When you are just getting started with direct booking, it can be scary opening up your house to just anyone on the internet. One of Hospitable's goals with Direct Premium is to help make hosts feel comfortable with things like guest verification, damage protection, and chargeback protection.
Most short-term rentals don't have a face-to-face check-in desk, which hotels use to verify guests' identity and their credit card. Instead, we use an online process to help protect you from fraud and damages, and to keep your community safe.
Guest verification
For every Direct Premium reservation, the primary guest is required to successfully verify their identity after submitting their booking request.
Although we notify you as soon as the booking request is completed, you will not be able to accept a reservation until the guest verification is complete. We will notify you again when the guest is verified and you can accept the booking. If you do not intend to accept the booking, you can always reject the booking anytime, which may save your guest the hassle of completing guest verification, if they haven't already.
What the guest sees
On the Review & Confirm screen of the Premium booking flow, one of the terms and conditions we highlight for the guest is that they are required to provide a valid ID.
When they confirm their booking request, we generate a link on the next screen to Hospitable guest portal and notify the guest that their request is not complete until they verify. We also email the link to the guest at the same time and again several hours later if they have not completed the verification at that time.
When the guest opens the link, they'll select their country and then select the type of identification they want to use for the verification. Support ID types include:
Drivers license
Government-issued ID card
Passport
Military or veteran ID card (US only)
The guest will then take or upload a photo of their ID. If they are not currently using their phone, they will have an option for "remote camera", which allows them to switch to their phone camera.
They will need to upload or photograph the front side and, depending on the ID type, the back side too.
They will then take a selfie.
They finally select their trip purpose (business, pleasure, or other) and what activities they are planning to do (sightseeing, party, concert, work, etc.) before confirming their submission.
Guest information such as name, date of birth, and address is extracted directly from the uploaded ID — guests do not need to enter this information manually.
The verification session expires after one hour. If the guest starts but does not complete their session in time, they will receive an error stating that their session has expired. The guest can return to the verification reminder email or the Guest Portal and restart the verification task.
Most guests complete the verification process in under 5 minutes. If the submission passes all automated checks, the guest is approved almost instantly. Submissions flagged for manual review by Direct Support typically take a few hours, but may take longer if the guest is asked to re-upload their ID or selfie.
Guest screening
In addition to the general screening of guest data, here are specific tests that are run on Direct Premium reservations:
ID verification
Guest are required to upload the front and, depending on the ID type, the back of their ID, where the ID will be machine read and analyzed for authenticity. The ID photo is compared to the guest selfie using photo recognition. The ID check also includes passive liveness detection, which verifies that a genuine person is completing the verification, preventing fraudulent activities and impersonation.Fraud detection
Examines the guest's location, browser configuration, internet connection type, payment data, and more to surface fraud signals. Usually multiple signals would be required to have confidence a booking is fraudulent.Sex offender search (USA only)
Some communities have started to require a sex offender search on all short-term rental reservations. Hospitable searches public sex offender databases for matches of the primary guest name, date of birth and location.
Automatic verification or manual review
After the guest completes the portal, the reservation will be given a risk score (low, medium, high, or critical).
Automatic approval — Guests who pass the ID verification check with little to no identified risks will be automatically approved. If you have enabled Instant Book and the verification has already been approved, the reservation will be automatically accepted at that point.
Sent to host for review — Some guests who pass the ID verification check but have identified risks will be sent to you for review.
Sent to Direct Support — If the guest fails the ID verification check or critical risks are identified, the reservation will be sent to the Direct Support team for manual review.
As soon as the verification is approved or is ready for your review, Hospitable will notify you that you can take action.
You may need to scroll to the top of the Inbox thread to find the Review button and accept the reservation.
Guest verification statuses on the Inbox
Check the verification status in the Inbox. Open the reservation thread and look at the Guest Portal Tasks section. The status will show one of the following:
Pending — the guest has not completed the verification steps yet.
In Review — verification is complete but flagged for Direct Support review.
Needs Review — verification is complete but requires the host's review (e.g., a name mismatch or age-related flag).
Denied — verification failed and the guest was not approved.
Approved — verification passed successfully.
What to do for each status
If the status is Pending, the guest may not have finished the process. You can resend the Guest Portal link from the reservation thread and advise the guest to complete all required steps, including uploading their ID and taking a selfie.
If the status is Needs Review, review the flagged information carefully. The reservation thread will be marked unread, and the preview will show "Guest flagged for review." You can then:
Allow check-in if you're satisfied the guest is legitimate.
Deny and reject reservation if you are not satisfied with the information provided by the guest.
No action at this point will result in the booking expiring.
If the status is In Review, Direct Support is handling the review. Hospitable's support team will assess the situation and may:
Ask the guest to retry verification.
Manually approve or deny the reservation based on their review.
If the guest needs to retry, they will receive a new verification session link and should be advised to:
Use a valid, non-expired government-issued ID.
Take a clear, well-lit photo of the ID — not a photo of a screen.
Take a live selfie in good lighting.
If the status is Denied, support will send you an email with the reason for the denial. You can no longer accept this booking. Instead:
You can reject the booking — no additional communication needed.
If you wish to proceed with the booking and you know the guest, you can recreate a Direct Premium booking and have the guest go through verification again (correcting what caused the denial), or create a manual booking and process payment off-platform.
What happens while verification is in progress
While a Direct Premium guest's verification is still pending or under review:
The booking is not accepted — the reservation remains in a pending state until verification is complete and the booking is accepted.
Scheduled messages are not scheduled — automated messages (such as check-in instructions) will not be queued until the booking is accepted. They do not get scheduled at all until acceptance happens.
Smart lock codes are not shared — access codes will not be provided until the guest is approved.
Do not allow guests to access the property until verification is complete and the booking is accepted. If a guest is unable to complete verification, the booking will expire and payment will not be collected. Allowing early access means there is no accepted booking in place — Hospitable has no way to collect payment from the guest, and the reservation is not covered by Damage Protection or Chargeback Protection.
Skipping guest verification
Returning Direct Premium guests who initially completed guest verification after June 25, 2025 may be able to skip the process when a host creates a custom quote or books through the site using the email address from a previously verified booking. When doing so, we reuse the previous guest vetting data. The purpose-of-stay question is always required and cannot be skipped.
For full details, see Bypass Guest Verification for Returning Direct Premium Guests.
There is no way to manually bypass or disable verification for individual new guests. Verification is a required step for all first-time Direct Premium bookings and cannot be overridden. If a guest is unable to complete verification successfully, the booking will expire. The only alternative is to create a manual booking and process payment off-platform — but this means the reservation will not be covered by Damage Protection or Chargeback Protection.
Troubleshooting
If you or your guest is having trouble with the verification process, start by identifying the issue below. Most problems fall into one of these categories.
Common verification failures and their causes
Verification can fail or stall for several reasons. Here are the most common ones:
ID-related issues
Blurry or unreadable photo — the image of the ID is not clear enough for automated processing. Our system will prompt the guest to retry, but if the retry also fails, it may be flagged for manual review.
Expired document — the government-issued ID has passed its expiration date. All expired IDs are flagged for manual review. Recently expired ones are approved by Support and are left for hosts to have the final decision on.
Unsupported document type — the guest uploaded a document that is not a valid government-issued ID (e.g., a library card, student ID, or insurance card).
Name mismatch — the name on the ID does not match the name on the booking.
Selfie-related issues
Face does not match the ID — the selfie taken during verification does not match the photo on the uploaded ID.
Spoofed image detected — the system detected that the guest took a photo of a screen or used an image of someone else's face instead of a live selfie.
Liveness check failed — the video liveness check did not confirm that the person is physically present.
Other issues
Guest did not complete all steps — the guest started the verification process but did not finish uploading their ID, selfie, or providing required information.
Browser or device issue — pop-up blockers, outdated browsers, or incompatible devices can prevent the Guest Portal from loading correctly.
Purpose of stay flagged — if a guest selects "Party" as their purpose of travel, the reservation is automatically flagged for manual review.
Guest completed verification but booking is still pending
If a guest has completed all verification steps but the booking hasn't moved forward, here's what to check:
Check the verification status in the Inbox. Open the reservation thread and look at the Guest Portal Tasks section. The status tells you where things stand:
In Review — the submission has been flagged and is being reviewed by Direct Support. This typically takes a few hours, but may take longer if the guest is asked to re-upload documents.
Needs Review — the verification is waiting for you to review and approve or deny. Look for the "Guest flagged for review" notification in the Inbox.
Approved — verification passed but the booking still needs to be accepted. If you don't have Instant Book enabled, you need to manually accept the reservation.
Check if you need to accept the booking. Even after verification is approved, the booking is not automatically accepted unless Instant Book is enabled. Scroll to the top of the Inbox thread to find the Accept or Review button.
Wait for processing. Automatic verification usually completes within a few minutes. If the reservation was sent to Direct Support for manual review, it may take longer. You'll receive a notification when the review is complete.
If a booking has been stuck in "In Review" and the details of the guest and verification looks complete to you, contact support for assistance.
Tips for guests having trouble
Occasionally, guests may have trouble successfully uploading their ID or selfie. You can remind your guests:
To place their ID on a plain surface with good lighting. If they tried this and are having trouble getting the camera to read their ID, they can upload a photo of their ID instead.
To upload a supported ID type only. Student IDs, temporary residence cards, etc. will not be accepted.
If their session expires (1 hour after opening), they will need to refresh the screen or click the link from their verification reminder email again to restart the process.
Browser and device compatibility
The Guest Portal works on most modern browsers and devices, but guests may run into issues if:
They are using an outdated browser — advise them to update to the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge.
Pop-up blockers are enabled — the Guest Portal may not load correctly. Ask the guest to disable pop-up blockers or try a different browser.
They are on a very old device — the selfie and liveness check features require a device with a working front-facing camera.
They are using a VPN or proxy — this can interfere with IP-based risk checks and may cause delays or flags.
If a guest reports that the verification page is not loading or behaving unexpectedly, suggest they:
Switch to a different browser (Chrome is recommended).
Disable any pop-up blockers or ad blockers.
Try on a different device (e.g., switch from desktop to mobile, or vice versa).
Ensure their camera permissions are enabled for the browser.
Guest communication templates
Here are messages you can send to guests based on the verification status shown in the Inbox:
Pending — guest has not completed verification
Hi [Guest Name], it looks like the identity verification for your upcoming stay hasn't been completed yet. Please open the Guest Portal link we sent you and follow the steps to upload your government-issued ID and take a selfie. This needs to be completed before your booking can be accepted and we can share check-in details. Let us know if you have any trouble!
In Review — verification sent to Direct Support
Hi [Guest Name], thanks for completing the verification steps! Your submission is currently being reviewed by our support team. We'll update you as soon as the review is complete. In the meantime, if you have any questions about your stay, feel free to reach out.
Needs Review — host is reviewing flagged verification
Use this after you've reviewed the flagged information and decided to allow check-in:
Hi [Guest Name], thanks for completing your verification — everything looks good on our end. Your booking has been confirmed and we'll be sharing check-in details closer to your arrival date. Looking forward to hosting you!
Use this if you've reviewed the flagged information and decided to deny the guest:
Hi [Guest Name], thank you for completing the verification process. After reviewing your booking request, we've decided not to proceed with this reservation. We appreciate your interest and wish you the best in finding a great place to stay.
Denied — verification failed
Hi [Guest Name], unfortunately your identity verification was not approved and we are unable to proceed with this booking as-is. If you believe this was an error, we can set up a new booking so you can go through the verification process again. Please let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll do our best to help.
Frequently asked questions
Can I disable verification for specific guests?
Can I disable verification for specific guests?
No. Guest verification is required for all first-time Direct Premium bookings and cannot be disabled on a per-guest basis. However, returning guests who previously completed verification (after June 25, 2025) may be able to skip the process for future bookings. See Bypass Guest Verification for Returning Direct Premium Guests for details.
What guest data is collected, and how long is it stored?
What guest data is collected, and how long is it stored?
During verification, Hospitable collects the guest's government-issued ID photo, a selfie, and basic personal information (name, date of birth, address) extracted from the ID. This data is used solely for identity verification and fraud prevention purposes. Verification data is retained for 90 days after the guest's check-out date or after the booking expires, whichever applies. If the guest's verification data is reused for a subsequent booking (returning guest skip), the retention period resets from the latest check-out or expiration.
Does verification work for guests in all countries?
Does verification work for guests in all countries?
Guest verification supports government-issued IDs from most countries worldwide. Supported document types include passports, driver's licenses, government-issued ID cards, and military or veteran ID cards (US only). If a guest's country or document type is not recognized by the system, the submission will be flagged for manual review by Direct Support.
Can a guest retry verification if it fails?
Can a guest retry verification if it fails?
Yes. If verification fails, the guest can be sent a new verification session link. If the guest failed due to an ID issue (blurry photo, expired document), they should correct the issue before retrying. If the failure was due to a selfie mismatch or liveness check, the guest should ensure they are in a well-lit environment and using a device with a working front-facing camera.
What if a guest refuses to verify?
What if a guest refuses to verify?
Verification is mandatory for Direct Premium bookings. If a guest does not complete verification, the booking will expire. You cannot override this requirement. If you want to accommodate the guest outside of the Direct Premium flow, you would need to create a manual booking and arrange payment separately — but the reservation would not be covered by Hospitable's Damage Protection or Chargeback Protection.