Hosts - Instant Book is now MANDATORY

Samuel19
Level 3
Oxford, United Kingdom

Hosts - Instant Book is now MANDATORY

Hi guys

 

Well after about a week of battling with the system and trying to figure out how to turn off instant book (no button appeared anywhere on my interface) and a bunch of phonecalls to Airbnb, I've finally received this email...

 

Hello Samuel,

My name is Michael with the Airbnb Trip Experience Team, and I wanted to reach out to you today regarding your reservations due to Instant Booking.

When you sign up for Airbnb and activate your listing, guests will be able to book your space without needing to request approval. This feature can’t be turned off, but you have the option to require all guests to meet additional requirements before they’re able to instantly book your space. This gives you more control over who can stay in your listing.

Here are a few ways to control who gets to book instantly:

1. Set your reservation preferences
You can use reservation preferences to control when and for how long guests can book your space. You can also block days before and between reservations to give you time to prepare. Read more about how to set your reservation preferences here:https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1210/

2. Set guest requirements.
All guests will have to provide Airbnb with certain information to book. You can also decide whether you’d like all your guests to meet additional requirements. Read more about guest requirements here: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1170/

3. Set House Rules.
In addition to meeting guest requirements, you can set House Rules that guests must agree to before booking. You’ll be able to cancel penalty-free if a guest breaks your House Rules. Read more about setting House Rules here:https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/472/

I hope this helps! Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Regards,

Michael C
www.airbnb.com/help

 

I find this completely unacceptable and as a result will be withdrawing from this platform altogether. I want to speak to the guests and vet them first before I decide who I let into my apartments, and a bunch of settings and ticks Airbnb have added (agree house rules, verify ID) does not help whatsoever.

It has also caused me an inconvinience TWICE as the Airbnb calendar doesn't sync very well with my other calendar, as a result the apartment was double booked, and when I cancelled the reservations I was charged penalties (something the "case managers" are still looking into).

 

Has anyone else had this experience?

 

Cheers

Has anybody else 

70 Replies 70
Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Sarah977,

 

Thanks for your message to me and your feedback.

 

I just wanted to provide a little more background. The topic I shared in my post above, contains responses to questions asked on a regular basis here in the Community Center. Therefore, the aim of that post is for it to be a useful resource to community members. As I mention in my previous post here, IB isn't compulsory for hosts and so my intention in sharing this wasn't to promote or convert anyone to use this booking option, but more so that we can learn a little more about how it works. Plus, I wanted to respond back to the many questions that are raised here on a daily basis. I have heard from many hosts that this has been useful.

 

With a similar aim at heart, we have also gone to several other teams in Airbnb to ask about how search works, Smart Pricing and most recently Host Guarantee, so it is part of a series to provide more information to hosts (all questions are taken from the CC). 

 

To add, I actively report back on the feedback shared on IB here in the Community Center and community feedback is so important to way Airbnb products develop. Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding IB and your thoughts on the topic we have created here in the CC, it is really useful.

 

Thanks again,
Lizzie


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Chad-and-Char0
Level 8
North Vancouver, Canada

I just don't feel IB is safe for the hosts.

Anyone can book.  Just because they have government ID doesn't mean they can't be found in the bedroom of the host's daughter.

We should get a chance to review every guest to satisfy ourselves that we are comfortable having him in our home.

 

Airbnb guest 'assaulted Minnesota host's seven-year-old'

A 28-year-old Michigan man who rented a room through Airbnb has been charged with sexually assaulting the homeowner's seven-year-old daughter.

Derrick Kinchen rented a spare bedroom of the family's home in Minnetonka, Minnesota, for a friend's wedding over the weekend, police say.

After returning from the wedding early on Sunday morning, he was caught naked in the bedroom of the host's daughter.

Mr Kinchen fled the house and was found by police after a manhunt.

He has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct of a victim younger than 13, the Hennepin County attorney's office said.

According to the police report, Mr Kinchen was undressed and in bed with the girl when the homeowner entered the room shortly after midnight.

After being discovered, he grabbed his suit jacket and wallet and ran from the home, and was later found by a police dog hiding under a neighbour's fishing boat.

A spokesman for Airbnb, Ben Breit, said the Silicon Valley company is working with police and the family, and have banned Mr Kinchen from their website.

"The reported abhorrent behavior has no place on Airbnb and we will not tolerate it," he said.

"None of our hosts should ever have to deal with anything like this," Mr Breit adde

Steve2743
Level 10
Calgary, Canada

This is disgusting. Personally, I love instant booking. But my suite is completely separate from the part of the house where I live. If I was sharing my own personal space, I certainly wouldn't want it activated. 

Steve
John1014
Level 2
Lexington, MA

As an owner, I absolutely despise Instant Booking.  Even as a renter, I want to have some dialogue with the owner. I will use VRBO more and perhaps cancel my Airbnb listing.  If you live in and rent your home, you of course want to have at least a conversation with the renter.  Your house is far too personal for that not to occur.  It's disrespectful for Airbnb to basically demand you to allow Instant Booking. (If a person demanded that you give them a weekend two months in advance, you would point out that they are presumptuous and rude. And that is basically what Airbnb expects.) You may want to carefully consider if that rental period is really available.  I have a day job and don't want to have to devote that much time to managing my calendar months away.  I respond quickly and let them know yea or nay as we consider our schedule. But if a guest uses Instant Booking, you have no protection if the reservation is months away and you need to cancel. 

 

Even worse, in urban areas, if you don't agree to Instant Booking, your listing simply doesn't appear unless the potential renter switches off the "instant booking" preference.  Airbnb says there "are too many listings in your area" and that is really a way to coerce you into using Instant Booking. You can plead with potential renters to email first, but we have had them not read carefully and instant book anyway. Then Airbnb penalizes you and freezes your account if you need to cancel, even if the reservation is months away and there's no inconvenience.  Then if want to voice your concern, Airbnb has basically non-existent customer service. They make it practically impossible to talk to a human being. The bottom line is this: Airbnb favors renters and the corporation too much, doesn't care about or listen to owners.  They also try to talk your prices down, even if you have a nicer house or more amenities than others who charge less. VRBO is far more responsive to owners and has exceptional customer service.  For me, Instant Booking is a deal-breaker.  -- John ****

I totally agree with you. Instant book is a no go for me and as a host, I will be looking at other options.  They are breaking the positive network effects of the platform.

I thoroughly agree with you John, all that you say applies to me. They are a huge faceless giant now, and as you say it's impossible to even contact them. Airbnb have totally changed their raison d'etre, and appear want to compete with other instant booking sites, it seems daft to me, as the original attraction to advertise with them was for a more easygoing friendly interchange between guests and hosts but with  good security as well. Thanks for the tip for VRBO, as I haven't heard of them. Lizzie S.

Lee-Tian0
Level 1
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

for people who is so upset about the auto confirmation of airbnb,

pls refer to this to get guest by other means:
https://www.airbnbhell.com/airbnb-competitors/

Katrin-And-Jasper0
Level 2
London, United Kingdom

Airbnb is on a mammoth drive to promote instant book. It is so disrespectful to the hosts who have made this business what it is -ultimately they are seeking to control your property by removing your choice to vet prospective guests. Instant book has caused us massive inconvenience in the past - my partner and I both work for a living and have many other commitments. We cannot just drop everything and race home to tidy and prepare for a guest who books to stay that night, or the next morning. Controlling our calendar allows us to provide each of our guests with a good experience. 

Your're right about disrespectful, for it is indeed the hosts who have made the business, of course yes, Airbnb have created the platform, but it has been such a success story for all concerned. I suspect they feel it is oversubscribed and this is one way to prune the ever-expanding website, it's such a shame to see a good business model dumped in this way. 

@Katrin-And-Jasper0 You can set up instant book so that people can only instant book a certain number of days away. I also cannot always accept same day bookings so I have instant book on for bookings greater than 2 days out - within the two days a guest can still book but has to send a normal booking request. Works well.

Margot63
Level 2
Richmond, Australia

Hi airbnb community

we just had a nightmare booking, where the guest booked instantly, being able to do so, with this their first airbnb booking; so the positive reviews and I'd check provided no protection for us. 

 

What at happened is that there booking un aware to us, was to stay at our place for their party of 70 people, who invited people, who arrived we are here for that party. Our listing is for a maximum of8 guests, no parties. 

 

Then the police were called to stop the noise, by 3 neighbour's, when we found out about this the following day, we went to our property to find the house full of people, windows smashed and the place in a total mess. Horrific. Told that the window will be fixed, sure but the glass broken and left all over the floor and throughout the house. Blood everywhere on the floors and towels.

 

Contacting airbnb, they cancelled their stay and emailed to leave. No response and then that night the party continued, with other people arriving for the party. The neighbours heard fighting, swearing, glass being broken, police again. Nothing could be done.

 

we called airbnb a number of times and was told your case manager will get back to you. Two days later nothing.

 

on the second day we went there to access and still the house was full of people. To get them out over the next few hours, we were physically and verbally abused, that's it's an airbnb and we can do what we like, we do this all the time, get over it. My fellow helpers life's were in danger entering our house, due to the threats put on us.

 

the police arrived and it was very stressful. The police provided a report and took a report for the damages and visual of the house being what looked like a toxic substance part py house. Drugs left, items broken, condoms, tampons just to make you as a host scream and cry at how this could happen. My friends there to help with the access all affected by the hostile situation, feeling extremely anxious and distressed. My last two days have been totally consumed with this and I've been unable to do my main work. Airbnb has no remedy to stop this happening and their email to vacate is just an email. They can do nothing else, to get the people out of your house, while you have to wait for them to get out. Hoping that the intruders past the 8 guests allowed, partying illegally are just doing whatever they like. A home invasion that you are helpless to do anything about. The police won't help, when it's an airbnb as they say it's a civil matter, until the checkout time.

 

Still no help by airbnb. Today I've called and been told that 'we understand, this matter is escalated and we will get back to you ASAP'.  Still 10 hours later nothing.

 

So we have turned of instant book, it's way to scarey to have groups targeting your place for a stay, only for a toxic substance party of massive numbers, your house destroyed, you potentially assaulted, your neighbours out at risk and little help by airbnb. 

 

Airbnb hosts beware aware that this now appears to be a trend for whole houses to be targeted for these kind of events. There are other reports of this on the Internet; thiught that it would never happen to us. Airbnb must have a protocol to stop this sort of this happening. 

 

we have filled out all the forms for compensation on line, but who knows if airbnb will assist us.

 

we thought airbnb was terrific for both the host and guest, but now we see it as a very dangerous platform, where you don't really know who is coming to your house. If they are not suitable, you can't get them out and when they damage your place, airbnb don't seem to take it seriously or promptly to assist. How disappointing is this. 

That is horrible. I don't understand why police could not make the partiers leave. What ever platform you use you should have exterior cameras at all your entrances. Especially if you are hosting remotely. I have discouraged many partiers by letting them know we live on the property and have cameras. 

Airbnb is designed to have a host around to prevent problems. And I won't do instant book. I don't  understand how they could book with no reviews. 

Elaine187
Level 1
Wales, United Kingdom

Hi - I am new to Air Bnb - and have two listings. The first ( March - May ) where I’m letting two rooms whilst living in the house . The second ( June - Sept ) a whole house let. V pleased with my first listing - that the whole Easter vacation booked quickly - on a request basis. Then suddenly - bookings started coming in on an ‘instant ‘ book basis. People weren’t reading the listing criteria properly ie seven people and two dogs for two nights ( summer months are a minimum of seven nights and NO pets. And suddenly I had no control at all - which felt scarey - considering I’m new to this. I changed settings back to request . Air bnb changed it backed to instant. I rang them in London. Whilst being sympathetic - it was spelt out to me that my listing wouldn’t be as ‘visible’ if I reverted back to ‘requested bookings ‘. I insisted on this - Guess what ? I havnt received a single booking since. Now feeling jaded already - it feels like bullying. 

Hi Elaine, 

I am full of sympathy, that's exactly what it is-bullying. I've made several comments so far about the instant booking being mandatory, so I'm, most probably,  not very popular with AirBnB! I only hope and wish they take note of our comments and ease up on the bullying, there is surely room to have both instant and request to book on their website, there are many travellers who want to communicate first, just to get a feel of whom they are dealing with.

Having said that,  I haven't had any enquiries at all for months so I wonder whether my listing even shows up. I've been listed a few years with them and in the early days I received plenty of interest, that was their business model then and it was working well. Now, It's a waste of time really, which is a shame, but it's absolutely essential for me to have control of my bookings, so I'm looking elsewhere for hosting.

Faith53
Level 2
Wingham, United Kingdom

Hi, Over Christmas I had "guests" who booked for 4, told me 5 wrre coming and on the day 15 adults, 2 children and 5 very large dogs arrived. At 7.15 I told airbnb I wanted to cancel the reservation,. I will not let my house for more than 10 people. Huge pressure was put on me by them and airbnb to accept 13 people for one night. 

Even though, subsequently there was less than 10 people in the house. It was one of the nastiest experiamces I have ever had. Their dogs were very intimidating, peeing all over the garden. Adrien came in my appartment and started taking pictures. he was bullying me said i shouldn't be there and one of his party said I should pay them money when they left. I refused and they left a horrible untrue review and airbnb put it top of all my good reviews , he has down graded my listing and now i get messages saying I must correct the things he disliked and empathise with him! How do I create a garden when I already have a beautiful one. Airbnb refuse to talk to me about this or even look at my photos  which  prove he is lying. I have 3 times asked for an urgent conversation with someone and they never bother to reply and just send innapropriate algarhythms. They paid me 15 euros for the excess dogs which Adrien refused to pay but I still feel thoroughly let down.