How to Activate/Disable Instant Book on Houfy?

What is Instant Book? Instant Book streamlines your booking process by automatically confirming and collecting payment on your guest’s reservations, with no additional steps required from you.

What you need before you turn it on

• Connected Payment Processor: you must have an active payment processor connected - Stripe, Square or PayPal. Instant Book collects payment at the moment of booking, so without one it cannot work.

• An accurate calendar and pricing: Instant Book confirms the reservation with no chance for you to review it, so whatever your calendar says is what a guest can book. Keep it current. You can do that any way you like - editing the Houfy calendar directly, an iCal feed, or an integrated PMS or channel manager. None of these is required; Instant Book works for hosts who manage availability on Houfy by hand.

How to Enable Instant Book

Here is how to turn it on:

1. Click your profile picture

   Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of any Houfy page. You’ll see a dropdown menu appear. Then click “Manage Listings” in the menu.

2. Click Calendar

   Find the listing you want to turn on Instant Book for. Below the listing photo and name, you’ll see a row of buttons (Edit, Calendar, Pricing, Preview). Click “Calendar”.

3. Click Settings in the toolbar

   Your listing’s calendar will open. Look at the toolbar near the top of the calendar — you’ll see buttons like Add, Import, Export, Print, and Settings. Click “Settings” in this toolbar.

Important: Don’t click the “Settings” option in the left sidebar — that’s a different section. The Settings button you need is in the toolbar row above the calendar, right next to “Print” and “Help.

4. Click the Availability tab

   A Settings panel will appear with several tabs across the top (Base Pricing, Rule Sets, Availability, Sync, Advanced, and Overrides if the listing has date overrides). Click the “Availability” tab.

5. Find Instant Booking and click Edit

   You’ll see sections for Booking Cutoff, Same Day Booking, and Instant Booking. The Instant Booking section will show “Enabled: No” (or “Yes” if it’s already on). Click the “Edit” button in the top-right corner of the Settings panel.

6. Select Yes

   The page switches to edit mode. Under Instant Booking, you’ll see a dropdown labeled Allow instant book without accept. Click the dropdown and select Yes - it saves the moment you pick it. The Done button in the top-right corner just closes edit mode.

That is it. Instant Book is now turned on for this listing on houfy.com, and guests will be able to book it right away without waiting for your approval. The dropdown saves as soon as you pick Yes; the Done button just closes edit mode.

If you also sell through your own Houfy website, that is a separate switch. Bookings that come through your website use the website setting, not this one. Turn it on at Website settings > Advanced > Allow instant book on my website - otherwise guests on your own site will still go through request-and-accept while houfy.com is instant.

If you have more than one listing, repeat these steps for each listing you want to enable Instant Book on.

Want to turn Instant Book off? Follow the same steps, but in step 6, select “No” from the dropdown instead.

Important Notes:

• Availability and Accuracy: Instant Book relies on accurate pricing and availability. Keep your calendar and pricing consistently updated to avoid double bookings or cancellations.

For assistance or if the "Allow Instant Book" option isn't visible, verify your account settings or contact Houfy Support directly.