Why is instant booking now default when searching? AirBnB keeps on pushing instant book.

Why is instant booking now default when searching? AirBnB keeps on pushing instant book.

Since several days when searching a place you get only results with instant booking as results. This means all the hosts that don't use instant booking will get a lot less bookings. I totally understand that AirBnB wants to make it easy for guests to book a room, but not really nice for hosts that have good reasons to not use instant booking. It makes me think again that AirBnB pushes instant book even more. 

 

I suggest to do it different. Not instant booking is relevant for the results of your search but the time a host takes to react. I will always react in less than one hour, so a guests nows almost immediately if I will accept his or her inquiry. Hosts that are not so fast are lower in the search results. That would be more nice for all the host that wants to know more about their potential guests. 

 

And besides that AirBnB can give guests the option to book instant (but not make it default).

34 Comments
Sandra126
Level 10

No doubt this is an incentive to make us all choose IB on our own accord. I think, as a guest, you are MORE likely to get cancelled on if you choose IB but have yet to see relevant stats on that. This is very bad news, but something I have been waiting on ever since they made the announcement to have all listings on IB by the end of the year.

It is not about reaction time, it is about not discriminating. There will be an action plan in place which is gradually getting rolled out, we just can't see the picture painted for us as hosts. Yet.

Stephan2
Level 10

@Sandra126 I suggest the reaction time. It's not how it works right now.... I think a lot of hosts would be very dissapointed if they can only use instant booking.

Mary-and-Jeff1
Level 3

If / When IB becomes a must - I cannot immagine the chaos that will ensue.  I have been a full time host for 3.5 years and have over 200 bookings.  However, if IB comes out I will have to stop doing Airnbnb.  That is NOT in alignment with home sharing.  Maybe if I was renting an apartment / home that I did not live in I can see that.  HOWEVER, to impose the same rules when I am sharing a room in my home is not right.  I have so many things that come up in my life and I DO NOT CANCEL my guests, so I make very sure I can accommodate them before accepting.

 

Airbnb - DO NOT MAKE IB MANDIATORY - You will loose me as well as many other hosts.  It is your choice - Respect your loyal hosts and allow us to do AIRBNB as it was designed.

Charlene14
Level 2

I completely agree about NOT making instant booking the default. I am a super host and very responsive to our guests. I also live in a rural ski area with inconsistent cell coverage when you aren't right in town. I click off instant book when I know I'm out of range for hours. I also click it off when I go camping or on vacation  so I have a little space to consider things to assure good experiences for our guests,I would also reconsider listing with Airbnb if this is the only option .

Robert78
Level 10

Yeah, agreed.

Dzmitry0
Level 2
Status changed to: Archived
 
Dave68
Level 3

Agreed.

Dave68
Level 3

This is now happening in my area and it's completely insane to "force" hosts into using IB in order to show up in the default search results view. Only 1/3 of the listings use IB in the Joshua Tree area so why as a guest would I only want to see 1/3 of them?? Airbnb claims the guest prefers them. Fine, let them click it on then, not OLNY show the IB's that are actually worse places. Bill's trailer down the street has IB turned on because he wants a quick $50....

Zane4
Level 2

They have done it and its ridiculous. Why would I not be free to choose whether to say No to someone who has a record (and reviews) throwing parties in the flats, not looking after the property, etc. So, the reviews are only for the guests to make thier choice, and for hosts nothing!

Sue77
Level 4

Keep clicking the thumbs up button everyone.  Airbnb must take notice and reverse this decision to make the IB default filter.  Ask your guests to give feedback to Airnb on this issue as well.  Believe me there are plenty who do NOT like IB either and have had bad experiences.  Hearing from unhappy guests may get Airbnb's attention faster than from hosts.  This policy is NOT acceptable and is extremely discriminatory.  I expressly chose Airbnb to start hosting a year ago because I knew I could decide who comes to my home.  This is a fundamental right and necessity for allowing strangers from all over the world to come into our home... our sanctuary...our refuge!! There is no way an algorithm or software could ever be designed to cover all the endless factors each host may have as priorities we need to screen our prospects carefully like we can do quite easily and successfully by communication with our guests.  Countless examples are published over and over with IB horror stories when hosts are stuck accepting people that got through their very "stringent" barriers or got penalized for cancelling.  How in the world is this good for the guest or host? I would be livid if I was cancelled as a guest and I would be livid finding I was expecting a guest that didn't meet my criteria despite being promised it wouldn't happen.

I have been extremely successful in a year's time quickly growing from 1- 8 listings maintaining super host status from day one. Never one day using IB, never discriminating, and refusing only a handful of people for logistic reasons in over 250 visits. I worked myself out of a job and this has become my sole support.  In one day when IB unilaterally and unannounced was set as the default filter, my normal 2-3 bookings/DAY dried up to zilch.  I am regretfully but actively pursuing other platforms out of necessity.

Has anyone thought ahead to how seriously this could affect our ability to continue hosting?  In the ever growing push for more regulation how will we ever be able to justify to a zoning or hearing board that our guests are vetted properly if we are foced to use IB?  If I was one of my neighbors I would agree with them and turn down my request to host if I could not prove how thoroughly I could vet my guests.  And how will using IB separate us home sharers from hotel status? None of us could ever afford the hotel fees or comply with hotel regulations if we are lumped into that category with municipalities trying their best to classify us along with hotels.