Recently I noticed that Airbnb tends to slyly optimize the search experience by showing properties that only allow Instant Book first. I get it: it's easier for both the traveler and host—assuming, that is, the host is running the property as a fulltime business.
But what about hosts who truly operate under Airbnb's supposed ideal model, by sharing their homes when their away, sharing their home in order to take an impromptu trip, etc.?
For these hosts, having Instant Book turned on isn't an option. It's their primary residence and they can't up and leave whenever a booking comes in. Yet with Instant Booking turned off they run the risk of being left out of searches. It's simply unfair for Airbnb to promote itself as empowering everyday people when the site openly favors those who can turn second and third homes into full time businesses.
An easy fix, assuming anyone who works for Airbnb reads these boards: please, PLEASE allow for Instant Book to be applied to select dates in much the way pricing can be tweaked. That way, when you KNOW you're going to be out of town (holiday, vacation, whatever) you can apply Instant Book to those dates, increasing your chance at a booking. Other dates can then be treated at the host's discretion: either blocked (because the host knows she'll be using the place) or left open (because the host may decide she wants to accept for a variety of reasons).
