Insta book- does ignore pre approval/ deny hurt me in any way

[Casey450]

Hi, I’m Casey. I’m very new to hosting. I have a new listing with Insta book turned on. Today we got a message from a guest asking for a discount, which we politely responded to stating we could not offer a discount. However, at the bottom of the message is a button for pre-approval or deny and since we are not offering a discount, I would prefer to simply not click that button to pre-approve or deny. 

My question though is, if I don’t pre-approve or deny in 24 hours, will it hurt me or my listing in any way? And if I click pre-approve, am I preappriving at my standard rate or at the discount they are requesting?

[Shelley159]

Hi @Casey450 

You don't have to select pre-approve or decline, but you do have to reply. Type any brief message that you find appropriate and the clock will stop ticking.

This is an enquiy (which just needs some response to stop the clock), not a booking request (which needs to be accepted or declined to stop thr clock).

[Joelle43]

Hello @Casey450 

It's just what @Shelley159 says - with an enquiry you just have to answer as quickly as possible to maintain a good response time as this shows up on your listing and your job is done.  You can ignore the emails from Airbnb that you'll receive to pre-approve this guest if you are not comfortable with pursuing with this guest.

There's a guide on the subject that explains in detail the difference between an enquiry and a request to book and what that means for the host, if you want to have a look:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Guides/GUIDE-Handling-Enquiries-and-Bookings/td-p/1895...

All the best with your hosting
Joëlle

[Rebecca]

Hi @Casey450,

Welcome to the Community, and congratulations on starting your hosting journey! 😊

Our wonderful experienced Hosts shared some great insights on how best to manage enquiries. Did you get a chance to read through them? Do you have any more questions?

Let us know how you get on 🌟

[Zheng49]

For an inquiry, you just need to reply. Don't need to click on 'Pre-approve' or 'Deny'.

[Frances3408]

@Casey450. Casey, they also messaged you because if they had Insta Booked they would have been stuck with whatever pricing you were offering. You did exactly the right thing. A quick no thank you message you is better than a slow no/yes in the Airbnb world.

[Inna22]

@Casey450 I pre approve most guests that message me. Who knows what Airbnb algorithm looks at, no one really knows for sure even if they claim they do. I actually think Airbnb does not know themselves. Something might have been coded as a boost years ago when they first started out. 

When someone asks me for a discount, I reply with "Thank you for your interest. I believe my price fairly reflects my location and amenities I offer". I then pre-approve. 

On another note, never give a discount no matter how enticing the request or sobbing the story. Those people are always trouble when they arrive and keep asking for more. I caved in the beginning of my hosting journey but learnt my lesson the hard way. Over the years I have had a few guests who ended up booking at full price after I declined to negotiate and those were fine. 

[Zheng49]

Agreed. For me I never pre-approve, since they can just instant book. No pre-approval is required.

Agreeing to a discount invites sub-par guests into your home, so I would strongly caution against that.