When you do a search for a place to stay in a city and put in the dates, by default, it only shows you the listings that are "instant book". That means none of the other listings are showing at all, so all of my listings are not being shown to potential renters. People who have never used airbnb, will not know how to change the filter, so won't be able to see the broader range of listings. Thus, it seems airbnb is favoring hosts with instant booking, which I believe to be unfair.
Also, I believe hosts that get to know their guests prior to their booking provide guests better customer service. They also do their neighbors a favor, by more carefully vetting guests through pre-booking conversations and ensuring guests understand the rules. Please change this unfair policy of favoring instant book listings over other listings that require host contact.