Understanding Instant Book
Instant Book allows guests to immediately book your home for available dates. You don’t need to review and accept each booking request individually, which saves time. Many guests also like the convenience Instant Book provides.
How Instant Book works
You can turn Instant Book on or off anytime. Update your booking settings in the Listings tab.
When using Instant Book, all booking guests must go through Airbnb’s identity verification process, agree to your house rules, and meet your guest requirements.
You can set your requirements to offer Instant Book only to guests who have a positive track record. That means they’ve completed at least one stay and haven’t received any negative reviews.
If you require a government ID during an in-person check-in, or if it’s a requirement where your property is located, you can request this from guests by messaging them through your Messages tab.
You’ll need to keep your calendar up to date when using Instant Book. Consider syncing your Airbnb calendar with any other calendars you use. This helps you avoid getting unexpected bookings or canceling a reservation due to a scheduling error, which could result in cancellation fees and other consequences.
You can cancel a booking without consequences for valid reasons, like a guest making it clear they’ll likely break one of your house rules. Keep in mind that you can never cancel for any reason that violates Airbnb’s nondiscrimination policy.
Why you might still get booking requests
There are a few scenarios where you might get booking requests even when using Instant Book:
- Your calendar is out of date.
- You’ve recently canceled a reservation.
- A guest who doesn’t meet your requirements may send a reservation request.
You’ll need to respond by accepting or declining the reservation, or messaging your prospective guests within 24 hours.
Choose the booking setting that’s right for you
You control when and how guests book your place. While Instant Book offers efficiency and convenience, some Hosts may find booking requests work better for them.
Choose a method that helps you avoid canceling on guests for preventable reasons.