What is What Is a Pre-Approval on Airbnb + How It Works?
What Is a Pre-Approval on Airbnb + How It Works A pre-approval on Airbnb is a host-initiated action that signals to a…
A pre-approval on Airbnb is a host-initiated action that signals to a specific guest that they're welcome to book your listing, triggering a 24-hour window in which that guest can confirm the reservation at your stated nightly rate.
It's not a hold, not a guarantee, and not a booking. The guest still has to act.
If they don't confirm within 24 hours, the pre-approval expires and your calendar stays open.
For a listing priced at $150/night with 75% annual occupancy, a single expired pre-approval on a peak weekend represents roughly $300 in unconfirmed revenue.
Why Smart Hosts Prioritize Airbnb Pre-approval
That single blocked calendar day on your $150/night listing? It just cost you $150 in gross revenue. Gone.
At 75% occupancy across a 30-day month, you're already running on a tight 22-23 booked nights, so you can't afford to lose a single one.
Every inquiry that stalls while a guest waits more than an hour for your response, or a hold that never converts, chips directly into that profit.
Pre-approval gives you a tool to move hesitant inquiries toward confirmed bookings without dropping your standards. A guest who messages before booking is signaling interest but not commitment.
Sending a pre-approval holds the dates for 24 hours and prompts a direct booking decision which cuts the back-and-forth that kills conversion.
How a Pre-approval Works in Practice
When a guest sends an inquiry on your listing, Airbnb gives you 24 hours to respond. Pre-approving that guest starts a 24-hour booking window, the guest can confirm the reservation at your stated nightly rate, or the offer expires automatically.
Here's what actually happens in sequence:
A guest inquires about your $150/night property for 4 nights
You review their profile, verified ID, and any reviews from prior hosts
You send a pre-approval, locking in your price and dates
The guest books within 24 hours, or the hold drops and your calendar reopens
The calendar block during that window is real. Your dates aren't available to other guests while the pre-approval is active. For a high-demand weekend at $150/night, that's a meaningful 24-hour exposure if the guest doesn't follow through.
A Host's Guide to Timing The Pre-approval
A $150/night listing in a beach market with 78% peak-season occupancy can't afford to hold dates for guests who ghost after an inquiry. But the calculus shifts depending on the time of year.
Peak season (June–August, December holidays): Keep pre-approval windows tight, 24 hours maximum. Demand is high enough that holding a date for an undecided guest costs you real money.
Shoulder season (April–May, September–October): Extend pre-approval to 48 hours. Occupancy typically drops 15–20% in these windows, so the risk of a held date going unfilled is lower.
Off-peak periods: Pre-approve freely. An empty calendar in January doesn't benefit from selectivity.
What It Does to Your Other Host Stats
Hosts who pre-approve selectively don't just fill calendars, they see higher average booking values.
A properly screened guest is far more likely to book a 5-night stay than a 2-night impulse reservation, boosting that booking value by 20% or more. It's simple math. Longer stays slash your turnover costs (typically $45-$65 per clean) and protect your revenue per available night.
The metric pre-approval directly protects is cancellation rate. Guests you've engaged before booking cancel at roughly half the rate of cold instant-book reservations, keeping your performance score intact.
Find Your Pre-approval Workflow in Minutes
Mr. Props maps every step of the Airbnb pre-approval process to your listing's response window, so you never lose a $150/night booking to a slow reply. Start Free Trial