Host Mentorship (?) or "Are there any Superhosts interested in starting a guidance blog?"

[Melanie396]

The morning after I posted my first listing, I awoke startled to find  my calendar Instantly booked with 3 confirmations.  I was totally caught off-guard and certainly made innocent mistakes.  After the dust settled, I found a help topic about Host Mentorship.  I thought "great, where do I sign up?"  But there were no instructions on how to do so.  When I sent a message to customer service asking how I can get a mentor, I was told that a mentor is only available to new hosts during the few minutes between setting up your listing and receiving one (defaulted) Instant Booking.  I thought "that's ridiculous!"  The questions and need for guidance don't begin until AFTER you receive a booking.  Before that, you wouldn't know what questions to ask.  I have 5 bookings and I can desperately use a mentor.  What's the point of the strict timeframe and who is it that's able to slip through that crack?  

[Kath9]

@Melanie396, host mentorship is a great idea but I guess you could get all sorts of ideas and opinions. I recommend subscribing to this forum - you will get a lot of messages in your email but just open the ones that are relevant to your situation. I have certainly learnt a lot here and have been able to help other new hosts.

First thing: turn off instant booking if you don't want people to be able to do so. Otherwise, make sure you set up who can instant book under your Booking Settings (e.g. verified government ID, good ratings only, etc.). Having instant book turned on gives you certain advantages but many hosts don't feel comfortable with it. Maybe leave it off at least until you've hosted a few people and are feeling more comfortable.

If you have any other specific questions, please post them to this forum (under a separate post) - I have not doubt you will get lots of help and support from experienced hosts.

[Kath9]

Also, you might be interested in this Tips and Turorials section: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Community-Help-Guides/m-p/23100#M311