Earn more high value bookings with Request to Book

Request to Book — now available on major OTA’s like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo— helps you diversify your income stream and reap the benefits of higher value bookings, all while ensuring guests are a good fit for your property before accepting their bookings.

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Request to Book vs

Instant Book

With Instant Book, guests browsing for their dream holiday are able to immediately book properties without prior approval from the property manager. 


With Request to Book, this changes. Guests now have to send a booking request which you  have 24 hours to approve or decline. This means you can ensure the guests are a fit for your property, run additional checks or confirm the property’s availability before accepting.

 

 

How does Request to Book benefit you?

  • Full Control: Approve or decline bookings to ensure guest profiles meet your property standards.
  • Enhanced Coordination: Align with property owners before confirming reservations.
  • Increased Exposure: Gain access to high-value bookings by listing on top OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo—without compromising on quality or exclusivity.

    In 2024 alone, our top bookings included €300k+ via Airbnb and €240k+ via Vrbo. Now, you can benefit from these channels too.

 

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Effortless Setup & Management with Rentals United

With a channel manager like Rentals United, setting up Request to Book is seamless.

All you have to do is select it as your booking option when adding properties. Once set up, you’ll be notified of all booking requests, which you’ll be able to review, accept and decline through Rentals United directly.

 

 

Ready to start earning more high value bookings with Request to Book through Rentals United?

Get started, and our team will be in touch to show you how it works.

Frequently asked questions 

What channels is Request to Book available on?

Request to Book was previously most commonly found on specialist luxury channels like Villa Finder, Smiling House, and Oliver's Travels.

But in the last few years, major OTA’s have taken note of its potential for luxury properties. 

Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo all now offer Request to Book as an option. 

You can find a full breakdown of our channels that offer Request to Book in our Channel Handbook.

How do booking requests work?

When making a booking request, a potential guest sends an inquiry to the host. This often includes:

  • Their reason for traveling
  • Who they’re traveling with 
  • What they love about the space 
  • Agreeing to property rules and payment terms

They then pick their desired dates and submit a request through the platform’s booking system.

Once you receive this request, you have the flexibility to approve or decline their request.

The time you have to respond to the request varies between platforms. But it’s usually 24 hours. If you don’t respond to the request in that time, it’s automatically declined.

What are the benefits of using Request to Book instead of instant book?

There are some of the major benefits that come with using a Request to Book system. The benefits vary depending on your property portfolio, the channels you list them on, and your reason for using Request to Book, but include:

  • More control over your calendar
  • Having the chance to review guests before approving their request
  • More control over the length of stay
  • Avoiding double bookings (especially if you also accept offline bookings)
  • Gaining the exposure of OTA's without sacrificing exclusivity or control over your calenda
Who is Request to Book right for?

Booking requests provide hosts with more control and open up the possibility of listing luxury properties on OTAs. But they can add complexity. Here are some factors to consider:

Booking Requests may be better for:

  • Luxury home and property managers who require a high degree of control over guest selection 
  • Owners with multiple properties
  • Property managers renting out unique, high-demand properties
  • Property managers who want to screen all potential guests carefully
  • Owners with complex calendar coordination needs
  • Luxury property managers that want to list on more channels and increase revenue
  • Property managers who need to approve booking requests with the owner before accepting
Can I manage Request to Book through a channel manager?

Yes! A channel manager like Rentals United offers you the best Request to Book connections, allowing you to review and accept or decline requests directly from your channel manager.