For my Airbnb, instant book is where I get almost all of my bookings. We deal with Business people booking a single room on a short stay. I kind of imagine someone at their desk being told they need to be in my area on Thursday and then going onto the Airbnb website and finding something in their price range.They don’t have time to discuss what brings them to the area or need to know if the coffee shop is walkable. Also, most of my guests are multiple returns so I cannot imagine them requesting to book multiple times in a month.
That makes sense for you and the type of clientele you get.
But FYI, I have always used Request to Book, and have never asked guests what brings them to the area. It only takes a couple of minutes for my guests to send a short, informative message with their request, which the vast majority of them do. I answer and accept usually within minutes, unless they send the request in the middle of the night.
The only time I ask any questions before accepting and wait for a response is if they haven’t mentioned anything in their message that indicates they are aware of what they are booking.
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I think we are thinking the same thing, asking ‘what brings you to this area’ or asking for ‘a short informative message’ is about the same thing. We as host want to know the intentions of the guest. If the guest’s idea of relaxation in the area does not mesh with our Airbnb. Then it is a bad fit, and that guest should not be accepted.
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I think you missed my point. You had made it sound as if it’s a drag for guests to send a booking request instead of using IB, because you seemed to think Request hosts send guests a bunch of questions before accepting.
My point was that I don’t- it isn’t necessary for the vast majority of requests.
Am a bit confused though, because it appears to me like you require some sort of discussion before you book them? What is required?
If the vast majority of guests require no interaction from you, it would seem you would benefit from instant book simply because of the higher ranking in the Airbnb search alone.
No, I don’t require a “discussion”. As I said, the vast majority of my guests send an informative message along with their request, which usually makes it pretty clear that they have read the listing info,that they are travelling alone (as I only host one guest at a time), etc. I take a quick look at their profile and reviews and if all looks good, which it usually does, click on “accept”, and send them a return message thanking them for booking with me and letting them know I will be sending them check-in info, instructions on catching the bus from the airport, etc., so to please make sure they have their notifications turned on, and asking if the phone number on their Airbnb profile is current.
Occasionally I’ll get one of those messages with a request that just says something like “Arriving at noon”- those are the ones I will ask questions of before deciding whether to accept. But I don’t ask questions about their plans, if they’ve been to the area before, etc.- I ask if they are aware that…?- something in my listing info that they would have had to actually read through the info to see and which could be a deal-breaker.
That has almost always illicited a more informative response that makes it clear that they are aware of what they are booking.
As a homeshare host who shares my kitchen and outdoor spaces with guests, I would never use IB. I want to know who I am dealing with, read their reviews, profile, read a message from them before I would feel comfortable with them booking. And according to many posts I have read, Airbnb no longer affords hosts 3 free cancellations- they seem to be now telling hosts who try to cancel unsuitable IBs that they will be penalized.
Unlike you, I don’t want guests who consider themselves “too busy” or uninterested to communicate.
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I have heard this in posts too, but I have not seen anything in writing; Airbnb’s terms of service has not changed and there is no update to the cancellation policy since 2023. We need to find a more definitive answer than ‘what we’ve heard’ or ‘what other people have posted’. I do not want to run my business based on that kind of ‘information’.
as if Airbnb cares what they write 
Perfect example “AirCover”. Despite many hosts being entitled to compensation, Airbnb tries to find any lame excuse to avoid paying damages. Often enough hosts had to go to great lengths in order to be made whole after guests trashed the place.
Also, as written here by other members, support reps start pulling unwritten policies out of their @$$ which makes you wonder why they even bother to set up a “legal” framework that they don’t adhere to themselves…
To question whether the 3 penalty free cancellation is still enforced by Airbnb is a valid question, considering past experiences of hosts apparently not profiting from that rule anymore.
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I wouldn’t consider what Airbnb writes in their policies to be a “definitive answer”, since they seem to do things which contravene their own policies.
If I read 30 posts from hosts who say Airbnb told them they will be penalized for cancelling an IB booking which the host had good reason to want to cancel, which I have, I would take that as pretty believable information.
“What I’ve heard” is not the same as hosts posting their own experience. People “hear” and spread all sorts of rumors and nonsense- “my brother’s wife told me her neighbor’s cousin blahblahblah”.
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Yes, everyone is a first-timer at some point.
If they are new to ABB, I usually ask them some questions about their stay before approving or declining. I even tell them that I am asking because they have not been to an ABB before. I make an assessment based on that with maybe a few more questions. Most people already offer up the information when requesting to stay but the others also come through with their plans.
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I still maintain airbnb Is blowing smoke with most of these instant book (or fail) talking points. I’m 100% request to book because people don’t read the listing descriptions. I send automatic messages instantly after a request comes in and asks the guests to reply that they have read everything. This solves 99% of my problem guests. I don’t think I get booked any less than instant bookings. I show up just fine on search results. Automatic replies from my property management software result in 100% response rate. Response rate is not based on accepting or declining a reservation. This helps me achieve super host by avoiding problems. Maybe super host status and great reviews help avoid being downgraded in search results we’re using request to book but I’m skeptical RTB makes a big difference either way. What I’m sure of is Airbnb prefers hosts to use instant book but hosts should not be scared to use Request a book.
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Airbnb does not provide this. And a property management subscription is not in my budget.
Could you give us a quick overview of the type your accommodation(s). Are they luxurious, are you located in a major tourist area, who is your target audience, are you facing a stiff competition for the type of accommodation you offer?
We have rather basic studios, which don’t match with most of our competition but have some unique selling points, which “should” attract a certain clientele. We also do use IB but based on what you’re telling here, it may very well be an additional layer of “security” to make sure we get the “right” guests.
Also which property management software do you use, so I can get a better understanding what this could cost us. Thanks.
I’m sure that you’re right and because it’s working well for you, that’s great. 
However, I’ve always used IB and been very happy with that.
From a guests’ viewpoint, we have just booked our (don’t know - umpteenth?) trip using Airbnb and we have never booked a RTB place. I’m far too old (and impatient) to wait to be ‘approved’.
There are plenty of guests who don’t feel that way, of course, but I feel that it’s worth mentioning just to show another perspective - all hosts, all rentals, all guests are different.
You are an Airbnb expert. Most guests don’t know what RTB is. I can tell they think they have a finalized booking after they only request.
RTB is definitely more hassle on both sides. If a host never gets problem guests I would say its not necessary. My goal is to week out bad guests. If I lose out on a few bookings, so be it. The headaches involved with 1 bad guest dealing with airbnb, outweigh losing a few bookings. My demographic is budget rentals in ski town, so vetting required.
Let’s say someone sends me an RTB, and then within 1 minute my automessages go out asking them a few questions. If they don’t reply right away, I know they aren’t using the airbnb app and don’t get notifications or are going to likely be a communication hassle. But I just let those expire. Sometimes then they reappear once they realized they don’t have a booking, and read everything and all is good. Otherwise, major problems have been likely averted IMO. I only have to cancel about 1 per year out of 400+ bookings/yr. So I never have to worry about that cancel quota and SH status.
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If you sent me a RTB, considering you likely have plenty of good reviews as a guest, you would have to wait a whole 5-10 minutes to be approved, with no message with questions you had to answer first. Got the patience for that? 
That’s you though @muddy and I’m pretty sure that there are a lot of hosts who don’t respond quickly.
Thank goodness. It’s not a host’s business to know why I’m coming into town or the purpose of my visit, after all. Whatever reason, I’m the same guest.
I agree those kind of questions seem weird and invasive to me. And asking guests why they are travelling here would be idiotic, as this is a beach town vacation destination.
The only times I reply to a RTB with questions are if it’s a newbie guest, or one with no or only one review, who haven’t sent a message along with the request that would indicate to me that they were clear on what they were booking.
And then the nature of my questions are geared to determine if they’ve thoroughly read the listing. Like “Are you aware that my place is a 20 minute walk from town and the beach?”
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