There is sometimes confusion between a booking enquiry (just asking for information) and a trip request (pre-payment involved) so if you are in any doubt, if you see a pre-approve option, it's definitely an enquiry. Another tell tale sign is that your calendar is not blocked for the dates that your guest is enquiring about, unlike a trip request where the dates are blocked for 24 hours and you will only see two options showing -approve or decline
To reply to an enquiry you need to go to your Inbox and several options show up underneath the guest's message:
- Pre-approve
- Accept
- Decline
In reality, all that is required of you is that you message back to the guest within 24 hours (the sooner the better) and it is only your first response time that is taken into account by the algorithm. You may need more than a day to reply to the questions that your guest has for you, especially if you are in a different time zone but the heat is off as soon as you send that first message and you can continue messaging as long as you like and none of the subsequent messages will count in your response time, only that first one.
Our response time and response rate both show up on our listing under our profil so guests can see how quickly or slowly a hosts responds. Our response rate is something that is taken into account for obtaining Super Host status.
If you want to learn more about the two types of responses here is a link:
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/430?locale=en
So back to the question in hand, you've answered your guest within the 24 hour deadline and are waiting for them to reply before you feel comfortable with either accepting or pre-approving their dates or the messaging may have just come to a halt with no further action required. Even though you will receive emails from Airbnb reminding you to pre-approve, accept or decline for about two days you can ignore these if you are not in a position to act or if you have already explained to the guest via the inbox why your place is not a good fit for example, so just answering that first enquiry as quickly as possible is enough when you receive a booking enquiry.
However, it does become important to decline a booking enquiry when you have a guest who has asked to book outside of the platform for example or if you clearly feel uncomfortable having this person staying in your place, since by pressing the decline button, the problem guest is stopped by Airbnb from sending you a trip request.
On the other hand, if you feel that the guest is a good fit then proceed to either accept or pre-approve. You can pre-approve several guests at the same time and the first one that accepts will become a confirmed reservation and your calendar will be blocked off for that period.
FAQ:
* What happens if I don't reply to an inquiry within 24 hours? This will be considered as a late response and will affect your response time
* Can I withdraw a pre-approval once sent? Yes and no penalty
* How long does a guest have to accept a pre-approval before it expires? 24 hours
* Can I or the guest start the process again? Yes just ask them to resend a trip request
* Is my calendar blocked during the pre-approval stage? No
* Can I send a special offer to the guest? Yes - this option is available when you pre-approve a guest – just follow the steps
