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 have instant book turned on for my listing and have no problems so far. I would like to have the options to cancel an instant booking without penalty if it is more than 10 months in the future.
Thank you for your consideration, and let me know if you have any questions about my concern.
I just discovered that and set a 12 month booking window and I believe that will take care of my concern which is -- some guests like to book for the following year during their stay, or soon after checking out.
Thanks for all that information. I personally am very keen to wait for the time when we can do certain periods with instant book and certain periods normally - which you covered in the last point. Do you know how long it's likely to be until we're able to do that and will we get notified when it's up and running?
Lovely to meet you and it is great to hear your excitement about this. I really like the idea too and it was a suggestion mentioned here in the Community Center.
The team are presently exploring this idea and will notify hosts if they go ahead with it. If I hear any more on this, I will also be sure to share it with you and other community members here in the Community Center. 🙂
Thanks so much,
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 want guests to stay a minimum of 2 nights, but sometimes those nights are not consecutive- as some guests want to stay a night, go camping in the nearby National Park, then return for a second night- means 2x 1 night bookings. Also 2 night guests are more interactive/ communicative than 1 nighters, but I dont want to turn away 1 nighters if they sound really interesting.
So- I have a minimum stay of 1 night set in preferences to allow this, but I SAY I want a minimum of 2 nights. Also in my house rules I say- minimum stay of 2 nights. Also I want only guests who have completed their airbnb profile to be able to instant book. Stangers who give no info about themselves I am not comfortable with- allowing to instant book into my home. In my house rules I say- make sure you have completed your airbnb profile before making a reservation. But many speed booking newbie guests just blow past the profile bit, and dont bother reading all of the house details & rules before hitting instant book.
I hope I really can cancel guests who dont pay attention without it affecting my superhost status. So far I have had to bring lapses to their attention after they book... ask them to give me info who they are, and/or point out the minimum 2 nights- or ask them to cancel from their end... a bloody hassle.
I want Airbnb to create extra instant booking conditions: I want instant book available for guests who intend staying 2 or more nights, but Not 1 night AND I want instant book to only be available for guests which meet my conditions INCLUDING having a completed profile. All others can communicate with me first by making a regular booking request. I have communicated with airbnb about this issue a couple of times, but nothing is being done- why not? It would be so simple from their end.
It seems to me the "answer" to the question 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? completely side-stepped the issue. Only Airbnb sees the verified government ID, the host does not see it, so cannot be certain the guest is the one who booked - especially for those guests who have a cartoon as their profile photo. It is easy to figure out the booker is not the guest when a female books and a male shows up, but without access to the booker's photo ID upon booking, the booker could send anyone as the guest. Similar for hosts who choose to conceal who actually will be answering the door. My daughter didn't sleep a wink when the lady host turned out to be two guys.
I'd love to do instant book. I list my place with several other instant book services, the only difference between Airbnb and the others I use is the others are linked to my channel manager (Siteminder) which updates my availability accross several booking sites instantly when a new booking comes in so I can avoid a possible double booking. As soon as AirBnb can connect to Siteminder, I will turn on instant book immediately. I have contacted Siteminder several times asking if they are planning to connect to Airbnb and every time I am told "we are working on it and it may take a few months". I have been told this over and over, in fact I've received the same answer every few months (every time I ask again) for about the past year. Please tell me - are you going to connect to Siteminder? If so, when can I expect it to be complete? It would be great if it was up and running for the Australian summer season which starts in November.
Reading these posts something occurred to me. What happens when all of Airbnb is on IB and a large portion of travelers are newbies? Does the requirement for at least one positive review go away?
@Karen-and-Will0 , that's an excellent conclusion to come to! Might happen that way,,or first they marginalize such requirements by giving such listings bad spots in the ranking of the listings and also hardly any people could book, so hosts on their own will drop it.
I would like to be 100% sure that if I'm not comfortable about a booking based on the information Airbnb has describe and I make a cancellation, I would not get a reading that says:
"The host canceled this reservation 6 days before arrival. This is an automated posting"
What about if I believe I have not discriminated against the guest and followed Airbnb guide lines but Airbnb doens't agree?
Hi there, I am very new to Air BnB as a host. I have elected that instant book is set to my reservations, however just yesterday I received a request from someone who had no reviews and was as receive to Air BnB as I was. I didn't accept the reservation as this persons ID was not verified by Air BnB
