Master Your Airbnb Enquiries and Bookings: A Complete Guide to Boosting Your Success
Once your Airbnb listing is ready to go live, it’s an exciting time—but you may also feel a bit of anxiety. Have you covered all your bases? Before you publish your property listing and start accepting bookings, it’s important to ensure that every detail is in place. Here’s a checklist to help you prepare and manage your enquiries and bookings effectively.
Pre-Launch Checklist
Before you make your listing public, make sure that the following essentials are in order:
- Furniture and appliances installed
- Utilities (electricity, gas, water, Wi-Fi) ready
- Keyless entry or keys cut and accessible
- Cleaner arranged
- Linen and supplies ready (if required)
- Lawns mowed
- Property cleaned
- Online listings complete
This checklist ensures that your property is guest-ready from day one, providing a seamless experience for those first bookings.
Instant Booking: Why You Should Enable It
Enabling instant booking on your Airbnb listing is a must if you want to maximise your booking potential. With instant booking turned on, guests can confirm reservations instantly, and you’ll receive booking confirmations via the Airbnb app and email. This feature boosts your property’s ranking on Airbnb, making it more visible to potential guests.
It’s important to note that cancelling an instant booking can have serious consequences for your property’s visibility. Airbnb and other major holiday rental platforms penalise cancellations by lowering your ranking, which reduces your property’s visibility to future guests. Unless the guest has violated your booking rules, cancellations can hurt your chances of securing more bookings in the future.
Properties with instant booking enabled are always ranked higher than those without, so unless you’re not concerned about maximising bookings, it’s highly recommended to have instant booking turned on.
Responding to Booking Requests: Speed Matters
If you choose not to use instant booking, you’ll need to manually respond to booking requests. In this case, it’s crucial to respond quickly—ideally within 30 minutes of receiving the enquiry. If you don’t respond within 24 hours, the booking will be automatically declined.
Starting off with a prompt and professional response sets the tone for your Airbnb management style. Keep in mind that not all enquiries will convert into bookings. Some guests may be shopping around, and depending on your cancellation policy, they may even cancel shortly after you accept their request. But don’t be discouraged—quick responses show potential guests that you’re attentive and reliable.
Before accepting any booking request, double-check the details to ensure the enquiry is suitable for your property.
Cancellation Policies and Instant Booking
Airbnb’s instant booking functionality allows guests to book without needing your approval. However, if you need to cancel a booking, be aware of the ramifications. Cancelling a booking without a valid reason can lead to penalties, including a significant drop in your ranking on the platform. This lower ranking means reduced visibility for your listing, making it harder for future guests to find and book your property.
It’s crucial to understand the impact that cancellations can have on your Airbnb business. Whenever possible, avoid cancellations to maintain your property’s visibility and maximise bookings.
Conclusion
Mastering the management of your Airbnb enquiries and bookings is key to building a successful short-term rental business. By enabling instant booking, responding quickly to requests, and carefully managing your cancellation policies, you can ensure a smooth and efficient booking process that maximises your revenue potential. Being prepared and proactive will set you apart from other hosts, boosting your property’s visibility and helping you achieve long-term success in the competitive Airbnb market.
