Experienced guests setting or not

[Ulrika31]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to hosting and have a question about the “Only experienced guests” setting. I’d prefer to host guests with great reviews, but I also want as many people as possible to see my listing.

Would it be a good idea to turn off that setting so that anyone can request to book, and then I decide whether to accept based on their reviews? Or will the algorithm penalize me if I decline too many requests?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0]

Hi @Ulrika31 👋,

Welcome to hosting and to the Airbnb community!

You're asking a great question—here’s how it works:

✅ The “Only experienced guests” setting limits visibility to guests who have at least one prior stay and a good track record. It’s great for peace of mind, especially when you’re just starting out.

However…

🔓 Turning off this setting will open your listing to all guests, which increases visibility and potential bookings—but also means you might receive requests from first-time users without reviews.

If you choose to allow all guests:

You can leave Instant Book off and use Request to Book instead.

This gives you control—you can review each profile, message them, and decide whether to accept.

🔺 Important: Yes, declining too many requests can affect your ranking and visibility. Airbnb’s algorithm prefers hosts who accept bookings consistently, so try to keep declines low or use pre-approval and messaging to gently guide decisions without declining outright.

💡 Tip: If you're unsure about a guest, message them to ask for more info before accepting. Many new guests are kind and respectful—they’re just new!

Wishing you safe, smooth, and successful hosting!

[Ulrika31]

Thank you for your detailed response! 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Ulrika31

I think you're referring to this "Good track record setting"?

This is an option when you use Instant Book. When you use Instant Book, you generally don't get requests to book. You will only see requests when the dates fall outside of your availability settings, or when a guest chooses to request first, or when a guest does not have a good track record. So this means almost all of your bookings that fall within your normal settings, will already be confirmed by the time you receive them.

So to answer your question:

Would it be a good idea to turn off that setting so that anyone can request to book, and then I decide whether to accept based on their reviews? 

You won't have an opportunity to decide whether to accept someone if you use Instant Book. To have that opportunity, you'll have to turn off Instant Book altogether (not just the "Good Track Record" part). Many hosts do turn off Instant Book, but this may affect your position in search results.

[Ulrika31]

Thank you so much for your answer, @Shelley159 ! But I don't have the Instant Book setting on, I only have requested bookings for which I get to accept or reject 😊

[Trude0]

@Shelley159 
Apparently there’s a new setting now that new hosts can choose when first listing - allowing only experienced guests to request to book. (Not related to Instant Book.) 

@Ulrika31 

Hej från en annan svensk värd! 

I’ve hosted many new guests with no reviews, and they have all been great. And there are experienced guests out there with high ratings and nice reviews, who are not great guests. The ratings and reviews cannot always be trusted - your ”gut feeling” is more important. Take advice also from other hosts (local FB groups), if in doubt about a booking request.

That being said, the scam attempts that new hosts commonly receive, typically come from guest profiles with no stays/reviews, so ”Only experienced guests” setting would likely save you from those. 

[Shelley159]

I’ve hosted many new guests with no reviews, and they have all been great. And there are experienced guests out there with high ratings and nice reviews, who are not great guests. 

I could not agree more @Trude0 !

[Taskeen1]

Hello there

im newbie too

but why off list but the same time you want people to look up ur list?....

and same goes to question if decline is it will bring trouble?