Can I do Instant Booking for a certain time period only?

[Babett0]

Hey Hosties! Is there a way I can switch on "Instant Book" only for the month of September? I have looked and looked, but I can't seem to find such a functionality on the site. I want September to be instantly bookable and bookings from October only on application.

[Linda108]

Instant Booking is either on or off for your entire calendar, @Babett0.   You could block out the rest of the calendar so only September is available, then open up the calendar and turn off IB in October.

Why do you want to do this?  Perhaps there is some work around that other hosts can suggest.

[Mark26]

Why would she want to do this @Linda108?  Well, perhaps she wants control over future dates, but is willing to open herself up to the unknowns of the next 30 days.  She's interested in filling huge holes in the month of September, which is right now, but isn't worried about vacancies in November and beyond at this moment in time.

I won't turn on instant book, because it does exactly that. 

I've got huge swaths of open space on my calendars for September.  It happens every year.  While I'm tempted to turn it on, and see if perhaps it will help bring in a booking or two, I know that it will also open up my calendar for the rest of the year and beyond to guests who want to instant book two days.   It's my experience that I'll get a ton of requests for two or three days around Thanksgiving or Christmas.  But... I know that I'll get phone calls asking about weeks through my Direct Book Guests.  I get requests for most of the month, or several weeks during that time period, and every one of those longer stays includes Thanksgiving or Christmas day.  If someone books two days, the only two days they want are Thanksgiving or Christmas.  They want me to sit up and wait for them on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve.  Or... New Years.   I effectively lose the rest of the month by accepting those two days, AND guarantee myself of having to work on a holiday while everyone else is spending their time with friends and family.

You can carry that forward into the High Demand parts of the year, when guests want weeks or a month at a time. A two night reservation punches weird holes in my calendar. Those holes might fill with other two or three night reservations, but there are still far too many open spaces, and it's far too much work, when there is demand for longer blocks of time.  I can actually work harder for less by accepting two night reservations. 

I have a feeling Babett knows her market.

If there was an option to turn on Instant Book, and limit it to specific blocks of time, I'd be willing to give it a try.  But without that option, I'm not willing to take the risk.