How To Use Airbnb Instant Booking Proper – 5 Tips For Any Host

No matter what, travel plans change. Maybe your flight got canceled or you don’t make it as far as you want on your road trip. By allowing Airbnb instant book you can gain these reservations as an Airbnb host.

There are many pros and cons to allowing Airbnb instant booking, in this article, we will help you decide on whether you want to use Instant booking or not.

What Is Airbnb Instant Booking?

An Airbnb instant booking is when a guest can book an Airbnb listing without the host’s approval. Hosts choose to allow Instant booking and have the choice to require government I.D. and guest recommendations from other hosts.

Furthermore, an Airbnb instant book adds an additional search filter for guests and place hosts higher on the search results.

When Should You Use Airbnb Instant Booking?

1. For most new listings, you want to gain positive reviews as quickly as possible. One of Airbnb list ranking metrics is how many reviews you have and how positive they are.

2. For any Airbnb host that has multiple listings without a property manager, having Airbnb instant book will eliminate the time to respond to every single inquiry.

3. Most of the time, guests will search for an area and inquire with multiple properties. If the guest has to wait for a response then chances are, they will move onto a quicker solution.

NOTE – By applying Airbnb instant book your listing will be included in the additional “Instant Booking” search filter and will increase your booking rate overall.

When Should You Not Use Airbnb Instant Booking?

1. If you are in a location that is subjected to a big party scene year-round. Whether this would be with nightclubs or house parties doesn’t matter. Avoid instant booking so you can ask your guests additional questions.

2. If you do not feel comfortable allowing guests to book without you reviewing them. Last-minute bookings are also in this category.

NOTE – You are able to turn on your own guest requirements (government I.D., confirmed email, etc) that you set up during the instant book process.

Can You Cancel An Airbnb Instant Booking?

Believe it or not, we have found canceling when a guest books with Airbnb instant booking is easier than without it on.

Airbnb takes into consideration that you didn’t approve your guest and allows you to cancel for such reasons:

• Safety concerns
• Your guest isn’t communicating with you, unresponsive
• Third-party booking which you didn’t confirm
• Can’t see the face in your guest’s profile photo
• Incomplete profile
• Guest is being rude
• Guest wants to bring pets which you don’t allow
• Suspecting a party or disturbance
• If this is a repeated bad guest
• They are demanding very unreasonable requests that make you uncomfortable
• Exceeds the number of guests you allow
• Breaking house rules or violating amenities

Remember that finding reasons to cancel constantly could result in Airbnb penalizing you. We would suggest asking your guests questions before coming to a conclusion.

How Do You Turn On Airbnb Instant Booking?

Keep in mind Airbnb instant booking automatically gets applied to all your available calendar dates.

Make sure you have set at least 1-day notice on bookings and possibly a minimum stay of 2 nights if you are using instant booking.

Turning On Airbnb Instant Booking – Step 1

After logging into your Airbnb account, click on the “Host” tab at the top which where a drop-down menu will appear. Scroll down until you see “Listing” and click on it.

Turning On Airbnb Instant Booking – Step 2

By default, the next page will be under the “Listing details” tab. To the right click on the “Booking settings” tab.

Turning On Airbnb Instant Booking – Step 3

Under booking settings, at the top, you will see the “How guests can book” section. On the right side click on the edit button.

Turning On Airbnb Instant Booking – Step 4

Next, choose how a guest can book your listing instantly. For Airbnb instant book, the top choice is the safest and best option. Remember to click the save button at the bottom when you are done.

Turning On Airbnb Instant Booking – Step 5

Now go back to the previous page. Under “Guest Requirements” you will set a standard of what you need from all guests in order for them to Instantly book with you.

What Are The Benefits Of Having Airbnb Instant Booking Turned On?

• Higher on Airbnb priority
• Increases response rate since you don’t have to accept every guest request. Also boosts your listing placement due to your great response rate
• Automatically adds you to the “Instant Booking” search filter on Airbnb
• Don’t have to respond to every request
• More bookings due to the additional search filter
• Helps maintain Super Host Status which comes with a 90%+ response rate
• You can cancel penalty-free if your guest books with Airbnb Instant Book
• Those guests who do not meet your requirements can still send me a Reservation Request. You can accept many new users so it is a win/win for both you and your guests.

Cons:

• You won’t be able to screen or ask your guests questions before accepting them.
• Possible last-minute bookings and cleaning (Set your listing to minimum 1-day booking notice)
• More bookings but more cancellations since guest tend to book then review your house rules/listing

How Do You Search For An Airbnb Instant Book?

In order for a guest to book using Airbnb Instant book, you will need to complete your Airbnb account which includes:

• Full name
• Email address
• Confirmed phone number
• Introductory message
• Agreement to house rules
• Payment information

Searching For An Airbnb Instant Book – Step 1

After logging into the Airbnb account you plan to book with, search for where you wish to travel to.

Next, scroll down until you see the sentence ending with “Stays” and click on it

Searching For An Airbnb Instant Book – Step 2

After the Airbnb search results appear, at the top click on the “Instant Book” tab. Next, turn on the instant book filter tab and remember to click the save button at the bottom.

Now, only listings that include instant booking will appear. This will void any host response time.

Searching For An Airbnb Instant Book – Step 3

Next, click on the listing you would like to reserve. Pick the dates you would like to travel with and at the bottom click on “Reserve”

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Final Thoughts

With Airbnb instant book, there are plenty of positive and negative opinions. In this blog post, we weigh both the pros and cons for you and break down how instant booking works. Enjoy and well see you in our next post.