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 understand the concept of instant booking but as a host with a busy family, i don't want people just checking in whenever and letting themselves in with out me being there. Plus i like to control my calendar. i have no problem filtering my guests. I like to host guests that give me a little info on why they are coming to town . I think if you are a good host then there is no need to do instant book. I have the ability to control who stays at my residence and who doesn't. And i control when they stay there. That is what made me choose to do air b and b in the first place. Not so i could have random people just book randomly all the time. I get it, but i will never do it. Glad air b and b hasn't forced us as hosts to do that.
I'm also a Super Host with a 4.9 rating and 40 positive reviews. I've tried using instant book and currently have it turned off. Here are my main complaints:
90% of the requests I turn down start: "I see you have some house rules, I'd like to break them". My rules are not outragous, no pets, no children, 2 guest max, no parties. There has to be a major penalty for anyone who uses Instant Book and breaks a house rule. Hosts can have thier listing pulled for major violations, and breaking house rules should be treated the same.
I agree with the suggestion that hosts need to have a setting to select the review level they are comfortable with to allow IB. Clearly many people have had an issue with '1' as the number and hosts should be able to select something they are comfortable with. 3, 5 and 10 seem fair in addition to 1.
My main complaint however is that I'd like to block IB within 7 days of the booking date. We have a busy schedule and are not always ready for someone on 24 hours notice or even 72, or we may be using the property for an event. I know you can choose to set a minimum pre notice of pre book dates. My problem is 50% of our bookings come the Monday or Tuesday before the weekend. I don't want to block out 7 days in advance but within 7 days I'd like to screen to confirm we will be ready. Seems simple, more thn x days out a guest can Instant Book, less than X days out a guest must confirm.
Given that these listings are supposed to be our homes and not corporate owned properties, it would seem a reasonible thing to add.
Thank you for your detailed comments here, it is really great to hear your thoughts.
As mentioned in one of my earlier replies in this thread, I have been going back to the IB team with some follow up questions and so I wanted to come back to you.
I wanted to thank you for the feedback about wanting to require more reviews when using Instant Book. I have noticed a couple of other hosts mentioned this here, so it is a great suggestion. I have passed this over the IB team and they are keen to look into this idea further, we will keep you updated if they to decide to move forward with it.
On another point you mention, if a guest makes it clear they will likely break one of the host’s house rules and you feel uncomfortable going ahead with the booking, you can cancel instant bookings penalty-free an unlimited number of times.
Lastly, in terms of your blocking Instant Book within 7 days of a stay, I have good news for you, you can already do this! If you go to your Availability Settings, after selecting an Advance Notice you can check a box labeled "For Instant Book hosts: Allow guests to send reservation requests without advance notice." This will allow you to receive reservation requests for dates that are do not meet your advance notice requirement. It would be great to hear how you get on with this. 🙂
I hope this helps.
Thanks,
Lizzie
--------------------
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.
@Lizzie yesterday I needed to cancel an IB reservation for the 2nd time because I did not feel comfortable and the big possibility of the guest going to break house rules. I received a warning on the account saying that I can only do it for 1 more time penalty free which is a total of 3. I called ABB and the CS said that I only have 3 times that can be penalty free for IB and after 3 times, I cannot cancel directly from my end through the site/app. I MUST call ABB and explain to them the issue and they will help to cancel it from their end. So, this is clearly an information discrepancy. Being able to cancel unlimited times with penalty free and only 3 times and need to call in the rest are definitely 2 different things. The sad truth is, I do not really trust ABB CS judgment anymore after what happened as explained in my "Disappointed in Airbnb" post. So, I have a legitimate concern if I need to cancel after 3 times, ABB CS might argue, side on the guest, and pushed + pressured me to break my house rules just like what they have done to me before. So, if you can communicate this to the team, that would be great. There needs to be a clear set of standard/guidelines and hosts should not depend on their "luck" based on which CS we get to assist us with the issue.
@Farah1@Lizzie I wholeheartedly agree. I didn't mind using IB when I was able to cancel reservations I was uncomfortable with online. I've hit 3 and had to call today to explain why 6 young men coming in town for a college homecoming weekend is not a good fit for my house with a strict no party policy. The rep passed me off to another rep and now I'm still waiting for a response. If we weren't limited to 3 online cancellations I would continue to use IB but for now I have it turned off so I can filter these types of reservations.
Thak you, @Lizzie, for this information. I like the return of the IB till a day before and Request to book afterwards. Immediately applied and seems to work. I saw another feature following suggestions by hosts: you will be able to connect listings, so a booked room blocks the house calendar too. It seems they are still working on that feature, as it crashed the app twice. I'll try on a computer later.
When is airbnb going to list reviews chronologically so foreign guests booking -- or US guests -- can see that a host has welcomed others of that race, creed, etc. Hate to be so blunt about it - but nondiscrimination is supposedly one of the main reasons airbnb is converting to IB.
Tested and no such box exists and no such feature exists.
I think your technical team has simply misunderstood this request as 'set advance notice' which is available with or without instant book. Setting notice to 7 days does not tell a guest they must contact the host before booking within 7 days, it simply makes the dates unavailable on the calander.
I have a background in Product Management and Engineering. I'd be happy to talk with some sirectly to explain this feature request. Until it is in place I will keep IB off.
"Lastly, in terms of your blocking Instant Book within 7 days of a stay, I have good news for you, you can already do this! If you go to your Availability Settings, after selecting an Advance Noticeyou can check a box labeled "For Instant Book hosts: Allow guests to send reservation requests without advance notice." This will allow you to receive reservation requests for dates that are do not meet your advance notice requirement. It would be great to hear how you get on with this. :)"
@Paul594, it's maybe not rolled out everywhere at the same time, as airbnb often does rollout of features differently in different markets. It's available on the French website, @Lizzie had instructions from an English language market. I hope you get it soon. (I found it on the app).
if it works like it did 2 years ago, a guest looking for lodgings within your not IB time, gets your listing nevertheless and you get a request to book.
A 7 day period is long in terms of booking, you'll have to check, if the system will show your listing nevertheless, when the IB filter is on and thedate 5 days before arrival - when you et the feature finally.
