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.
Wait! So airbnb has now implemented this for everyone even if you don't turn on IB??? Sort of explains why recent guests have written "I look forward to staying in your home" vs. "may I stay.." I didn't turn it on so there is no symbol on my listing - but I have it anyway by default?
@Priscilla46, no you do not have it switched on. For a while, airbnb imposed it at the creation of a listing or made it really easy to have it switched on and impossible to correct the error. I guess that test was not satisfying and it's not imposed against your wishes. People who write about tgeir stay, not their potential stay, just want to lead you in the right direction, by implying a reality. I do that with requests too 😉
There was a chat chain a few days ago (Carole?) about airbnb pushing IB and the reasons why which includes all the ones you mention - plus the obvious one of reducing/eliminating racial/ethnic etc. discrimination against certain guests. HOWEVER - the one simple thing airbnb can do now to address this problem is to have ALL REVIEWS listed chronologically! We know potential guests only look at the most recent reviews - so when foreign reviews are posted at the very end of my review section they will never be seen except by people from that country looking to book in my little town. Thus if I recently had guests from Nigeria or a Muslim country any black person or Muslim interested in booking from ANY country - including the USA - will never see them! What better way to show I am an "open" host than to have it posted in a recent booking? Please tell me why airbnb refuses to do this??? Post it both places if you can - but it is a simple software fix.
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.
How do I turn on instant book with experienced guests with only positive reviews?
Wait! So airbnb has now implemented this for everyone even if you don't turn on IB??? Sort of explains why recent guests have written "I look forward to staying in your home" vs. "may I stay.." I didn't turn it on so there is no symbol on my listing - but I have it anyway by default?
hi @Priscilla46. for hosts it is not default (you need to turn it on i believe). but for guests using search - "instant book" is turned ON by default. so if someone is doing a search, they will ONLY see instant book properties. and it is not that obvious. some guests may go into options and Un-tick "instant book" but many of them will not even be aware it is on. this is what makes me furious about airbnb behaviour in this respect. it is dishonest.
aw jeez - who knew that??? I sure didn't - when was airbnb going to tell us? Is SuperHost also turned on as a default I wonder? I find a lot of "second class" listings around here use IB to try to get business. They are not SuperHosts, often have poor reviews and a poor response rate. So airbnb is giving them priority???
@Yevgeniy0@Priscilla46@LizzieFrom reading this thread I believe that all NEW people who are signing up new listings will have their properties on IB by default and they will have to turn it off. If you have been on here for awhile, and have not activated IB, you will not have to worry about this. It is very disheartening that people who have IB activated will recive higher rankings than us Superhosts that work very hard to maintain the quality of our listings. Due to the nature of my seasonal beach rentals I am unable to allow IB to maximize seasonal profits. My hope is that after reading this thread ABB will adjust the new algorithm that allows lower rated IB listings to be shown before highly rated superhosts. I am a huge fan of ABB, and I feel as though they are open to feedback. Fingers crossed!
lets just sort through the gloss and the marketing. AirBnB favors instant booking because it helps them to compete against the other booking platforms. And unfortunately this will always trump the concerns of owners. In theory I get it. But I'm biased becaused this is my home we're talking about
I totally agree @Rich24, I am inviting complete strangers to share my home, and as a single female I need to feel comfortable with the guest. I am not using IB and as a result despite being a superhost in London with over 70 reviews and hosting for over five years my bookings of late have been very few and all from guests without any reviews (I presume as they don't have reviews they couldn't book with IB hosts). I feel the very people who worked hard to look after their guests and helped make Airbnb the huge organisation it is today are being penalised now. How long I wonder before Airbnb sell out to Bookings.com, perhaps that is what this push is all about. Recently when logging on I am getting a little quiz pop up to ensure I understand the way IB works, yes I do, and I don't want it! At the end of the quiz you have two options, either turn on IB, or find out more,
