One of the most active discussion topics here in the Community Center is on Instant Book. During our conversations, many of you have raised important questions regarding this hosting tool. So we brought your most-asked questions to the Instant Book team and have gathered the answers for you.
I really hope you find the responses helpful. To make it easier to read all the information here, please click on the 'Read more' sections to view the replies! 🙂
Why should I use Instant Book? What are the real advantages?
There are lots of reasons you might consider using Instant Book.
1. For many of you, hosting is your business. You put a lot of effort and time into creating a welcoming experience, and you also rely on the income you generate. Hosts who use Instant Book often get up to two times as many bookings than hosts who require reservation requests. Here’s why: 2. Guests usually prefer to book instantly, if they have that option. It saves them time and allows them to get on with planning the rest of their trip. 3. We have a filter on our search page that allows guests to filter for Instant Book listings, and nearly 2 out of 3 bookings on Airbnb are made using Instant Book. Instant Book saves you time because you don’t have to respond manually to every reservation request from travelers.
Besides your investment in your own business, as a host you’re on the front lines of creating a world where everyone belongs. Instant Book is a powerful tool you can use to help foster that sense of belonging:
1. Instant Book is one of the best ways to ensure that every guest can receive equal treatment on Airbnb. 2. Our data tells us that a guest who tries to book on Airbnb and gets rejected (or doesn't hear back from a host) is less likely to ever use Airbnb again -- even less likely than a guest who has a 1-star trip on Airbnb! 3. We consistently find that the quality of guests and types of trips booked using Instant Book are nearly identical to request to book trips. Instant Book guests receive the same average ratings from their hosts as any other guest.
Yes, you’re more likely to get more bookings if you turn on Instant Book. Here are some reasons why:
Guests prefer Instant Book. More than 60% of bookings on Airbnb are now booked instantly.
Instant Book listings get a boost in search results.
Turning on Instant Book means your listing will show in search results when the Instant Book filter is applied.
More views often translates to more reservations. And, our data shows that Instant Book hosts often get up to 2x more reservations than request to book listings.
I'm a new host. I wasn't aware of Instant Book and got a booking without accepting and haven't updated my calendar yet. I have cancelled the booking and now have been fined. Why is Instant Book a default?
We’re careful to make it clear to new hosts that they can be booked instantly when they set up their listing, but we know there’s room for improvement. Since new hosts are still getting used to Airbnb, we waive the cancellation fee for one host cancellation every six months (learn more).
The reason we want new hosts to use Instant Book when they join Airbnb is that Instant Book is aligned with Airbnb’s mission of creating a world where people can belong anywhere. Guests also prefer to book instantly, and hosts have the potential to earn more if they let guests book instantly. Finally, we’re slowly moving toward Instant Book being the prefered booking method on Airbnb, so this starts new hosts off in the future of booking on Airbnb.
Can I prevent a bad guest that I've had in the past from booking my listing in the future via Instant Book?
Yes! We recently made a change on Airbnb that automatically blocks guests you’ve negatively reviewed or rated lower than 3 stars from booking with you again.
This is my home and I want to have more control around who stays here. How can I trust that the person arriving at my home is the same person that booked?
In order to book a home on Airbnb, all guests must meet certain requirements, which include verified phone number, email address, and payment information. We also encourage hosts and guests to add verifications through their social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn.
Hosts can also require that guests submit their government-issued ID to Airbnb for comparison with another form of ID. Usually this process includes the host submitting a selfie photo which Airbnb will check to make sure the selfie matches the photo on their ID. These different layers of verification can help you ensure your guests are who they say they are.
Why is Airbnb giving a search boost to hosts who have Instant Book turned on? I feel like I am at a disadvantage by not turning it on.
Like you, we want to make sure that travelers choose Airbnb when they book a place. This is why we promote listings that travelers can book instantly. Guests are much more likely to use Airbnb when they’re able to book the place they want instantly, and that means more future business for hosts! We want to encourage hosts to turn on Instant Book because they have the potential to earn more and give their guests the best possible booking experience.
We understand that Instant Book may not work for every single host. You can turn off Instant Book at any time in your Booking Settings. However, before you turn off Instant Book, we encourage you to explore the different guest, calendar, and reservation settings we have available to help you get reservations that fit your listing. For example, if you feel like your reservations are back-to-back and you don’t have any time between them, you can actually set your calendar to automatically block days between reservations.
How often can I cancel an Instant Book penalty free? For what reasons?
Hosts who use Instant Book have unlimited penalty-free cancellations if a guest breaks a house rule, if they intend to break a house rule, or if the host is uncomfortable with a reservation. These types of cancellations are 100% penalty-free, which means no fees, no automated review, no permanently blocked dates, and no impact on Superhost eligibility.
However, you can’t cancel penalty-free if your reason violates Airbnb’s Non-Discrimination policy. If a guest claims there’s been discrimination, the cancellation will need to be reviewed by Airbnb and may not be penalty-free.
Why are you pushing instant book when it takes away the personal touch that makes Airbnb special?
Our goal with Instant Book isn’t to take the personal touch away, but to help the host focus less time on the logistics of booking (emailing back and forth, managing expectations, confirming house rules, etc.) and more on the part of hosting that is the magic of Airbnb.
Moreover, Instant Book as an experience helps make guests feel more welcome when they use Airbnb. With reservation requests, guests can often get multiple rejections, even if they meet all the requirements to book. And it’s hard for guests to plan their trip when they’re waiting on hosts who are unresponsive. When guests get rejected or find it hard to book a listing, they’ll often choose to avoid Airbnb when booking their next trip. Knowing they can go on Airbnb, find a place they love, and book it right then, makes guests more confident and more likely to use Airbnb every time they travel.
I have been hosting for a while, and some of my guests who have booked via Instant Book have broken my house rules. Why would I trust Instant Book?
While there are always exceptions to any rule, it’s important to know that on average, guests who use Instant Book are rated by hosts just as highly as those who request to book. We consistently find that the quality of guests and types of trips booked using Instant Book are nearly identical to request to book trips.
We provide the ability for you to set clear expectations about your listing in your House Rules and listing description so that both you and your guests share the same understanding about the home.
We want Instant Book hosts to feel as confident that they’re getting the right reservations as hosts who require a reservation request. That’s why if you’re ever uncomfortable with a reservation or if a guest breaks your house rules, you can cancel 100% penalty-free online, anytime. You can learn more about canceling reservations in the Help Center.
Why do only Instant Book guests have to verify their ID and other guests do not?
Before they can make any reservation, all Airbnb guests are required to submit and confirm their full name, email address, phone number, and payment information. Since Instant Book hosts don’t have the opportunity to review every request, travelers who wish to use Instant Book are required to verify their ID with Airbnb. This way, Instant Book hosts can have more confidence that their guests are who they say they are. In addition, since Instant Book hosts don’t get to see a traveler’s reviews until they receive a booking, we allow them to limit Instant Book reservations to experienced guests with only positive reviews.
This is a suggestion: Can you create a setting where certain dates in our calendars can be booked by Instant Book and other dates must be booked normally?
This a great idea! We’re exploring ways to do this and will provide updates if we decide to move forward with it.
Does turning OFF Instant Book make your listing disappear from searches?
No, turning off Instant Book doesn’t make your listing disappear from search results. However, guests have the ability to filter for Instant Book listings, and in some cases, that filter may be turned on by default. When the filter is on, listings that have Instant Book turned off will not show up unless the traveller turns the filter off.
Thank you,
Lizzie
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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
I've also been with Airbnb for 5 years, great location & reviews, but few enquiries or bookings now as I won't/cant turn on IB- the best thing about Airbnb , as opposed to Booking.com etc, used to be the communication element- I am really pretty good at getting a feeling about a guest from one or twp emails. Then we both know what to expect. As for the would-be guests, mentioned in Lizzie's glib spiel, who are repeatedly rejected- there is probably a reason for this! I have never rejected guests on the basis of race, nationality, sexual identity eyc, however an impolite enquiry solicits an instant rejection from me, as do the ones who are asking for something that is clearly against my 'House Rules'-and IB makes no allowance for this. I agree that they're just setting up to sell to the highest bidder, and the party's over for me!
Wanted to address a couple things I saw and didn't see in this thread.
1. Most Important: Guests that you don't want rebooking with IB.
This is still bad the way it is now, very bad. When I have a guest who doesn't follow house rules or abuses my listing, they are often the guests that have nowhere else to go and attempt to rebook with me BEFORE their listing expires. This is always a problem, I could wait it out and leave bad review, but by that time they have already rebooked AND now have a new review hanging over my head. We NEED a way to block or flag a guest while their stay is current.
2. Some of you mentioned you are worried Airbnb would sell out to booking.com or something like that. You're missing the big picture: Airbnb has legal and tax agreements with almost every local jurisdiction they are in, this is MASSIVE. In the near future, people will be using Airbnb for short, medium, AND long term stays. Airbnb had placed itself to be a monster company in real estate as well as vacation stays. Keep racking up those good reviews, they will be super valuable soon, note than they are now.
Speaking of arrangements in local jurisdictions - my Town Zoning Board told me that airbnb is going to start notifying Towns as of next year when a booking goes up so the Town can enforce permitting. Anyone hear of this? I would love to knock off some of my competitors who never went through the official local licensing process. Then again, by lying and checking the airbnb box that says they did would forfeit any airbnb protection they had in a major suit. Too, I think one's home insurance company would have a pretty good argument not to cover any claims if they are not in compliance. Still it irks me. Anyone hear about this?
Hi - I have set Instant Book for 3 months. I saw that all months beyond that period were blanked out. I chose to manually unblock these future dates. Can i be confident that i have restricted the Instant Book period to the coming 3 months and not one day longer. I want to tread carefully with this option. Your advice really appreciated.
This is so wonderfully confusing you can be sure I will never use IB! Presumably airbnb will actually send out some information that addresses all these questions. I love the part where after someone instant books you can ask questions and decline them if there are issues. Wow! Instant Book unless you aren't accepted! What a huge improvement!
I read the statement above several times that hosts can cancel an Instant Book reservation without penalty "if they are uncomfortable with the reservation." But that is definitely NOT what is stated in the policy about cancellations. Policy refers us to "extenuating circumstances" which are all emergency-based (death, disease, property damage, etc.).
It is great to see your involvement in this thread and it is lovely to meet you.
I just wanted to say that I have been back several time to the Instant Book team with additional questions that have arisen here since I shared the opening information,which was gathered from frequently asked questions I have seen beening asked here in the Community Center. I have replied to these directly earlier in this thread, so I am sorry if this isn't as obvious as this is now quite a long discussion! If there is any confusion or additional questions regarding this topic please do highlight and I will try my best to get an answer. 🙂
Thank so much,
Lizzie
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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
I have posted a few times asking why the instant book cannot be left to the decretion of the user as with other filters and not put on by default. I would think that this way would be to the benefit of all hosts in the interests of 'fair play'!
Strangly nobody from Airbnb has replied to my comments.
Thanks for your message. I am sorry this hasn't been covered.
As mentioned in my opening post, the team have said that 'guests have the ability to filter for Instant Book listings, and in some cases, that filter may be turned on by default,' therefore it isn't applied to all accounts.
Having said this, it is really good to here your thoughts and I will share them with the team and if I receive any more information around this I will certainly come back to you.
Do you have any thoughts on other ways this could be displayed on the site to guests?
Thanks so much,
Lizzie
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Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.
Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.
If quests want to shorten there search why can't it always be left to their decretion to turn on the Instant book filter.
When I search myself and there are a lot of listings; I will narrow down my search by 2 beds only, 2 bathrooms only, center city etc.
having the IB filter coming on by default is giving preference to the host who use this booking method and is unfair to those who don't as there listing s
