Why does Airbnb block off random dates in my calendar?

This article discusses how Airbnb iCal processes rental requests from unverified guests and/or unconfirmed booking requests and why those requests may block out your calendar/availability.

Background

There is a setting on Airbnb that allows you to check a setting called "Require guests to go through verification" before they can book with you. That setting can be found on this page:

1. Reservation Requirements
2. Require guests to go through the verification
   

What Happens If:

1. Unverified Airbnb Guest Requests a Booking

When an unverified Airbnb guest requests a booking, the following process takes place:

1. Airbnb engages in the verification process with potential guests.
2. Airbnb blocks off the guest's requested dates in your Airbnb calendar, even though the booking has not been completed or confirmed. In essence, they place a "hold" on those dates.
3. That "hold" is transmitted to Cloudbeds PMS as a booking, even though it has not been confirmed.
4. No email is triggered to the host regarding this process, which is what causes this confusion.

2. Unverified Airbnb Guest Completes the Verification Process

If the Airbnb guest completes the verification process within 48 hours, the booking is confirmed and all is well.

3. Unverified Airbnb guest abandons the verification process

If the guest doesn't complete the verification process:

• Hold Disappears from Airbnb Calendar: The hold is removed from your Airbnb calendar, but no email notification is sent to the host.
• Hold Remains on Cloudbeds PMS: Since Airbnb doesn’t communicate these changes to Cloudbeds PMS, the hold remains on your Cloudbeds calendar, blocking availability.

4. Impact, Detection, and Prevention

• Impact: The hold still blocks off the room in Cloudbeds PMS, preventing availability across all channels and potentially causing lost revenue due to overbookings.
• Detection: As Airbnb does not notify the property of this situation, there’s no automatic way to detect when a hold has been removed.
• Prevention: The only way to prevent this is to uncheck the “Require guests to go through verification” option in Airbnb. However, this requires stopping the sync with Cloudbeds PMS. For assistance with this, contact support@cloudbeds.com.

5. What if a verified guest requests a booking I have not approved yet?

When a verified guest requests a booking:

• Instant Hold: Airbnb immediately places the booking on your calendar, regardless of your approval.
• Sync with Cloudbeds: This booking is then transmitted to Cloudbeds PMS. Even if you decline the booking later, it will still appear on both the Airbnb and Cloudbeds calendars.
• Manual Cancellation: If you decline or cancel the Airbnb booking, manually remove it from the Cloudbeds PMS calendar.

Next Steps: Minimizing the Impact

This situation can be frustrating for property owners, but there are steps you can take:

• Option 1: Contact your Airbnb account manager and request that the calendar is only impacted once the guest has completed verification. The guest would receive a prompt to submit their booking request after verification.
• Option 2: Airbnb could notify hosts via email both when:
  • A pending booking hold is placed on the calendar, and
  • When the reservation is confirmed or canceled due to incomplete verification.