How to Turn Off Instant Booking on Airbnb

So you want to turn off Instant Booking on your Airbnb listing. Maybe you’ve had a bad experience and are uncomfortable with someone booking your home without asking first. Or maybe your house is listed on several short-term rental websites and you want to avoid double-booking. Whatever the reason, this quick guide will give you easy steps to turn off Instant Booking.

But first, there are several details to be aware of before you turn off Instant Booking.

Things to Know Before Turning Off Instant Booking

1. Search Boost: Turning off Instant Booking will make your listing appear lower in Airbnb search results. Airbnb wants potential guests to book right away when they’re looking for a place to stay, so they prioritize Instant Booking listings in their search results.
2. Increased Earnings: Guests like the convenience of Instant Booking. Turning it off may be a deterrent for potential guests who want the convenience of booking right away. Airbnb says that listings with Instant Booking turned on can get twice as many bookings!
3. Exclusive Control: If you’re uncomfortable with anyone booking instantly, you can limit which guests are allowed to use Instant Booking. You can choose to only allow guests who have provided government-issued ID, or only guests who have been recommended by other hosts. These options provide additional peace of mind without the other potential downsides of disabling Instant Booking.

If you’ve read those caveats and still want to disable Instant Booking, we understand! Sometimes it makes sense to personally approve every guest who requests to book. To make it easy for you, we’ve put together the following quick and easy instructions for disabling Instant Booking on any, or all, of your listings.

How to Turn Off Instant Booking in 2019

Using the Airbnb app

1. Tap “Listings” at the bottom of your screen, then select the first listing you want to change.
2. Tap the “Booking Settings” tab.
3. Tap the “How guests can book” menu, then choose “All guests must send reservation requests.”
4. On the next screen, tap “Turn Instant Book off,” then follow the instructions.
5. If you have multiple listings, repeat these steps for each of them.

On your computer

1. Go to www.airbnb.com/rooms to see your listings.
2. Click the first listing you want to change, then click the “Booking Settings” tab.
3. Click the “Edit” button next to “How Guests Can Book,” then choose “All guests must send a reservation request.”
4. Click “Save” and follow the instructions.
5. If you have multiple listings, repeat these steps for each of them.

And that’s it! Instant Booking is turned off, and every guest will be required to personally check with you before booking.

If you want to turn Instant Booking back on, simply repeat the steps, but choose “Guests who meet all your requirements can book without requesting approval” during the third step. And finally, if you want even more information about Instant Booking, just visit www.airbnb.com/host/instant!