Clarification/Tutorial: Calendar Rules Using Advanced Notice and Instant Book

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

This post is to provide clarity on using Instant Book and Advanced Notice together.  This is a long post.  At the bottom, there are a couple of important points about guests being able to book under conditions when you might not expect them to be able to do so.

First, let's make sure everyone understands these terms: 

Definitions:

• Instant Book is defined as the process that results in an auto-acceptance of a reservation request.  
  • This is limited by the requirements an individual host has for accepting a potential guest (guest requirements) and
  • if the request meets the calendar requirements. 
• Traditional Book is defined as the process of guest sending a request and the host manually needing to act on it either to approve or decline
  • This is limited by the requirements an individual host has for accepting a potential guest (guest requirements) and
  • If the request meets the calendar requirements
• Calendar Requirement is defined as the restrictions created by a host.
  • This will define when a reservation can be accepted
  • It relates to availability and creates a time threshold for reservation requests

One of the Calendar Requirements you can choose is Advanced Notice: 

Advanced notice is defined as the length of time a reservation request needs to be presented in advance.  If you choose one of the Advance Notice options and it is within the Advanced Notice timeframe when a guest is trying to book, a host's listing will not be presented to the guest for consideration.

To make things convenient, there are multiple Advance notice pre-settings available: 

1. Same Day - which allows for a customizable cutoff hour between 6am and 12am and
2. Options for "At least xx day's notice".  These are 1 day, 2 day, 3 day and 7 days

 In a Traditional process, this Advanced Notice is the time you want to get ready for a reservation.  That means if you want 3 days notice, the earliest someone can book is for 3 days from today.  

If you are an Instant Book host and you select one of the options for "At least xx day's notice" you will also be presented with an option box to choose the Override box for guests who meets your Instant book criteria.  

Here is one important point.  If you choose this Override, you are giving permission to guests who meet your Guest Requirements to book using the Instant Book process, which might be within the Advanced Notice timeframe.  

A guest who does not meet your Instant Book requirements will be held to the Traditional process and will be held to the Advanced Notice rule.  

Here is the second important point.  By checking the box to override the Advanced Notice condition, you are giving an Instant Book qualifying guest the ability to book up to 11:59pm on the SAME DAY.  This is because you cannot have both Same Day cut off hours and allow for Instant Book Guests to book within the Advanced Notice timeframe.  

I wrote this tutorial because I got some surprise bookings.  I looked into it with Airbnb and learned this information, so I decided to share it in case others are getting surprised too.

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Thanks for this clarification.  It is quite helpful.  

[Lizzie]

Great guide @Alice-and-Jeff0, thank you so much for creating this and ironing out any confusion around these two terms. 🙂

[Christine455]

Great guide, but WHERE are the settings?

I have instant booking activated (Guests who meet all your requirements can book without requesting approval) and I know it works because guests have been booking.   But after literally hours of searching, I can't find the settings anywhere.

58 feeling like 150!

[Lise36]

Thanks, but I have advanced notice of 3 days set and no instant booking - no little box shows up that says allow instant bookers to override - and I just got a same day booking request. I don't know how they could have seen the listing on the SAME DAY. frustrated.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

This tutorial is no longer relevent.  If you are a qualifying IB guest but within the advanced notice timeframe, you are only allowed to "request to book" not instant book as noted.  This must have been a change since this tutorial was written.  

[Angie288]

no matter how I set the time on my booking calendar either day day people check out is blocked or the day people check in is blocked. Does any one have any advice?