Airbnb guest phone numbers and emails: what changes on 20 November 2026

For bookings made from 20 November 2026, Airbnb won't let you ask guests for their phone number, email or home address anymore. And if your PMS used to pass on the guest's number, that's changing too: Airbnb has largely stopped sending real guest phone numbers to connected software. Any check-in flow that runs on WhatsApp or SMS will miss part of your Airbnb guests. The good news: the Airbnb conversation still reaches every one of them. Below, we walk you through what's changing and how to move your guest communication into that conversation.

Airbnb is changing how you get guest contact details

Two things are changing at once: what you're allowed to ask guests for, and what Airbnb shares with you and your software. Here is the overview, with the details below.

From 20 November 2026: no more asking for contact details

Here's the headline rule. For any Airbnb booking made on or after 20 November 2026, you can't ask guests for their phone number, email or home address, not before they book and not during their stay. There are a few exceptions, for example when the law, a documented community association rule or an allowed contract requires it. Even then, your listing has to say so before the guest books. You can read the full details in Airbnb's updated contact information policy.

Rolling out: temporary phone numbers in the US and Canada

In the US and Canada, Airbnb is also swapping real numbers for temporary phone numbers. You and your guest can still call and text, but WhatsApp won't work, and the number stops working 48 hours after checkout, or right away if the booking is cancelled. You'll still see the last four digits of the guest's real number. For now, this only covers eligible reservations, including ones managed through connected software, but Airbnb plans to roll it out to more markets.

Your PMS no longer gets the guest's real number

This one is easy to miss, because it has nothing to do with what you ask. If you open a reservation in the Airbnb app or on the website, you can usually still see the guest's phone number, unless it's a temporary one. But if you work with software connected to Airbnb, like a property management system, it's a different story: since late October 2026, Airbnb no longer sends guests' real phone numbers to that software. Eligible US and Canadian reservations get a temporary number instead, and for most other reservations, the guest shows up in your PMS without a phone number at all.

Missing phone numbers break check-in flows

Any workflow that starts with the guest's phone number now works for fewer Airbnb bookings. Picture an apartment booked on Airbnb on 25 November for a stay in December. Your check-in flow used to ask the guest to confirm their mobile number, so the door code could go out by WhatsApp the day before arrival. Under the new policy, you can't ask for that number anymore. The WhatsApp message has nowhere to go, and your team only finds out when the guest messages from the doorstep, through the Airbnb chat.

WhatsApp check-in messages, SMS door codes and a quick call the day before arrival all depend on that number. Without it, you'll notice it in two ways:

• Check-in instructions and door codes sent by WhatsApp or SMS don't reach the guest, and often nobody notices until the guest asks where they are.
• The team switches between the Airbnb inbox, WhatsApp and the PMS to work out what each guest has received, and the next shift can't see the whole conversation in one place.

Serviced apartments and aparthotels face a few extra situations

Serviced apartment and aparthotel teams often deal with registration laws, longer stays, smart locks and bookings from several channels. Here's how Airbnb's policy handles each one.

Guest registration and ID checks

In many European countries and cities, you're legally required to register guests, often with ID details. That falls under Airbnb's exception for applicable law, with three conditions: your property's Airbnb page must explain what you need and why in its additional rules section before the guest books, you can't collect more than the law asks for, and Airbnb may ask you for proof. You can still check a guest's ID in person at check-in if your property's Airbnb page says so, but you can't keep a copy unless the law requires it.

Monthly stays of 28 nights or more

For stays of 28 nights or more, Airbnb allows a separate rental agreement, and you can collect the details needed to sign it. The terms have to be disclosed in the designated section of your property's Airbnb page, and the contract itself can't contain personal information, because that section is public. For mid-term guests, this is the cleanest way to get what you need for a longer stay.

Smart locks and keyless entry

Keyless entry apps that need the guest to register are still allowed, but you must offer another way in if the guest asks. Plan that alternative now, such as a door code, a key box or reception, and send the instructions in the Airbnb conversation.

Bookings from Booking.com and direct channels

Airbnb's contact-details rule doesn't apply to Booking.com or to direct bookings. Booking.com did make a related change, though: since 28 September 2026, it no longer passes guest phone numbers to property management systems and channel managers, although you can still see them in the Booking.com extranet. If you take bookings on several channels, check each check-in flow separately, and don't assume a guest's number is in your PMS.

When a guest shares their number themselves

Airbnb's new policy doesn't say what happens if a guest offers their phone number or WhatsApp without being asked. The previous policy allowed you to switch to a chat app if the guest requested it after booking, but the new text doesn't repeat that. Until Airbnb clarifies, the safest choice is to keep the conversation, and everything the guest needs for their stay, in the Airbnb thread.

Five steps to adapt your Airbnb guest communication

Most of the fix comes down to moving guest messages into the Airbnb conversation and dropping any requests for contact details. Here's a simple checklist:

1. Start by listing every automated message that goes out by WhatsApp or SMS, and note which ones run for Airbnb bookings.
2. Move those messages to the Airbnb conversation. It reaches every guest, number or not.
3. Remove requests for a phone number, email or home address from Airbnb messages, check-in forms and house rules for reservations booked from 20 November. Where one of Airbnb's exceptions applies, say in the listing what you need and why.
4. Send post-stay messages, such as review requests or a forgotten-item follow-up, through the Airbnb conversation. Temporary numbers stop working 48 hours after checkout.
5. Test what your messaging tool does when a WhatsApp or SMS message has no number to go to: does it fail silently, or does your team see that the message didn't arrive?

Quick note: this is a summary of Airbnb's published policy, not legal advice. Always check the rules that apply to your own properties and location.

Guestway keeps every Airbnb guest message in one place

This is where Guestway comes in. Guestway works on top of your property management system (PMS) and sends messages to Airbnb guests in the same thread they already see in the Airbnb app. Thanks to the Airbnb integration with Guestway, messages go back and forth directly, and earlier messages in each conversation come along too.

In the Guestway Unified Inbox, every Airbnb conversation sits right next to its reservation and your other guest channels, so nobody has to jump between tabs to see what's going on.

For Airbnb guests, guest messages in Guestway Automations are best sent through the Airbnb channel, so the check-in instructions reach every guest and nobody has to chase a missing number. If a WhatsApp or SMS message does go out to a guest without a number, it shows up as failed in the inbox, so your team sees straight away what didn't arrive.

For operators running over 100 units, the real gain is one screen for every channel:

"One central inbox completely changed our daily workflow. Instead of constantly switching between the OTA portals, WhatsApp and emails, everything now flows into one screen."

Michael Oprinsen, Hotel Manager, A-STAY Antwerp (read the A-STAY case study)

Get ready for 20 November

20 November is just around the corner. Want every Airbnb conversation, check-in instruction and guest request in one place, without relying on phone numbers? We'd love to show you how Guestway does it. Book a demo

Frequently asked questions

Can Airbnb hosts ask guests for their phone number after 20 November 2026?

Not for bookings made on or after 20 November 2026. Airbnb only allows it when the law, a documented community association rule or an allowed contract requires it, and your listing has to say so before the guest books.

Do WhatsApp messages still work for Airbnb guests?

Only if you have the guest's real number. Airbnb's temporary numbers don't support WhatsApp, and you can't ask for a number anymore, so the Airbnb conversation is the safer channel.

Do the new Airbnb rules apply to bookings made before 20 November 2026?

No. Bookings made before 20 November 2026 still fall under Airbnb's previous Off-Platform Policy. Under that policy, you can ask the guest after booking to confirm that the contact details Airbnb provided work for communication.

Last updated: 9 November 2026