Have you ever had guests who booked with bad reviews?
I turned on instant book at the start of June with the strictest settings (must be recommended and have government ID) and maybe got 5 bookings out of that. So far Iāve met 2 of these bookings and these guests were very independent and travel savvy so I loved it! One told me she went to a restaurant I had recommended in my airbnb guestbook and she loved it. So it was awesome I didnāt have to tell her to look at my online guestbook, which is what I inevitably do with most guests when they ask for restaurant recommendations. Iām in a very āhotā area of Brooklyn so Iām booked about 3 months in advance during peak season and so far I like instant book to fill in those odd Monday-Wednesday openings. I host a private room though, I donāt think Iād trust it for whole house listings!
No, I havenāt. Most of my guests are new to Airbnb. I like that because in most cases, they are just as eager to get good reviews just as we hosts are 
They are generally on their best behaviour.
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I keep my instant book on, but I have guests with good reviews and airbnb certified (as if that means anything)
Ok! Yāall have convinced me to give it another try. I donāt want to be missing out on the European travelers in August who are playing it by ear as they explore California. The German couple I have with me right now are some of the most delightful guests Iāve ever had, so I canāt really complain that I had to do some juggling in my schedule to accommodate them. And, since Magwitch pointed out that I can require at least two-days notice, that helps give me a little more comfort. So, the experiment continues.
I know I am being wishy washy about this, but continuing to learn new things about what works well with the hosting gig is part of what makes it an adventure.
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I wonder if I could make a whole separate listing, same as my other one, but with a different title, and block off only certain days I would be willing to IB? I mean, maybe I should give it another try?
Never thought about it but have had IB since it started and it was set at if recommended by other hosts and I had quite a few guests run through and really no probs except very minor. The one who trashed our place last weekend was not an IB though. Guess I am happy with IB so far.
EllenN, I donāt know your or Jackulasā history on this site but that comment was not useful and was rather mean. What were you trying to prove? (rhetorical question, btw). I thought Jackulasā response was perfect ā moving on!
Great point! (I know I am way late to this post). I cannot really determine a who will be a good guest, either! 95% are great. My guess is that IB will not change that percentage much.
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Here is a quote from Jackulas:
Iāll tell you whatās cruel: showing a lack of respect for someoneās space and property. Obesity is a lifestyle choice. If you choose not to take care of yourself, youāve gotta live with the limitations it brings.
He has also said that he doesnāt want to host Southeast Asians because in his view they splash water all over his bathroom and leave water spots on his marble counters.
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A guest who was confirmed true Instant Book had only first name and initial of last name in his profile.
Airbnb response is: to protect privacy it is aloud for guest to use first name only. I had just a guest like that, was nice but am i stretching my luck. Any ideas? Thank you.
I donāt know if anyoneās mentioned something similar in the rest of this thread, but I solved this issue by adding a House Rule that said IB available only when made at least X hours/days in advance. Set it to say 48hrs. You can then simply hit the cancel button - instant booker has violated house rules!
Hopefully this takes the stress out of such a situation.
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Thereās also an option to set the preparation time within the IB feature, if Iām not mistaken.
There is an option for ALL reservations called Advance Notice. You can then over-ride this on a day when you feel up to a last minute reservation.
But this will introduce gaps in the booking and decrease the number of days booked.
I didnāt know there was an override for this.
I donāt think IB is something to be experimented with, to be honest. I think it takes a significant commitment and shouldnāt be taken lightly. If you have it switched on, you really need to honour all bookings otherwise it devalues the whole concept and therefore impacts on everybody. You can choose settings where you donāt get last-minute bookings, as others have said. Learn before you experiment!
I rarely have an open night the day before, and I donāt do one-nighters. EXCEPT, when there is a snow storm in Boston. If my schedule will allow, I will allow a 1-night reservation with less than a 24-hr window. I am only 15 minutes from the airport, so stranded passengers are my target market on those nights.
Ha ha! Yes. That is exactly what I did. IB guests had to give me a couple of days notice at least when booking. I still accept requests for same-day/next day bookings, but I gave to approve them.
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