instant booking

[Anna446]

Did anyone had problems with instant booking as per the quality of guests? Thank you. Anna

[Helga0]

Hi @Anna446, I like your cabin, those warm colors and funny details like the bed under the stairs. 

You can set the IB parameters to accept only recommended guests - that means at least one succesful trip made and a thumbs up sign from the host. 

I use that and it means only people can IB who have at least a vague idea what they are doing. 

IB makes life easier, as it shortens the conversation and explanations. If a message comes in when I'm on a computer or phone, I'm now at about 10 minutes between booking and instructions sent. IB guests tend to answer quickly, they are often waiting to get your reply. 

Most are quite practical people. Some however see an IB room like a hotel room, with no communication obligations, which is rather annoying for an onsite host. If you switch it on, add a rule to contact you with arrival time and flight or other information. You can also put it into the pre-booking message that pops up when they are going to book. 

For the room rental, I did not have negative experiences with IB guest (apart from communication issues once or twice a year), nor would I expect any. For a full unit rental, I would bolster up the house rules and put my exigences very clearly. (I do not put my whole apartment on IB, mostly because I  can't synchronise the two listings; it's either the room or the apartment, and I can't have 2 IB for the same day. 

I had one IB with a guest using an actor's photo and a false name. Airbnb offered to cancel the booking and as the guest did not answer, they did that and removed the profile. I believe it was just a foolish kid, probably admiring the actor, but I had a busy week and did not want to cope with that. Nothing worse than that.

[Anna446]

@Helga0..thank you so much for the quick reply. The thing is I live alone, so it makes me a little nervous. I think I need to think a bit longer, summer is ending here, so I have lots to do after the last day of february, when people come for carnaval. By the first of March they are all gone and I can move back to my house, have my kitchen back and start with redecoration and colors. 

So am going to take a break and work on the cabin and then decide what to do, if instant booking is good. I have a strict rule of no pets and no small children, so if they show up here with a pet and a small child it would be a problem. Thank you for the comments on the cabin, is a very zen cabin, is built on the base of a hill and is packed with wild animals every where.  

My greatest fear is to get a druggie, or a psychopath. And since I live alone, i would only have to relay on my dog to defend me.  But I appreciate your note and will keep it for future reference. All the best. Anna

[Sabine42]

yes, that's why i require positive reviews from guests. i find it's a pretty good filter, seasoned airbnb'ers (mostly) know how to read a listing, know what to expect and appreciate the fact that they're getting a good deal. that being said, i had to decline a couple of requests and instant bookings because i smelled disaster. hope this helps!