Is the Airbnb booking request feature the best option for your business?
In a previous post, we discussed the instant booking feature and its pros and cons for your vacation rental business. Essentially, this feature allows guests to book your property without confirming dates with you first. Turning on this feature is encouraged by most booking sites and can even help you get more rentals. However, it leaves your calendar up to chance. The other option for booking is Airbnb booking request feature. Despite being different, both options lead to a successful business if used correctly. Continue reading to learn more about Airbnb booking request feature to see if it’s the best choice for your business. After reading both of these posts, you can decide what option works best for you.
Airbnb Booking Request Considerations:
Fill your calendar the way you want
Utilizing the Airbnb booking request feature is the best way to fill your calendar the way you want. Maybe you’re busy training for a marathon during the spring and want fewer listings to have time to focus on your sport. Or maybe your city is incredibly popular during the Christmas season, so you want to have a full calendar all through December to maximize your income. Whatever the reason, Airbnb booking request feature allows you to have more control over how you fill your calendar. Because guests ask you to book first, it lets you decide if you want the reservation before you confirm it.
Easily screen your potential guests
If you need to decline a booking, it’s simpler to do if you use the booking request feature. Because this feature requires the potential guest to interact with you before the booking takes place, you have the opportunity to learn a little more about them. Ideally, you want to feel comfortable renting to everyone that requests your property, but that’s not always the case. If something feels wrong, or you think that the potential guest may be trying to scam, Airbnb booking request feature makes it easier to decline it.
Establish a relationship with guests before they book
An excellent part about using Airbnb is the fact that you get to meet travelers from all around the world. The possibility of interacting with some great people is even better when you have the opportunity to speak with guests before they book your property. Being able to form a relationship with your potential guests before they stay can increase the time they rent your property and their overall satisfaction with your and your home. This relationship will also encourage them to leave positive reviews which is a great way to get more rentals in the future.
However, It may be the less lucrative option
Despite Airbnb booking request feature feeling like a safety net, it may not be the best choice if you’re trying to increase your bottom line. Vacation rental sites heavily promote the use of instant booking feature because it helps them to streamline the booking process. Because of this, listings that have this feature turned on will get priority search rankings. If you don’t use instant booking, your listings may not get shown as often, which could affect your booking rate.
You know what’s always a good option? Using Hosty! Whether you choose to use Airbnb booking request feature or instant booking, Hosty is the Airbnb property management software that will help you organize and streamline your business.