Removing Instant Book for your listing gives you greater control over who stays at your property by requiring guests to send a booking request that you must approve.
Steps to Turn Off Instant Book
To disable Instant Book for any of your listings, follow these straightforward steps through your host dashboard:
- Access Your Listings: Navigate to your Listings page (replace with actual link to listings if available, otherwise keep as placeholder) where all your properties are managed.
- Select a Listing: Click on the specific listing for which you want to modify the Instant Book setting.
- Edit Listing Details: Under the Listing editor section, find and click on Your space. This area contains details about your property's availability and booking preferences.
- Manage Instant Book: Locate the Instant Book option. You will see a toggle switch. Click this switch to turn Instant Book off.
- Save Your Changes: After switching Instant Book off, ensure you click Save to apply your new settings.
Once saved, guests will no longer be able to book your property instantly. Instead, they will send a booking request that you will need to review and approve manually.
Why You Might Choose to Turn Off Instant Book
Hosts often switch off Instant Book for various reasons, prioritizing manual control and guest vetting. Here are some common motivations:
- Enhanced Guest Vetting: You can personally review each guest's profile, past reviews, and messages before confirming their stay, ensuring they are a good fit for your property.
- Specific Property Needs: If your property has unique access requirements, delicate features, or shared spaces, manually approving guests allows you to communicate these specifics beforehand.
- Seasonal or Event-Based Bookings: During peak seasons or local events, you might want more control over pricing and guest selection, which is easier with manual approval.
- New Host Experience: As a new host, you might prefer to start with manual approvals to gain confidence and better understand guest expectations before enabling Instant Book.
- Unusual Requests: Instant Book might not cater to guests with special requests or non-standard booking durations, which you can address with a "Request to Book" system.
Instant Book vs. Request to Book: A Comparison
Understanding the differences between these two booking methods can help you decide which is best for your hosting style.
| Feature | Instant Book (On) | Request to Book (Off) |
|---|---|---|
| Guest Experience | Immediate confirmation, faster booking | Sends a request, waits for host approval |
| Host Control | Less control (relies on pre-set requirements) | High control (review each guest & request) |
| Booking Speed | Very Fast | Slower (requires host action) |
| Guest Vetting | Automated based on platform rules | Manual by host, personal discretion |
| Acceptance Rate | 100% of eligible guests | Varies, dependent on host acceptance |
| Ideal For | Busy hosts, properties with minimal special requirements | Hosts who prefer personal screening, unique properties |
For more details on managing your listing preferences, you can visit the Host Help Center (replace with actual link to host help center if available, otherwise keep as placeholder).
