Does Declining Airbnb Booking Requests Affect Your Listing Visibility?

Declining the occasional booking request—whether you don’t feel comfortable or simply can’t accommodate—usually isn’t a problem.

But Airbnb make it clear: if you decline a “lot” of booking requests, it will affect your Airbnb listing visibility.

“The Airbnb algorithm is built to prioritize listings that have the highest chance of being booked.”

Kiera, Bookability Strategist & Mentor

If you’re often saying “no,” the system reads that as lower reliability, and your search ranking can drop.

This is a fundamental point that many hosting experts overlook. There’s plenty of advice out there on “hacks” to improve Airbnb visibility, but ignoring the impact of declined requests means missing one of the most basic factors at play.

Turning on Instant Book takes the decision-making out of your hands—and importantly, the Airbnb algorithm favors Instant Book listings. It not only improves your visibility but also matches how guests behave when they’re searching.

Most guests don’t want to wait around for approval. If your listing requires a request-to-book, many will just scroll on and reserve somewhere they can confirm instantly. The algorithm tracks this booking behavior, and that’s why Instant Book gives your listing an advantage.

You can read more about this here in the Airbnb Help Centre Article 360.

Visibility is just one of the factors I map out in my Turn Lookers-to-Bookers™ Method, which helps hosts understand both the practical data and the psychology behind bookings (aka the Psychology of Bookings™).

As you think about your own listing, notice whether visibility is where you struggle—or if it’s another piece of the puzzle.