Airbnb Requests
Some Airbnb guests don't book straight away. They send an inquiry, ask to book with a booking request, or ask to change a booking they already have with a change request. Argonautas picks these up from Airbnb and shows each one as a card at the top of the guest's conversation in the inbox, so you can answer it there instead of in the Airbnb app.
Airbnb requests come through your Airbnb connection, which the Argonautas team sets up for you. Vrbo and Booking.com requests aren't shown this way.
Where Requests Appear
Click Messages in the sidebar and open the guest's Airbnb conversation. Each open request appears as a card above the messages, showing:
- The kind of request: Inquiry, Booking request, or Change request.
- The dates, the number of guests, and the amount.
- A countdown, for example "Respond within 5h 20m". When the time is up it reads "Response time has passed".
- The buttons you're allowed to use (see Who Can Answer).
When Airbnb's notification of a booking request or change request arrives, Argonautas also raises a Reservation Request or Alteration Request alert under Alerts in the sidebar. Its Open conversation button takes you to the guest's conversation, where you answer the request. See Channel Alerts.
If Airbnb's notification never reaches Argonautas, the request is still found and added within about 15 minutes, since Argonautas checks Airbnb for requests every 15 minutes.
What You Can Do With Each Request
| Request | Your options |
|---|---|
| Inquiry | Pre-approve or Special offer |
| Booking request | Accept or Decline |
| Change request | Accept or Decline |
Each button opens a confirmation first. Once you confirm, the card shows "Sending to Airbnb…" until Airbnb answers. Airbnb treats every answer as final, so you can't change it afterwards from Argonautas.
Inquiries
- Pre-approve -- "The guest can book these dates at your listed price."
- Special offer -- Sends the guest a price for these dates. Argonautas fills in a total from Airbnb's own nightly prices for the stay, plus your Airbnb fees and any long-stay discount the stay qualifies for, and shows the breakdown. If some fees or nights have no Airbnb price, it tells you to check the total. You can change the Total before sending. It must be a whole number, before taxes, and it's the price the guest sees. If Argonautas can't read Airbnb's prices, enter the total yourself.
You can't decline an inquiry. If you don't answer it, it lapses on its own.
Booking Requests
- Accept -- "Airbnb charges the guest and confirms the booking." The booking then arrives in Argonautas like any other Airbnb booking.
- Decline -- Choose a Reason (sent to Airbnb): Not a good fit, Waiting for a better reservation, Not comfortable with the request, or Dates not available. You can add a Message to the guest (optional). Airbnb tells the guest, and this can't be undone.
If you choose Dates not available, Airbnb closes those dates on your Airbnb calendar. After a decline, or when a request lapses, Argonautas sends your availability to Airbnb again so the dates reopen, but check Airbnb's calendar afterwards.
Change Requests
- Accept -- "Airbnb updates the booking and its price." The booking in Argonautas updates when Airbnb sends the change through.
- Decline -- "The booking stays as it is."
If another booking or block overlaps the dates of a booking request or change request, the card warns you ("Overlaps 1 other booking or block") so you can check before accepting. For a change request, the booking being changed doesn't count.
Dates Held on Your Website
While a booking request is waiting for your answer, Argonautas holds its nights so that your booking website and new direct bookings in Argonautas can't take them. The card says "Dates are held on your website until you answer."
- The hold doesn't close the dates on Airbnb, Vrbo, or any other channel, and isn't sent to calendar feeds.
- You can't edit or delete the hold yourself. It belongs to the request, so answer the request from the inbox instead.
- The hold is released when you decline, when the request expires, or when the guest withdraws it.
- After you accept, the hold stays until the Airbnb booking arrives in Argonautas, for at most 48 hours.
- If the card says "These dates are not held on your website.", Argonautas couldn't tell which unit the request is for, so nothing is held.
When a Request Is Settled
Once a request is answered, the card shrinks to one line and stays visible for up to a week, for example "Pre-approved by Ana Rojas, Oct 11, 10:42 AM". Other outcomes read:
- "Accepted on Airbnb" (or another decision) -- the request was answered outside Argonautas, for example in the Airbnb app.
- "Withdrawn by the guest" -- the guest cancelled their request.
- "Expired without an answer" -- nobody answered in time. A booking request expires 24 hours after it arrived. An inquiry expires once its check-in date has passed. A request Airbnb no longer has is also marked expired.
If Airbnb doesn't take your answer, the card shows "Airbnb did not take the answer:" followed by the reason, and the buttons stay so you can try again.
Who Can Answer
Accepting a booking request charges the guest, and a special offer sets the price, so not everyone can do everything:
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Administrator or Property Manager | Every option on every request |
| Reservations | Pre-approve inquiries only |
| Other roles | See the card, with no buttons |
The card only shows the buttons you're allowed to use. See Users and Roles.
Key Concepts
- Inquiry -- An Airbnb guest asking about dates before booking. You pre-approve it or send a special offer.
- Booking request -- An Airbnb guest asking to book. You have 24 hours to accept or decline.
- Change request -- An Airbnb guest asking to change an existing booking.
- Special offer -- A price you send the guest for an inquiry's dates.
- Website hold -- A block on your website and direct bookings that covers a booking request's nights while it waits for an answer.
Common Questions
Can I still answer in the Airbnb app? Yes. Argonautas sees the answer and shows it on the card, for example "Declined on Airbnb".
Why can't I see the Accept button? Your role may not allow it. Only an Administrator or Property Manager can accept or decline. A person with only the Reservations role can pre-approve inquiries.
Does the website hold stop Vrbo from booking the same dates? No. The hold only applies to your booking website and new direct bookings in Argonautas.
Can I approve a booking request from the alert? No. Click Open conversation on the alert and answer the request on the card in the guest's conversation.
Related
- Messaging Guide: the inbox where Airbnb conversations and request cards appear.
- OTA Booking Modifications: how booking changes work on each channel.
- Sync Troubleshooting: the Channel Alerts page and its Open conversation button.
- Users and Roles: which roles a person has.