Airbnb, API, Request to Book

Yeah thanks for nothing!!!!!

To be honest, feeling really let down.

Tried to go API with airbnb 4 months ago. As soon as we did we realised that you had to be 'Instant Book' and had to quickly turn it off as that is not something we wanted.

Fast forward a few months and the rules had changed where you could select to be 'Request To Book' via API

After being burnt the first time around we made sure all our ducks were in a row. Got everything setup. Checked. Triple checked.

Turn on API

And BANG! our account is 'Instant Book'

Now I wish I could share screen shots here, but I can assure you our API connection is set up in OR as 'Request to Book', but Airbnb is ignoring that and we had to go in to Airbnb's setting to turn off instant book. My worry now is that when OR syncs back with Airbnb it will turn instant book back on even though that isn't how it's set in OR.

Is this yet another US/International thing that has fallen through the testing/beta stage? Is it just airbnb.com that is tested? and not airbnb.co.uk and all the other international sites???

As much as like ownerrez, i'm seriously feeling like a beta tester here without pay.

This is not an international thing or a beta issue, but a combination of Airbnb defaults and permissions.

Airbnb automatically switches listings to instant booking when API connected. Normally this is fine -- we run an update upon connection to set the booking mode according to the setting you have in OwnerRez.

However, your account is in Limited sync mode. In Limited mode, the API doesn't have permission to set the booking mode (or any other booking rules, listing data, photos etc.). In limited sync mode, the API only has permissions to set rates, availability, and availability rules).

Instead, you have to set the booking rules on the Airbnb side -- since you've done that, you're good to go.

If you switch to Everything sync mode, that will also fix the issue -- we'll start pushing the booking mode from OwnerRez and it'll update accordingly.

Then I must have missed this nuance that I assume you pointed out in the going api instructions or webinars that I watched?

The last time we went API somebody instant booked within hours, so we turned API off. Then i'm told we can now set 'request to book' via API, and unless I had checked we would have had the same issue yet again.

I'd love to trust OR and the data, but feel I have to second guess and go looking for issues before I can

Now reading between the lines, you say "In Limited mode, the API doesn't have permission to set the booking mode (or any other booking rules...)..."

When you say 'booking rules'... are you saying that in limited mode it will push rates, but it won't push things such as minimum night stay rules?

Limited mode can push minimum night stay rules and other availability rules, as I mentioned. You can see the details of what exactly is synced in each mode in setup guide for Airbnb: https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/channel-management-api-integrations-airbnb-setup-connecting#set (look at the bottom of the "Mapping properties" section).

What it can't push are the booking rules -- like booking mode, cancellation policy, check in/out time, etc.

I just added a reminder to the RTB article about the Limited mode resync issue, to clarify the process to set RTB for Limited sync: https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/instant-book-vs-request-to-book#airbnb