I have recently discovered one of the major downsides of using Instant Book!
Are you aware that it is only possible for a host to send a 'Special Offer' to a guest who is booking for the first time!
Subsequent stays by that guest are not subject to a hosts special offer.....there is no way a host can send one!
Once a guest has stayed at a hosts property, they lose the ability to send a booking enquiry. When the guest clicks the 'Contact Host' tab on the hosts profile they are automatically taken to their previous message stream with that host. And on that message stream are details of the previous stay! Host and guest can talk but, that's all!
I like to offer return guests a slightly cheaper rate but the Airbnb platform will not let me do that or offer any assistance in doing that!
Because I use instant book, a returns guests option to request a pre-approval disappears, and the only option is to re-book at the hosts current rate, and Airbnb policy is, if the host wants give the guest a special offer, the only way they can do that is refund the guest through the Resolution Centre.
Now my issue with this is, the guest's reservation may be for April 2020 and I don't receive the guest's payment until after they arrive here. But if I want to offer the guest a refund as a special offer, (which appears to be the only way I can do it) Airbnb will take that refund from my next payout in a day or two and forward it to the guest.....even though I won't be paid for another 5 months.
Once again it looks like Airbnb are trying to frustrate the good relations built up between hosts and guests!
Cheers......Rob