Instant Booking - Yes or No?

Queenie0
Level 10
United States

Instant Booking - Yes or No?

I'm a live-in host with rooms for rent. I use Instant Booking - with the requirement that guests answer a specific set of questions about who's staying, why are they in town, etc. So far, every IB guest has been a dream! I'm thinking that's because they read enough on the Airbnb site to know how to even use IB, they may be more Airbnb savvy than other guests. Thoughts?

4 Replies 4

NEVER AGAIN..

I used to do instant book. Yes, we got a few nice folks, but it is too much of a wild card. You have no chance to decline a person after they have booked. And if you have second thoughts and if you want to deline - you get dinged on Superhost status.

 

All it takes is 1 single bad egg to ake you gun shy - and we had that bad egg.

 

So I say NO GO.

Peter0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

I am very happy with Instant Book but not many guests actually use it.  It is mostly used by people I have been discussing a stay with and I say "go ahead and book" and just leave it to them to finish in their  own time.  I rarely get strangers doing an instant book like buying a plane ticket online.  And all the guests who have been nuisances were ones I had pre-vetted.  The IB guests seem no different in their good behavior than others.  

John0
Level 2
Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

It may make it easier for guests to book faster but it has many negatives. You never know who exactly is booking. 

Ernie0
Level 10
San Francisco, CA

Hi Queenie & Ted, 

 

I have been using instant book for quite some time now. Nearly 100% of my bookings come either via instant book or pre-approval. The guests are of the same quality, both good and bad, as they were when I pre-vetted every guest. We've made over 10% more revenue since turning it on.

Cheers, 
Ernie Thayer