform policy, and by overwhelming demand, you can now have the flexibility to charge Security Deposits to Airbnb reservations. Visit our Knowledge Base article on Abiding by Airbnb’s Off-Platform policy for more information, as well as the Security Deposit Screen settings to customize your setup.

Risky Reservations Report

At Autohost we automate the detection of risks and help teams focus where their attention is needed. With this product update, customers can expect to receive email reports when we detect risky transactions that have yet to be reviewed and acted upon.

As a short-term rental host or property manager, you want to provide an excellent, modern experience to your guests while also keeping your property and business safe and secure, with reliable hotel background checks.

You want to outperform the stay they’d get with a faceless, old-fashioned hotel, give them easy and high-tech access, and remove the boring admin that causes lines at the front desk and forces them to hang around in the lobby instead of going straight to their room.

But how can you do that and also ensure safety and security on your property? Hotels often keep guests waiting because they’re checking IDs and credit card details on arrival, after all.

And, while hotels do run guest screening, they’re often less-than-comprehensive, fail to check important financial or criminal history, are ineffective against fraud, and provide a terrible guest experience on arrival.

So what’s the answer? Is it possible for the hotel industry to combine the security of a background check with a modern, streamlined contact less check in system, and good guest experience?

Yes. In fact, it’s actually recommended to go beyond the surface-level checks of hotels and use technology to improve your guest screening and give them a great experience from the start.

In this post, we explain:

• What level of background checks hotels perform
• Why hospitality background checks (just like Airbnb ID verification) are often not good enough
• How you can actually do better than hotels and perform comprehensive, effective checks
• And how to do all of this while still offering guests a streamlined, modern, easy, five-star stay

We’ve also explained how specially-designed software can help automate and improve your background checks if you decide you need more to ensure the safety of your business.

Want to perform in-depth verifications on your bookings?
Autohost performs advanced guest vetting processes to minimize risk
Request a demo

Background Checks for Hospitality

A hotel background check usually means that hotel employees check the photo ID and credit card details of each guest. Traditional hotels usually do this on guests’ arrival, which keeps guests waiting in the lobby rather than letting them go straight to their room.

More tech-forward, digitally-connected hotels are likely to do background checks in advance. They use modern technology to detect more complex, easy-to-miss issues, as well as to connect their checks to smart locks to streamline and secure the check-in experience.

Background checks are intended to help prevent fraud, improve security, reduce risk of damage and avoid crime. Some hotels also need to collect ID details of their guests to comply with local laws or regulations.

Do hotels run background checks on guests?

Yes, most reputable hotels do run surface-level checks on guests, using a photo ID or credit card to verify their identity. But this type of ID verification is nowhere near as thorough as a traditional background check.

In contrast to tech-first Airbnb background checks, most hotels are unlikely to have software that goes as far as checking financial history or sex offender records. Or linking digital check-in to a successful background check.

Do hotels check for warrants?

While hotels are legally required to check the identity of their guests, it is less common for them to perform comprehensive background checks. An important type of check that hotels should conduct is for outstanding warrants.

Hotels may be alerted to guests with warrants if they have implemented advanced security technology, such as license plate scanners or facial recognition software. However, the extent of the background check will depend on the hotel’s policies and the security measures they have in place. While some hotels may take extra steps to ensure the safety and security of their guests, there is no industry-wide standard for background checks.

Hotels or property managers who want to ensure the safety of their properties and guests may want to consider using a dedicated verification platform like Autohost to perform comprehensive checks that go beyond what hotels typically offer.

Understanding hotel policies on guest background checks relates to AI background check advances.

Where do hotels’ background checks fall short?

Traditional hotel background checks fall short in several key areas; from damaging the guest experience by keeping people waiting around to risking major security issues and possibly even serious crime.

They damage the guest experience

When guests arrive after a long journey, the last thing they want to do is hang around in the lobby waiting for the front desk to check their details. Manual or on-arrival background checks don’t give a great first impression.

They’re not done in advance

When the guest isn’t checked until arrival, this opens the hotel up to issues. If problems are found, the guest is there already, leading to possible confrontation between guests and staff.

This presents a security threat, risks upsetting genuine customers, and could cause reputational damage.

They’re not comprehensive

Much hotel background screening fails to verify details such as financial history or criminal background checks, and won’t pick up on the risk of credit card chargebacks or other problems.

This opens the hotel up to issues like financial loss, reputational damage, and even legal action.

They’re not linked to secure check-in

Not using modern technology to link background checks to smart locks or online check-in leaves room for significant problems. Not only do guests need to wait to check in, but anyone using a false ID may be granted access. AI based guest screening solutions like Autohost can be integrated into your Hotel key management system.

They don’t catch fake IDs or other signs of crime

Simply checking an ID or credit card may pass initial checks, but offers no real confidence in whether the guest is possibly posing as someone else, has a history of crime, or using a fake ID. This opens the hotel up to a serious risk of crime, fraud, and security problems.

For hotels that are required to submit guest IDs to local authorities and police, it can also put the hotel at risk of becoming an unintentional accomplice or being on the hook for negligence in failing to properly vet guests and validate their identity.

How can hosts tackle the limitations of hotels’ background checks?

Short-term rental hosts can improve considerably on background checks by harnessing technology that’s designed for this purpose, such as Autohost.ai. 

Authost.ai uses AI technology to perform an in-depth, robust, and scalable background screening process that goes far beyond the limitations of hotels’ traditional checks.

This means that:

The checks are completed before arrival

This not only ensures security ahead of time but also massively improves the guest experience. No more waiting on arrival; guests can just go straight in, creating a seamless, strong first impression immediately.

It appeals to tech-savvy, Millennial guests

The so-called “Uber Generation” (Millennials and younger) are used to doing everything on their phones, from ordering groceries to booking flights to streaming music and TV.

They expect to have their stay details on their phone too and will expect and welcome this tech-first, easy approach.

Checks are completed after booking request

Not only does this streamline the entire booking process, it also means that if the guest fails the thorough background checks, they can cancel. However, if your guest passes the background check, their booking request will be confirmed. This removes the risk to your property and avoids problems before they start.

It’s automated and scalable

In contrast to manual front desk checks at hotel chains, using connected technology is automatic, and doesn’t rely on having front desk staff present or requiring them to perform background checks while the guests wait.

This means your property can operate without a front desk, requires less on-site staff, and is scalable as your business grows.

It’s comprehensive and secure

Autohost not only verifies ID but also checks financial history and criminal records, to detect possible risks of fraud and chargebacks, and even serious crime.

It requires digital verification and online check-in

This will deter guests who are looking to slip through security checks and means that problematic guests are likely to cancel and remove the risk to your property.

It’s linked to secure check-in and syncs with bookings

Guests book and sync with your reservation system. Guests are analyzed for risk and are only sent the check-in details once they pass verification.

This creates a paper trail to the reservation and increases guest accountability, reducing the risk of fraud, damage, or disrespectful guests.

Want to perform in-depth verifications on your bookings?
Autohost performs advanced guest vetting processes to minimize risk
Request a demo

Do hotels run background checks on guests? The need-to-know

Of course, hotels run some level of check on guests, but they’re more to verify the guest’s identity and are often limited. Hotel ID checks keep guests waiting, cause obstacles to checking in, and generally put off Millennial travelers, who expect to do everything on their phones. 

They’re also manual, requiring hotel employees to be at a front desk, and are far from comprehensive. Without the extra screening that dedicated platforms such as Autohost.ai provide, there is more risk of brand reputation loss, fraud, chargebacks, violence, drug use, and even sex trafficking.

By harnessing the power of hyper-connected technology, modern hotels can connect their business to online check-in and secure smart locks, and perform robust security checks, creating a remote, easy workflow that increases security without compromising on the positive guest experience.

Frequently asked questions about hotel background checks for guests

Are hotels allowed to give out ID information?

Hotels are not allowed to give out ID information for any reason, whether for marketing or to sell data. Hotels can only use guest data for identity checks that are required to ensure security.

Why do hotels ask for ID?

Hotels ask for ID because they have a legal requirement to check the guest’s identity and keep IDs on file. Generally, hotels don’t use these documents to carry out in-depth, robust background checks using automated software like Autohost.

How long does the background check take in a hotel?

Background checks in hotels are usually done on arrival when the guest is checking in. However, because they are done manually, they often take a while and can keep the guests waiting around in the lobby, or in line, while the front desk staff carry out the screening. This creates a poor first impression, and will not appeal to Millennial guests who prefer to do everything quickly and on-demand, on their phones.

Can hotels do background checks by law?

By law, hotels can ask for a legal photo ID or a credit card and keep this data for security purposes. However, their checks are often not comprehensive enough to ensure real security. On the other hand, a dedicated verification software like Autohost focuses on comprehensive risk mitigation using all the necessary matching data points.

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS TODAY

Here are some highlights of the many recent features we released:

Chargeback Data Science

Our mission is to be the best platform for automated Know Your Customer (KYC). Our data science teams are constantly experimenting and improving our capabilities to detect risks for the companies we protect. To this end we are working to expand our use of Graph-based Neural Networks (GNN), Graph-to-Vector algorithms, Louvain Community Detection, and Degree Centrality queries. These cutting-edge techniques allow us to significantly reduce your fraud and chargeback rates.

Reseller and OEM Admin

Autohost resellers, OEM, and channel partners have their own administrative dashboard to create, update and disable user accounts. This allows your company to connect and manage your customer accounts quickly without delay. Contact us today to inquire about becoming a partner if you need a state-of-the-art risk screening and automation platform. Contact us here if you want to talk to our sales team about partnerships.

 

 

Cloudbeds Integration

We are excited to announce that we are now partnered with Cloudbeds, one of the largest property management systems in the world. This advanced integration supports two-way sync between the two platforms to minimize switching between the two tools. Contact us today if you are interested to hear more.

Here are some highlights of the many recent features we released:

Activity Log

Introducing the Activity Log! This new feature promotes digital transparency and gives our team the ability to troubleshoot issues quickly. As a PM, the Activity Log gives you direct visibility into a guest’s journey through the Guest Portal. Using this log will give you the ability to support guests during the screening process so that you can deliver a pleasant pre-check-in experience. Give it a try, and let us know what you think.

Operto Integration Improvements

We updated our Operto integration to improve the User Experience (UX) for guests. This update will help ensure guests never get stuck. When they get to the last Guest Portal page on Autohost, they will see a loading animation while we are analyzing the verification status. If it comes back as verified (or approved), the user will be redirected immediately to the Operto app, even when they revisit the Autohost link at a later date. Reservations that are marked for review will be shown a message telling them to expect further instructions to arrive via email soon.

Connect your account today to start using the ultimate Digital Check-In Experience.

 

 

API Speed Boost

Guest Portal load times and image uploads are faster than ever! Internet traffic of users will now be routed, in priority, directly to the Autohost datacenter by the utility providers, where supported.

To achieve this, we partnered with Amazon Web Services to use their new Global Accelerator Anycast Network. Global Accelerator terminates TCP connections from users at AWS edge locations and, almost concurrently, establishes a new TCP connection with Autohost’s endpoints. This gives clients faster response times (lower latency) and increased throughput.

 

Halloween is almost here and while most people are picking out costumes and stocking up on candy, property managers in the vacation rental industry are crossing their fingers and praying they don’t get hit by a Halloween party…or worse.

Unfortunately, nightmarish incidents aren’t restricted to Halloween. For property managers, they happen 365 days a year. As security experts in the vacation rental industry, we’ve heard every horror story imaginable. In the spirit of Halloween, we’d like to share a few of our scarier stories and explain how they could have been prevented.

Gunshots and mayhem

About a month before partnering with Autohost, one of our clients received a call in the middle of the night. It was the police asking about a property at the end of a cul-de-sac in a nearby residential neighborhood. They told the client it was an emergency and they needed to get there ASAP.

The client arrived on scene to find 50 police cars outside the home with neighbors peeking through window slats. An officer told the client that they were filing a police report after a 200-person party had broken out at the property, ending in broken windows, excessive noise, fistfights in neighbors yards and gunshots.

While the client’s property was, shockingly, in one piece, their reputation among neighbors was shattered.

Horror stories from vacation rentals underscore the need for a thorough guest screening questionnaire.

How it could have been prevented

Parties are the bane of property managers’ existence, and they tend to be more common around holidays and major events like Halloween. While they can be difficult to predict, there are red flags you can watch for in the guest’s booking details.

The first detail to check is where the guest is from. If the guest is local, there’s a much higher chance that they’re booking your property for a party. Next, compare the size of your property to the number of guests—do they match? If you have a couple booking a four bedroom house, something’s up.

To make sure you know exactly who will be entering your property, ask for a guest list that includes each guest’s name and contact information. And don’t be afraid to ask the guest about their purpose of stay. It’s within your rights to know the guest’s intentions at your property.

Finally, have the guest sign a legally-binding rental agreement acknowledging your house rules—including one about no parties. You can also ask the guest for a security deposit. This should help deter any bad behavior.

Horror stories can be used as case studies for why the ultimate tenant screening checklist is necessary.

TIPS ON HOW TO PREVENT HALLOWEEN PARTIES

Mistaken identity

Before partnering with Autohost, one of our clients used to manually screen guests themselves. This involved Googling the guest and combing through their social media accounts. Despite the extra precaution, a gang managed to slip past their security and take their property hostage.

The gang members used a stolen ID with no criminal record to book the property. For a week, the gang members used the property to traffick drugs and automatic weapons. Not only did this mean our client wasn’t getting paid for those extra nights but it was endangering building staff.

Finally, with the help of a police escort, our clients were able to change the locks on the unit’s door while the gang members were out.

How it could have been prevented

By using a valid government-issued ID with no criminal record or other red flags, the gang members made this reservation extremely difficult to catch. That’s why it’s important to analyze and compare all data points in the reservation. Even if the ID checks out, there could be other suspicious activity. For example, in fraudulent bookings, disposable phone numbers and prepaid credit cards are common. In the reservation discussed above, there was likely another sign of fraud or foul play that was overlooked.

Crime pays

One of our clients came to us because they were tired of dealing with chargebacks. A New Year’s Eve incident finally sent them over the edge. The client accepted a last-minute booking on New Year’s Eve. Since it was a holiday and last-minute, rates were higher than normal. Our client thought they’d be making some easy money. Everything seemed to check out with the guest. They arrived on time, didn’t cause problems, and left without any issues.

It wasn’t until a few days later that the bank hit our client with a chargeback. Turns out the credit card used to pay for the stay had been stolen. While our client did file a dispute, there was nothing they could do. They had to refund the revenue they’d earned from the booking and lost two nights they could have rented the property to someone else.

How it could have been prevented

If someone uses a stolen card to book your property, you won’t win that chargeback. That’s why you need to catch the stolen card before the guest gains access to your property. The best way to do this is to cross reference the credit card with other details from the booking. Does the card match the name on the guest’s ID and the name given in the booking? If it doesn’t, it may be a stolen card.

Only accept registered credit cards, never prepaid cards. These cards aren’t associated with anyone and can be used to mask the guest’s identity.

If you’re hit with a chargeback, it’s extremely difficult to recover lost revenue and impossible if the card was stolen or if you don’t have proper documentation to plead your case.

The best way to keep your money in the bank is to verify guests ahead of time and avoid chargebacks altogether.

Hosting doesn’t have to be scary. To de-risk your reservations and prevent incidents, you need to screen your guests. Stay safe and have a happy Halloween!

GET STARTED SCREENING YOUR GUESTS

Reports of COVID-19 parties and an increase in fraudulent bookings have shown property managers just how integral security is to the short-term rental industry. Without adequate security measures, property managers risk damaging their reputation and paying out revenue to cover—what should be—avoidable costs.

As a business, you have to implement the right security solutions to protect your guests, neighbors and community. But unfortunately, security can come with a hefty price tag, especially when you add up the costs of necessary security solutions like insurance, guest screening and property monitoring tech.

That’s why we’ve outlined the five best ways to offset the costs of your security solutions. Read on to find out more.

1. Include costs in the guest’s fees

Avoid including the security costs in your listing’s nightly rates. This will inflate your prices, making your properties appear more expensive than your competitors. Instead, include the security costs in your booking fee. A booking fee is an extra charge added to the overall price of the stay at the time of booking. Booking fees are used in the hospitality industry to cover the cost of your operations.

The extra fee is easy to apply if the guest makes the reservation through your direct booking site. If they’re booking through an online travel agency (OTA), there may be some extra caveats to adding a booking fee. For instance, on Airbnb you can add an additional fee to the stay only if you manage six or more properties. If you choose to add a booking fee, we suggest keeping it between $5 to $10 per stay. This should cover the costs of your security measures without scaring off guests.

Another option is to lump your security costs in with your cleaning fee, again upping it by $5 to $10. If you decide to do this, be prepared to justify the price increase to guests, especially if it’s more expensive than properties of the same size. Consider adding a note in the fine print of your listing or rental agreement explaining how your fees are set up.

2. Offer damage waivers to low-risk guests

In lieu of a security deposit, you can offer a non-refundable damage waiver as a way to cover the costs of any incidentals during the stay. Depending on the property, you can charge anywhere from $25 to $50. Assuming you’re dealing with good guests and there aren’t any incidents, you should be able to pocket this money as ancillary revenue and direct it towards your security costs.

But be sure to only offer damage waivers to low-risk guests. If a guest throws a party or damages your property, it won’t be enough to cover the costs of repairs and extra cleaning. If you’re worried about a guest’s behavior, keep them in check by charging a larger security deposit.

3. Add a fee explicitly for security

Rather than lumping extra costs into your booking or cleaning fees, charge the guest an explicit security fee at the time of booking. Most major OTAs, including Airbnb and Booking.com, will allow you to add additional charges, but it may come with certain requirements, such as a minimum number of properties managed.

When determining how much you should charge for the security fee, base it off of what security solutions you use. Security fees can range between $5 to $25.

If the guest questions the security fee, explain to them that it covers the cost of protecting your property, your neighbors and your community from malicious activity. You can even add that the fee goes towards detering incidents that could threaten the safety and well-being of the guest.

4. Charge the property owner a security fee

Rather than charging the guest, you can include the security fee in your contract with the property owner as part of your managerial services. A good way to do this—so that you don’t overtax the owner—is to create multiple tiers of security service with each tier offering a different level of security. The tiers can range from basic security services, such as ID verification, to advanced security services, such as background checks and insurance. The price of each tier will increase as the security solutions become more advanced. The multi-tier system gives you the ability to generate more revenue from clients, while giving owners the choice in how protected they want their property to be.

When pitching the tiers, it’s worth reminding the owner of the added benefits of proper security. By putting in place measures like guest screening, insurance and property monitoring tech, you’re protecting the owner’s property against parties, property damage and criminal activity. All incidents that could leave the owner’s property liable to the cost of repairs—often ranging in the thousands—and missed bookings while the repairs are being completed. Integrating the right security solutions can prevent costly incidents, attract good guests and increase occupancy through positive reviews.

5. Pay for security credits in bulk

Your need for security is only going to grow as you scale your business, so why not think long-term about the costs. When investing in security solutions, pay for a year or two’s worth of credits rather than in monthly installments. By paying in bulk, you can negotiate lower costs with your providers, reducing your overall costs. There can also be tax benefits if you treat the bulk purchase as a capital expense rather than an operational expense.

Find the right security solution for your business

Security can be expensive, we get it. But saving on security costs is not worth the thousands of dollars in repairs that you could be paying if you’re not properly protected. And by leaving your property vulnerable to bad guests and criminal activity, you can negatively impact the entire short-term rental industry, causing increased regulations or out-right bans of short-term rentals. As an industry, we need to work together to prevent these kinds of incidents. That’s why opting out of security is not an option. Instead, get creative with the ways you offset costs.

For more tips on how to offset your security costs, reach out to us.

 

CONTACT US

It is with an aching heart that we share the devastating news of our Co-Founder and CEO’s passing. Anton died, in his sleep, on September 6th of an unexpected heart attack. He was 33, he was larger than life, and he will stay that way forever.

Those who had the pleasure of knowing him got to experience the raw energy that he spread wherever he went. He was ambitious and fearless, he was funny and charming, he was honest, determined, and true to himself. He was, and always will be, a source of inspiration.

Not many can claim to live life to the fullest, but Anton was one of those few. Life was an adventure and he absorbed every bit of it. Whatever the challenge, he went all in because he made a point to be the best. He was passionate about success, and not only his own. Success in business, in life, in overall growth, the success of his friends, our clients, and partners. He wanted to see people thrive and he touched so many lives in his pursuit to make that happen.

When we say that we’re committed to continue his legacy and strive to fulfill the mission we set together, that’s exactly what we mean. We will do everything we can to learn, innovate, and always be the best; we will embrace challenges and grow from them; we will go the extra mile to make sure we build strong partnerships and real relationships, focusing on continual collaboration, so that everybody wins, so that we all succeed, so that we make him proud.

Goodbye old friend
You’ll soar again
Forever young and free
We’ll hear your voice
In howls of wind
And every swell of sea
Goodbye old friend

A rise in fraudulent activity caused by the pandemic has cemented the fact that property managers can’t rent their properties out to just anyone. That’s how you get hit by parties, property damage and criminal activity. To prevent these types of incidents, property managers rely on security measures to vet their guests ahead of time.

One of the most common security measures is ID verification, which involves confirming that the personal information submitted by the guest corresponds with their real identity. While the end goal is the same, different companies approach the ID verification process in different ways. Larger property management companies may rely on third-party vendors to automate the process, while smaller property management companies may opt to do it manually—collecting and reviewing ID documents for every guest.

KYC in hospitality:

In the banking and finance sectors, KYC is a standard practice used to verify the identity of an individual or a business entity. In the hospitality context, KYC encompasses not just ID verification but a full spectrum of analyses—think of it as deep-diving into multiple pools of data to get a 360-degree view of your guest. It can include scrutinizing transaction history, social media activities, behavioral patterns, and even travel history to evaluate the potential risk of illegal intentions.

How Does It Work?

Imagine you’ve got a guest who’s passed the ID verification checks, but there are a few red flags in the reservation details—maybe it’s a last-minute booking for a single night, and the guest is local. Traditional ID verification may let this reservation slide through, but KYC will urge you to take a second look.

The KYC process will typically involve:

Document Verification: The initial step, similar to traditional ID verification.
Behavioral Analysis: Scrutinizing the guest’s actions during the booking process, like the speed of filling forms or the device used for booking.
Transaction Monitoring: Looking at the method of payment to see if it aligns with typical guest behavior or flags as unusual.
Social Media and Online Presence: Evaluating the guest’s digital footprint for congruency with their given “story.”
Previous Stays and Reviews: Checking feedback from other property managers or hotels where the guest has stayed before.

The role of ID verification in rentals can be explored further in articles about streamlining security in the hospitality industry.

Why It’s Crucial?

KYC allows you to create a comprehensive risk profile that can inform your decision-making process more effectively than just an ID verification. It acts as a complementary tool that fortifies your vetting procedure, giving you the confidence that you’ve done everything you can to ensure the safety and integrity of your property.

And let’s face it, while a fraudulent guest might go through great lengths to forge an ID or even provide a stolen one, it’s significantly harder for them to fabricate a convincing digital life or consistent behavioral patterns. In other words, the more layers of verification, the harder it is for fraudsters to slip through the cracks.

So, while ID verification remains a critical aspect of guest vetting, incorporating KYC into your hospitality business can make your preventive measures more robust. With the rise of increasingly sophisticated fraudulent tactics, it’s more important than ever to cover all your bases. Because when it comes to the security of your property and peace of mind, there’s no such thing as being too careful.

ID Verification and Background check:

Proper ID verification is a great first line of defense when it comes to preventing malicious incidents. But unfortunately, fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, outmaneuvering current ID verification methods. This means that even property managers with the most thorough process can still be left exposed to fraud, parties and worse.

Debating the sufficiency of ID verification is linked to how security is streamlined in hotels.

How ID verification works?

There are multiple methods used to verify a person’s identity. They can range from verifying a guest’s personal information online to examining their physical IDs to using cell phones to confirm their identity. The process used will depend on the transaction and the level of risk associated with it.

In the case of short-term rentals, the risk level tends to be higher since you’re giving a stranger access to a major asset: your property. As a result, the short-term rental ID verification process should require the guest to submit a copy of their government-issued ID. Then it’s up to you as the property manager—or the vendor you’re using—to check the information on the ID against the booking information, ensuring it matches.

To confirm that the ID hasn’t been tampered with, you can use ID parsing technology to scan the document, checking whether there’s information encoded in the barcode on the back of the ID, and if that encoded information matches the information on the front of the ID.

To protect against stolen identities and impersonations, you can collect selfies and match the guest’s face to the photo on the ID document.

Related Post: How Does Vrbo ID Verification Work? The Complete Guide

Where ID verification falls short?

There’s no denying it—ID verification is an important part of any hospitality business as it helps remove anonymity from the guest’s reservation. By implementing the right tool, you can flag attempts to evade identification or deceive your guest services team.

For example, oftentimes when someone modifies information on their ID, they mess with the document’s security features, so by examining these, you can see if a guest is using a digitally-altered ID.

On the other hand, if a guest is using a stolen ID, you can catch them with facial recognition technology by matching their selfie with the photo in the ID they provided.

Requiring the guest to upload a photo of themselves creates an extra hurdle that might deter a fraudster, but it still can’t verify your guests with 100% certainty. These days, selfies, and other personal details, are available through darknet forums and marketplaces. Fraudsters can purchase legitimate user profiles, containing a real ID and other information they need to fool a basic identity check.

In the mix with legitimate (but stolen) IDs are professionally forged documents. Modern counterfeit IDs have become so advanced that they can go undetected by ID verification solutions, especially when the barcode information matches the information on the front of the ID.

The limitations of ID verification highlight the importance of understanding Vrbo’s ID verification process.

Booking.com id verification:

When we discuss ID verification and KYC in the hospitality industry, it’s worth noting platforms like Booking.com have implemented some advanced verification features. Their ID verification process typically includes requirements for government-issued IDs and often features real-time verification, which not only adds an extra layer of security but also complements the KYC procedures you may already have in place.

As a host, you receive a wide array of information about your prospective guest, ranging from past stay reviews to booking behavior. This data is invaluable for creating a more comprehensive risk profile of your guest, as encouraged by KYC practices. By leveraging the resources provided by Booking.com’s ID verification system, you can bolster your existing KYC measures, creating a more resilient and comprehensive guest-vetting procedure.
While it may be tempting to rely on third-party platforms like Booking.com to handle all aspects of ID verification, remember that these systems are most effective when used in conjunction with your own guest screening methods.

ID verification is not foolproof.

To keep up with the increasing sophistication of cybercrime and fake IDs, you need to be looking at other data points as well—not just the ID document.

Leveraging alternative data

To prevent all types of incidents at your properties, you need to analyze as many data points as possible.

Even when an ID verification is successful at either flagging or verifying a guest, it still can’t determine their intentions at your property. To do this, you need to assess the booking parameters. By examining details on and surrounding the guest’s reservation, you can get a better idea of who they are and what they’re planning to do during their stay. For example, there are certain booking conditions that might make a reservation higher risk, including:

• One-night stays
• Last-minute bookings
• Local guests

If a reservation is booked under these conditions, that doesn’t mean that it’s inherently risky. However, you should look at these risks in comparison with other data points.

There are data points connected to a guest’s reservation that can let you know whether or not they’re involved in suspicious or malicious activity. By analyzing the guest’s digital footprint, including their email address, phone number, IP address and social media presence, you can confirm they are who they say they are—or confirm any suspicions you had concerning their “story” (their purpose of stay, who they’re traveling with, etc.)

While ID verification is essential to your business, it’s just a piece of the puzzle. To properly determine the risk level of a reservation, you need to analyze the guest’s entire profile. That means looking at all data connected to the guest, their booking and their digital footprint.

 

 

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS TODAY

Here are some highlights of the many recent features we released:

Improved Fraud Predictions

We are incredibly proud of this one. This month, our data science team released a significant update to the machine learning AI model we use to predict credit card fraud. This upgrade bring significantly improved prediction performance and accuracy. We expect this update to help further reduce chargebacks and other risks to our customers. Our screening AI will highlight concerns for each transaction on your dashboard for your team to review in priority.

Reseller and Channel Partner API

Our channel partners and resellers have requested better tools to help them manage the tremendous demand for transaction and identity validation solutions within their platforms. This new API aims to decrease onboarding times.

Authority Reporting Updates

The address field in the Police Reporting screen now uses faster auto-complete and address validation using Google Maps. This change improves the user experience and data accuracy.

Improved Billing Address Validation

We released an improved Screening AI validator for credit card billing addresses. The Autohost Screening AI will highlight anomalies and concerns on your dashboard.

International Digital Contracts

As our customers expand to new international markets, they also need to ensure legal documents are easy to read and understand. Internationalization support for our Usage Agreements and Digital Contracts screen was released to help our customers provide the best user experience.

Track HS Integration

Autohost now officially supports Track HS customers. Integrating Autohost with your Track account is easy. You’ll need to create a new API key and provide it with your subdomain on the signup page.

Updates to Stayntouch Integration

We released a few minor fixes and improvements to our Stayntouch integration. Improvements include better booking source name and guest info resolution.

Personal Info Collection Screen

You can now configure the Personal Info screen on the Guest Portal to collect your customers’ home address and date of birth for insurance and regulatory compliance.