If you weren’t able to catch ‘Instant Growth with Instant Book,’ a webinar hosted by Guesty and presented by the experts at Airbnb, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s a synopsis and recording of the first installment in Guesty’s new webinar initiative, aimed at providing short-term property managers with insights that can benefit their businesses.
In ‘Instant Growth with Instant Book,’ viewers heard from Partice Merle, Market Coordinator at Airbnb, who revealed how enabling Airbnb Instant Book can both reduce your workload and increase your bookings.
Airbnb Instant Book, for those who don’t know, is an optional feature that allows guests to book rentals instantly without having to wait for approval from hosts.
The Stats Don’t Lie
The prefered way of booking for guests, Airbnb Instant Book is one of the three most applied search filters on the Airbnb platform. Today’s guests want to finalize their plans immediately, which explains why 60% of Airbnb bookings are made through Instant Book.
Merle also pointed out that enabling Instant Book gives you a boost in Airbnb’s search results, making guests more likely to find your rentals even if they haven’t applied the search filter.
All of this, plus the decreased likelihood of losing bookings due to guests finding other rentals while awaiting your approval, contribute to the 20% increase in bookings that opting to use Instant Book can mean for your rentals.
Security Features
Merle then addressed the most common concerns associated with Instant Book, assuring property managers that hosts can cancel reservations without penalty when guests violate their conditions. He also noted there is criteria that hosts can require guests meet – such as recommendations from other hosts and the provision of a government-issued ID – in order to utilize Instant Book.
Rounding off the webinar, Itay Levy, Product Manager at Guesty, demonstrated how Guesty is the ideal companion for instantly bookable listings, with features like automation tools and the multi-calendar stepping in to alleviate any concerns about keeping up with on-the-spot reservations.
Any Questions?
Merle and Levy then took questions from the audience. One viewer wanted to know how enabling Instant Book affects a host’s Superhost qualifications and was assured that Instant Book actually increases the odds of gaining Superhost status. Instant Book automatically gives hosts a stellar response rate, which is one of the main Superhost criteria.
Another inquiry regarded concerns about cancellation limits on Airbnb. Merle clarified that Airbnb’s policy is three cancellations per listing, not per host. He also assured viewers that this is not an actual limit, rather the number of penalty-free cancellations hosts can make on their own, without contacting the platform. Any other instances that require cancellations can be brought to the attention of Airbnb and penalties will be waived so long as there is sufficient reason for the host to feel uncomfortable with the reservation.
Be sure to watch the webinar and stay tuned for updates about future webinars from Guesty. Together, we can take your short-term rental business from where it is to where you want it to be!
