Welcome to the future of vacation rentals! Airbnb instant booking may just be the best thing to come out of Airbnb since the company itself was founded in 2008. We often write about how Airbnb and other short-term rental hosts can make their lives easier with optimization tools. These tools don’t always need to come from outside providers. In fact, one of the best ones was created by Airbnb itself.
In an era where convenience and instant gratification are paramount, Airbnb’s instant book is revolutionizing the way you experience rental accommodations. Gone are the days of lengthy back-and-forths with hosts, waiting for confirmation emails, or worrying about whether your ideal rental will still be available when you finally decide to book.
What is Airbnb Instant Booking?
Instant book reservation is an advanced settings feature that allows guests who meet a host’s booking criteria to secure a booking without the host’s approval. It speeds up the booking process, allows less management time from Airbnb hosts, lets guests book immediately, and improves the user experience.
According to Airbnb itself, instant bookings are “a powerful tool that allows guests to instantly book your home for available dates—alleviating the need for you to review and accept booking requests individually. Many hosts report that they earn more money by making the booking process easier for Airbnb guests and that they appreciate the convenience this provides. Guests often search for instant book listings.”
Why Might Hosts Not Want to Use Instant Book?
Airbnb spelled out a few reasons on the Airbnb why their hosts might not want to make use of Instant Book. Most of the reasons have to do with the fact that some hosts don’t rent on Airbnb in a classic sense. Instead, they prefer longer bookings, or they’re renting out shared rooms, or they have special property features.
These Hosts Prefer Longer Stays
Some Airbnb hosts have unique preferences and requirements when it comes to their rental properties. While Airbnb instant book is a fantastic feature for many, some hosts, like Annie from California, find that it’s not always the perfect fit for their specific situations.
Annie explains, “I would love to use Instant Book, but there are a lot more logistics to figure out when you’re hosting someone for that long. It’s more like having a tenant.” For hosts who prefer longer stays or have properties that require extra attention, it may be necessary to rely on reservation requests rather than enabling instant booking.
Hosts Have Unique Personal Requirements
Nichola, a thoughtful host from Guelph, Canada, is another example. She has an environmental sensitivity that necessitates her rental space to remain scent-free. In such cases, Nichola uses reservation requests as a tool to ensure that potential guests are willing to adhere to her very specific house rules.
She explains, “I get migraines from scented products, so I need to make sure my guests are folks who understand scent allergies.” In situations where guests need to be particularly mindful of house rules, reservation requests can be invaluable.
The Property Listings Have Special Features or Challenges
Some property listings come with special features or challenges that require hosts to exercise more control over their bookings. For instance, if your space has a particularly rustic charm, it might not be suitable for everyone.
If you’re offering a private room in your home that includes pets or children, using booking requests can be a smart choice. This approach ensures that guests are fully aware of all the unique aspects of your property before they commit to a reservation.
How Does Instant Book Help Airbnb Hosts?
Airbnb instant book is a fan favorite on Airbnb because it offers many benefits. All of the following benefits stimulate booking rates because they make the process of booking easier for the guest. This, in turn, means they’re more motivated to book! It’s a win-win.
In scenarios where hosts have specific requirements, property intricacies, or simply need a bit more advance notice before confirming a booking, it makes sense to switch from an instant book to reservation requests. By using Airbnb’s reservation request feature, hosts can maintain a higher level of control. At the same time, they are still welcoming guests who align with their unique preferences and house rules.
Convenience
The entire process is quick and easy when guests do not have to wait for a host’s approval. It encourages guests to book your rental property as soon as they see it and a price they are comfortable with. Your calendar will fill up more quickly and it’ll take less management from you!
Prioritization
Airbnb cares about user experience. In their eyes, the user is the guest. So they want to design their booking process to make a booking with Airbnb a quick and easy endeavor. So what does this mean for an instant book feature? Well, listings that have instant book enabled are prioritized in search results. So you’ll get more views on your listings and more views equals more bookings.
Control
You might be worried about Airbnb’s instant booking settings because it means that you are not able to scrutinize a potential guest’s profile. Instant book was designed to give the host the same amount of control as when it isn’t engaged.
When you set up your instant bookings feature, you’ll need to provide a set of criteria that you require to allow an instant booking. This could include ID verification, number of previous stays, review averages, and so on. Airbnb instant book will not allow guests who do not meet your criteria to secure a booking. Instead, it’ll send you a booking request as usual so you can check it out for yourself.
Safety
Older hosts prefer the control that classic booking methods afford them. It’s because they want to ensure that their properties are protected. We completely understand this feeling, but the instant book does not weaken the level of safety that renting on Airbnb causes. It doesn’t. We strongly recommend insurance, always.
Conclusion
In our eyes, there aren’t any drawbacks to enabling instant book settings. The adoption of Airbnb’s instant book feature is a significant stride toward enhancing your rental experience, with a multitude of advantages and minimal downsides.
It offers a streamlined, hassle-free booking process that not only saves you time but also increases your property’s booking rates and elevates your visibility on the platform.
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