I am SOOOO done with Instant Booking

[Kia272]

Believe it or not, this was the last straw:

"Hello! My husband and I are coming for a wedding. We are very much looking forward to staying close to the venue."

I don't ask for much, but I do ask that prospective guests review my property details carefully and confirm that they have done so in the (required) note when they book. Note that she couldn't even use my name, and says nothing about the property. Only that she's looking forward to the stay because it's close to the venue (a local resort and spa). 

I wrote her back asking her to confirm review of the property details. She also added someone to the reservation (not her husband) so I asked her about that too. I did this within minutes of her making the reservation. After more than 24 hours with no response, I asked AirBnB to cancel, which they did, although I had to be very insistent. 

While this isn't a huge transgression in the larger scheme of things, it was the last straw for me. My property description is very thorough, and I want prospective guests to be aware of both the good and the "bad" things that *could* happen during their stay. Mostly it's about the potential for noise. Writing them back after they've omitted the confirmation in their first contact gives them a second chance to get it right. I had another guest do this last week, and after reviewing my property details carefully she canceled because she hadn't paid enough attention to realize that I don't have air conditioning. Better to ward off the problems before they come to stay. 

This has happened more and more lately, and I'm just fed up, so after having had instant book on since I started on AirBnB, I actually turned it off while on the phone with support. Let's see what happens. 

I'm at the point where I'd rather have my place empty than deal with idiots (sorry- venting)

For those of you who don't use instant book, I'd love some reassurance that this does work. 

Happy (??) hosting, 

Kia

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Kia272  We tried IB for awhile, a long time ago. It brought us guests who came with their own agenda & expectations, regardless of our rules and house manual. We did fine before we tried it and continued to do fine after we switched it off. Like anything, it is good for some people, and not for others. See what happens for you. I'll bet you will be OK. Let us know, please.

[Kia272]

@Kitty-and-Creek0  Thank you! I hope it will work out.  It was kind of "easy" so I just kept IB going. I think more than anything, my attitude has changed. I've gone from eager host to jaded host. 

I don't think it's too big an ask to have a guest confirm that they've read the entire listing, but it seems to be a real challenge for some. I'll see how it goes. Cheers

[Richard531]

@Kia272  You're clearly fed up and it's understandable.

But no, most people don't read ANYTHING.  And most pretty much never will.  By turning off IB, your listing will have > 0% reduction in bookings.  So that's a bummer.  But, like you said, it'll be worth it to you to mitigate some, if not most, of the idiots.  

And even people that decide to read for a moment while requestion to book your place may still not read once they get in "vacation mode" and actually arrive (being their true jerk selves all over again).  

It's a general entitlement thing.  And it's up to every member of society to let others know how awful they are when people around you behave this way.  People will improve!  But they have to be told how awful they are.  It'll get better just like it always does.

[Ruth413]

@Kia272 I use to use IB but turned it off at the beginning of the pandemic because I was fed up with people trying to book saying "I know we are not meant to travel but we just so need a break away".  I like you was concerned re the affect it would have on potential future bookings but I can honestly say it was the best thing we did.

Yes, we probably get pushed down the searches but somehow people still managed to find us and I really appreciate the communication I now have with a guest before any booking is made.  Although I do still get request to book with messages saying "We will be arriving at 4pm" and nothing else.  Sometimes the guests don't actually realise that the booking is not an actual booking but just a request.

I don't think I would ever turn IB on again. 

Good Luck. 

[Gillian166]

I have 3 listings but only one with IB. It's my easiest one: couples only and your guests sound perfect! that's a bit part of my base: couple coming up for a wedding or romantic night away in our wine region, <1hr from home.   I don't have IB on for my other 2 and they book just fine. You'll be fine. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Isn't it frustrating we have to go through 5 pages and check 10 checkboxes to turn it off, while there is just one click needed to turn IB on? I would like if ABB is so thorough and persistant when showing our house rules to guests

[Kia272]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 Indeed! I had to do a Google search to figure out how to turn it off, and it took many, many clicks. I had to check individual boxes indicating that I was aware that the end of the world was nigh if I was to turn off IB. Seriously-boxes telling me I'd be lower down in searches, and on and on. It was challenging, and definitely designed to make me question my own decision. 

AirBnB is such a hot mess right now, with the "summer launch" that has made a hash job of everything. 

The best thing they could do right now is admit that the "redesign" was a huge mistake and try to pick up the pieces. I know that's not going to happen. 

[Kelly149]

yep @Kia272 same as you... if ABB would go ahead and actually show guests the House Rules, I'd consider having IB back on, but since they don't and since guests don't find them themselves, we've gone to Request Only... which gives us the time/space to reset guest expectations. Much easier to accept or reject a Request than it is to undo an IB

[Suzanne302]

@Kia272 

I have IB turned on (with requirements) and never had a problem, but as someone mentioned above, it works for some people and not for others.

As a guest however, I don't care whether I can IB or not! That has never been a consideration in my searches and I don't know why Airbnb pushes it so hard.

Of course, I don't search Airbnb anymore as a guest because, well, you can't find what you need anymore. Until they get their search functioning again, I'll be sticking to VRBO and hotels.

[Helen56]

@Kia272 I have never used IB and don't intend to.  I've been hosting one room in my home so need to make sure the guests seem ok.  I've had plenty of bookings, and they have gradually increased over time as I've amassed lots of good reviews.  Don't worry - you will be fine.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Helen56 @Kia272 

I am a home share host as well. Without IB, I get great guests who think about why they want to come here, and consciously decide. For my home share I think that is quite important, Like you @Helen56 . A Request gives them an opportunity to say what their intention is, what is their goal for the stay. It is definitely not too much to ask, they are sharing what their decision process was. I tend to follow up with pointed communications. By the time they arrive we are no longer a collection of strangers. 

[Kia272]

@Kitty-and-Creek0  @Helen56  I'm so glad that request only has worked out for you. I agree that with a home-share guest, vetting is so important. 

My place is more suited to couples or families and weekend stays, and I think IB is "easy" for people who just want to click and confirm, but I'm going to stay request only for the time being to see how it works out. Thanks! 

[Anonymous]

@Kia272   Request Only has always worked for me, and never stopped me from hitting the occupancy targets. But I haven't hosted since the search results became a scrambled mess, so I'm not sure I'd still be reaping the benefits of a central location and a high review count.

I think guests who are enthusiastic about a specific home have no problem going through a small extra step to request it. When guests get the sense that you don't take all comers, and that they've been specially selected, they seem to have a higher value for the hospitality. One downside was having to decline requests because the clock was running out and they hadn't answered a follow-up question. I would've preferred a "reset the clock" button for those.

[Kia272]

@Anonymous  I think it's a matter of me making the mental transition from IB to request only. At this point, I'm not too worried about it. I'd rather avoid the annoyance of IB guests not being able to manage the basics. There's more opportunity to work with request-only guests, as there's some mandatory correspondence that has to happen. 

AirBnB could do so much more to encourage guests to read and review carefully, including redesigning some of the website pages, not hiding essential information, and a host of other things that would benefit both guest and host, but I know that won't happen any time soon. 

Yes, I hope it will work out for me, but at this point I'd truly rather have empty space than deal with idiots. Cheers, Kia