Instant Book vs Request to Book
Instant Book lets a guest confirm a stay straight away, with no approval from you. Request to Book means the guest sends a request first, and you approve or decline it. Both are booking methods in StayLuxe. The right one depends on how much control you want over who stays, and how quickly you want to fill your calendar.
What is Instant Book?
With Instant Book, a guest picks your dates and the booking is confirmed right away. There is no back-and-forth and nothing for you to approve. It is the fastest way for a guest to lock in a stay, and the easiest to manage on your side.
What is Request to Book?
With Request to Book, the guest sends you a booking request instead of confirming. You then review it and choose to accept or decline. This gives you a chance to check the guest’s details or ask a question before you say yes, but it adds a step and takes more of your time.
Side-by-side comparison
| Instant Book | Request to Book | |
| How it confirms | Instantly, no approval needed | Only after you accept |
| Your effort | Very low, it runs on its own | Higher, you review each request |
| Control over guests | Less, anyone eligible can book | More, you screen before accepting |
| Speed for guests | Fastest | Slower, they wait for your reply |
| Best for | Filling the calendar with less admin | Extra caution over who stays |
The benefits of Instant Book
Turning on Instant Book tends to bring in more bookings with less work. Guests often prefer the certainty of confirming a stay right away, so listings that offer Instant Book usually convert more of their views into actual bookings. Many guests also filter their search to show only Instant Book listings, so enabling it puts your property in front of a larger audience and can help it rank better in search. On top of that, you save time: there are no requests to approve or decline, no requests expiring while you are away, and no risk of looking slow to respond. For most hosts, Instant Book is the simplest way to keep the calendar full.
When Request to Book makes sense
Request to Book is worth keeping if you want more say over who stays, for example for a high-value home, a first booking with a new type of guest, or dates you want to review case by case. The trade-off is more admin and a slower experience for the guest, which can cost you bookings if you are slow to reply.
How to choose and switch it on
Both options live in your StayLuxe booking settings, and you can change them any time. For the step-by-step walkthrough of how to choose and turn on Instant Book or Request to Book, follow the guide below.
1 Go to the StayLuxe host dashboard.
Property Management
2 Select Properties Management.
3 Select the edit icon beside the property you want to update.
Booking Options
4 Scroll down to the Booking Options section.
5 Select either Instant Book or Request to Book.
Instant Book: Guests can confirm their booking immediately.
Request to Book: You must approve or reject each booking request.
6 Select Save Changes to update your booking preference.
Your new booking preference will apply after the changes have been saved.
Good to know
Even with Instant Book on, very last-minute bookings may still need your approval, so it is worth keeping an eye on your inbox close to check-in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Instant Book and Request to Book?
Instant Book confirms a guest’s stay straight away with no approval from you. Request to Book means the guest sends a request first, and you accept or decline it before it is confirmed.
Which one gets more bookings?
Instant Book usually brings in more bookings, because guests prefer instant confirmation and many search only for Instant Book listings, which can also improve your search ranking.
Does Instant Book mean I lose control over who stays?
You have less case-by-case control than with Request to Book, but you still set your house rules and requirements. If screening each guest matters to you, Request to Book gives you more say.
Can I switch between the two?
Yes. Both options are in your StayLuxe booking settings and you can change them at any time.
Do last-minute bookings still need approval with Instant Book on?
Very last-minute bookings may still ask for your approval, so keep an eye on requests close to check-in.