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'm a new host and I set up Instant Book in my unit.
And I just surprised I received a lot of inquiries from multiple guest and I dont know, which of them I will accept, So I send all of them for "pre-approval", then one guest already confirmed her bookings. So I widrawn my pre-approval to the other guest and decline them all.
Can you give me some Idea on how to manage this kind of situation.
Becasue DECLINING the guest will affect on my performance.
If one guest books, then you don't need to do anything with the enquiries from the other guests if they are for the same dates as the confirmed booking. It should show next to/on their enquiry 'Not possible' because the dates are no longer available.
Do not decline any enquiries. It is important that you understand the difference between an Instant Booking, a booking request and an enquiry.
With an instant booking, it is done and the dates are blocked, so no other guest can book the same dates. There is nothing you need to do if you are happy with the booking, other than communicate with the guest.
With a booking request, you have 24 hours to accept or decline, otherwise your Acceptance Rate will go down. You Response rate can also go down if you don't answer at all within those 24 hours. These are the ones you need to keep an eye on and take a decision on.Other guests can still send you enquiries for these dates, but the booking request will take priority over the enquiries, so those should also show as "not possible".
With a booking enquiry, you just need to respond to the message within 24 hours to keep your Response rate up. You do not need to accept or decline and the dates will not be blocked. Of course, you can pre-approve, like you did, and then it is up to the guest to book or not. If someone else books in the meantime, the guest will not be able to book the same dates, so you don't need to worry about that.
Thanks for this, @Lizzie. I was a very reluctant convert to Instant Book last year. I thought I had a unique situation. (I know. Ha!) One of the most comforting parts of the Instant Book process was something I learned after I took the plunge, and I don't see it mentioned in the otherwise wonderfully comprehensive post above. Maybe I just missed it? It is the pre-booking message that IB allows. I love that thing. The character count is limited, and so the message needs to be right to the point. That's good. Every guest gets a to-the-point message outlining the most important thing to know about a listing before they hit the final "book" button. I cannot praise highly enough the pre-booking message.
Also, as of last week, I could not agree more with what you say about guests being discouraged by non-IB unresponsive hosts and hosts who respond with, "Sorry, I have relatives coming that night. Can you please cancel your request?" I needed a place almost last minute (day-before) and searched without the IB filter. I ended up sleeping in my car. I give my car five stars for location, but one star overall...
I am now convinced that it is an after booking message - and Airbnb does not do as a favor by calling it pre-booking message.
I just did an instant book for one of my future travels: only AFTER I booked did I get this message: ....I see that you would like to stay with us...
My own "pre_booking" message is something like, "thank you for considering staying with us.." Pretty absurd to get any of that AFTER booking.
Just think about it: Like how would Airbnb even squeeze in a message when Instant people book? the message only comes through to the host after the booking gets confirmed by Airbnb!
If anybody doubts it, you could simulate a booking at anybody's place who has IB,, just stop right before hitting the final button to commit - no message....
just another little things not thought through entirely by the Airbnb peeps in charge. I will adjust by changing my message.
What?! The one thing that was keeping me okay with IB is a lie?! Why would they call it a PRE-booking message?! It is, and I quote, "Your welcome message before booking." It says in Edit: "Guests will see your message before they confirm their reservation." No added "Just kidding. They will see it after it is too late".
I'm going to screenshot my next IB as a guest, and then hop on over to Host Voice, where my other brilliant suggestion has been gathering dust.
It IS possible to squeeze that message in, though. I just simulated a booking at your place and got your house rules. I had to agree to them before hitting book. You were right (how could I have doubted you?) that your "thank you for considering" message was nowhere to be seen.
Thanks for pointing this out. I guess that's why it was not in the original post...
yep....I went to their listing several times before I decided... no messages ever to me at that stage.
and really, let's think about it: at what time would such a pre- booking message be sent? when people are just looking? what is really a pre- booking stage?
