Instant Booking makes it easier for travelers to book your vacation rental when they’re interested, instead of having to wait for communication. Save time, increase bookings, and improve your performance in the search results.
Instant Booking also supports our commitment to inclusion and diversity, which all property managers, owners, and travelers are required to follow. In addition, many travelers appreciate that Instant Booking lets them book a listing without having to reveal their name or country of origin, which could lead to possible discrimination.
When travelers want to book your property, they can choose these options.
- Open communications with a question (an inquiry)
- Go directly to a confirmed booking (if you’re using Instant Booking)
Instant Booking makes booking easier
The quickest and easiest way for travelers to book your property is to enable Instant Booking. This feature lets travelers go straight to a confirmed booking — without you needing to review the booking request. This can save time for you and travelers.
Don’t worry. You can still communicate with travelers as needed after booking reservations are confirmed, even with instant bookings.
Travelers can view your saved rental agreement if you have one prior to booking and must agree to your house rules as part of the instant booking flow/process.
Once the reservation is confirmed, you can cancel it if the traveler is in violation of your house rules, but otherwise should only be cancelled upon the traveler’s request.
Improve your performance in search results
Your performance in the search results depends on several factors, such as the quality of your listing content, competitive rates, the number and quality of reviews, and your history of accepting and honoring bookings.
Too many unsuccessful booking attempts can make travelers not want to book vacation rentals at all, which is why we consider your acceptance rate — or how frequently you accept bookings compared to how often you decline — when coming up with your rank. This affects how you show up in the search results.
For example, if you decline 40% of the booking requests you receive, your acceptance rate is 60%. Instant Booking automatically accepts all bookings to make your acceptance rate 100%.
A high acceptance rate shows you’re committed to helping travelers find and book their perfect vacation rental, you’re available for more bookings, and you provide a great booking experience.
We understand there are times when you must cancel bookings. This is okay! One or two cancellations won’t have a negative impact on your ranking. It’s when they add up that it matters.
Using 24-hour review instead of Instant Booking
24-hour review gives you more time to look at each booking request. If you choose to not use Instant Booking, it’s still important to respond to travelers quickly so you can confirm the booking.
- With each request, you’ll have 24 hours to review, ask questions, and choose whether to accept each booking request.
- It’s okay if it doesn’t work out. But if you give approval, your guests are excited and the money is waiting.
- Make your house rules clear so guests know what is allowed.
For the best results, we recommend Instant Booking. With Instant Booking turned on, it’s easier to accept more bookings and improve visibility.
Concerned about vetting travelers or accidentally double booking?
We hear you, and know that keeping your property safe and tidy is of great importance. With Instant Booking, you can still have conversations with your future guests before their trip to find out more about their stays and ensure bookings comply with your house rules.
To prevent double bookings, simply set up iCal to synchronise your calendar with any other platform you might be using. You can also check over your booking window to update how close or far out guests can make a booking.
Turn on Instant Booking
From your dashboard, visit “Property”, then “Rules and policies”, then “Booking type”, and select “Instant Booking”.