An update for hosts who use the email alias feature

We know how important it is for you to communicate seamlessly with your guests, so we’re constantly working to simplify how you can connect and share information.

To protect the privacy of our community, Airbnb has never shared guest and host email addresses with each other. One of the ways that hosts could contact guests was through our email alias feature, which created an unique and anonymous email for guests—something like stephanie-dfsnsns@guest.airbnb.com. Earlier this year, we polled some of our hosts in the Community Center and learned that many of you preferred to use Airbnb messaging instead of the email alias feature.

We wanted to let you know that we’ll be retiring the email alias feature starting in early August, but don’t worry: If you relied on email to send important documents, you’ll still have lots of ways to contact your guests.

Here’s what you need to know:

• You can always share important information using Airbnb messaging or by calling or texting. These features won’t change, and with this update, you’ll be able to streamline your communications.
• You can always post detailed information directly on your listing. You’ll still be able to include info like house rules and check-in instructions on your listing. Guests can access these important details without needing you to send them every time.
• We’re working on allowing hosts to attach documents directly in Airbnb messaging. To help hosts and guests stay organized by having everything in one place, we’re working on supporting attachments like PDFs, photos, and other documents in Airbnb messaging.
• You can still share links to important documents with your guests. We know some hosts previously used our email alias feature to send documents to guests to comply with local laws or HOA agreements. If you need to share these types of documents, you can send links in Airbnb messaging. 
• You can keep using the email alias feature if you have no alternatives. If you use connected software that isn’t integrated with Airbnb messaging, or you must send documents as attachments, you can fill out our attestation form to continue using the guest email alias feature. However, we do recommend that you use document links in messaging whenever possible.
• We’re making these changes as part of our Off-Platform Policy. In order to protect our community and business, we ask hosts not to direct guests off Airbnb. This includes asking for reviews or feedback on a non-Airbnb website, asking for guests’ contact information before they book a stay, or misusing their contact information. Please keep this policy in mind, especially if you plan to fill out our attestation form to continue using the email alias feature. Learn more

We hope these changes can help you simplify how you communicate with guests. As always, thanks for hosting on Airbnb and being such an important part of the community.

This article has been updated after initial publication. Information contained in this article may have changed since the last update.