Guest asked if my unit has been used for escort/prostitution. How would you respond?

Question

Got an inquiry today (not booked yet). The guest's first message was literally: "Has this unit been used for escort and prostitution services?"

I answered honestly tht nothing like tht has ever happened at my place. She pushed back with "so you're not even sure, even as the host?"

It's a tricky one. My place is full self check-in, so I never meet guests in person, and realistically no host (or even a hotel) can promise what someone does behind a locked door.

How would you guys handle this? Do you give a firm flat "no," or stay honest tht you can't control wht happens in private? Have any of you had a guest ask something like this before?

arnaud · Answer

Personally, I would be very careful with this type of discussion.

I would simply answer that, to your knowledge, no such activity has taken place at the property and leave it at that. I would not get into details about what previous guests may or may not have done.

The reality is that no host, hotel, or property manager can guarantee what happens behind a closed door. What matters is having reasonable measures in place to discourage and detect prohibited activities.

I operate in France, where the legal environment around prostitution is quite sensitive, and hosts need to be extremely careful. My focus is therefore on prevention and compliance:

self check-in combined with connected lock logs
exterior cameras where legally permitted
clear house rules
monitoring occupancy anomalies
neighbor feedback when appropriate
reporting suspicious activity to the platform when necessary

Over the years, I’ve unfortunately encountered this type of situation more than once. Some common warning signs can be:

unusually high visitor traffic
repeated short visits from non-registered guests
discrepancies between the reservation and actual occupancy
a property that appears barely used despite significant traffic

When I identify a problem, I immediately remind the guest that only registered occupants are authorized and that unauthorized visitors are prohibited by the rental agreement and house rules. If needed, I escalate through the platform and, where appropriate, local authorities.

My advice would be not to discuss past incidents with strangers or prospective guests. Focus instead on explaining the controls and policies you have in place today to ensure the property is used appropriately.

Sign up

Login to the community

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded