How does Airbnb response rate work and what should you automate?
HostBoost Updated 7 min read
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Your response rate is the share of new inquiries and reservation requests you answered within 24 hours. Airbnb measures it over the past 30 days (Help Center article 430). Airbnb says the rate affects Superhost status and search placement. Superhost needs 90%. Scheduled messages cover three triggers, which are booking confirmed, before check-in, and after checkout. They do not answer new inquiries, so you still need a fast first reply.
How does Airbnb calculate response rate?
Response rate = new inquiries and requests answered within 24 hours ÷ all new inquiries and requests, over the past 30 days 20 received, 17 answered within 24 hours, 2 answered late, 1 expired 17 ÷ 20 = 85% Below the 90% Superhost line.
A response is any of these five actions: accept, pre-approve, decline, send a message, or send a special offer. A reply after 24 hours counts as late and lowers the rate. A reservation request you let expire counts as a non-response and lowers the rate too.
Only the first reply in a new thread counts. Follow-up messages inside an existing conversation do not enter the formula, and Airbnb publishes no separate figure for them.
What is the difference between response rate and response time?
Response time is the average time to your first reply across all new messages in the past 30 days. Guests see it on your listing. Airbnb says response time "has less impact on your host status" than response rate.
Superhost uses a longer window. The Superhost check looks at your first reply to each new thread over the past 12 months. Airbnb assesses it on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October. A bad month does not sink you if the year holds at 90% or above.
| Metric | Window | What counts | Where it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response rate | Past 30 days | First reply to new inquiries and requests within 24 hours | Search placement, Superhost |
| Response time | Past 30 days | Average time to first reply | Shown to guests, less impact on status |
| Superhost response rate | Past 12 months | First reply to each new thread within 24 hours | Quarterly Superhost check |
Does replying within one hour improve bookings?
Reply quickly enough to help a guest decide while they are still comparing properties. The 24-hour mark protects your response-rate metric; it is not a useful service target for someone ready to book.
Track how often inquiries turn into bookings and how quickly you answered them. That tells you more about the value of inbox coverage for your property than a universal conversion percentage.
Answer new inquiries in minutes when you can, and never past 24 hours. Airbnb added quick replies in the 2024 Winter Release. They send a saved answer from the inbox in two taps.
What can scheduled messages automate?
Scheduled messages send a saved template at a fixed offset from one of three triggers:
- Booking confirmed
- Before check-in, at an offset you set
- After checkout, at an offset you set
Templates accept placeholders for the guest first name, check-in date, listing address, wifi name, and confirmation code. Airbnb fills them per reservation. Messages send in the listing time zone, not yours.
Two settings catch hosts out. Airbnb skips last-minute bookings and one-night stays by default. Toggle each template to include them, or a same-day guest gets no check-in instructions. Co-hosts cannot see the primary host's templates (Help Center article 2899). If a co-host runs the inbox, they need their own set.
Scheduled messages do not answer inquiries or requests. They do not count toward response rate. Automate the predictable part of the stay and keep a human on the inbox.
Set them up at Messages > Menu > Scheduled messages > New message.
What should the five templates say?
Write each template in the guest's language, in plain words, with one job per message. Keep them short. Guests read them on a phone.
Hi {guest first name}, thanks for booking. The stay starts on {check-in date}. Check-in opens at 3 pm and checkout is at 11 am. Arrival details arrive three days before check-in. Send any questions here at any time. Looking forward to hosting.Hi {guest first name}, here is everything for arrival on {check-in date}. Address: {address}. The lockbox is to the right of the front door. The code arrives the day before check-in. Parking is free on the street after 6 pm. Nearest supermarket is a five-minute walk on the corner. Reply here if the arrival time changes.Hi {guest first name}, tomorrow is check-in day. The lockbox code is 4821. Turn the knob after the beep. Wifi network is {wifi name} and the password is on the fridge. Heating is on the wall panel by the entrance. Any trouble getting in, message here and a reply comes within minutes.Good morning {guest first name}. Checkout is at 11 am today. Before leaving, put used towels in the bathtub, take out the kitchen trash, and lock the door behind you. Leave the key inside the lockbox. Thanks for staying, and safe travels.Hi {guest first name}, thanks again for staying. Hope the trip went well. A review from you helps future guests decide, and one is coming your way too. If anything during the stay fell short, a message here is welcome before the review. Take care.The booking message says when the details arrive, which stops the "where are the instructions" thread. Guests only see detailed check-in steps in the app 48 hours before arrival, and many miss them. The two pre-arrival messages repeat that information by message. The checkout message keeps tasks short. Airbnb caps in-app checkout instructions at 140 characters and forbids fees for skipped tasks. The last message asks for the review without a script.
The day-before message matters most. The guest reads it at the door. Put the code and the wifi in it and nothing else. The message hosts get wrong is the booking confirmation. Hosts paste the whole house manual into it, and the guest has forgotten every line by check-in. Say when the details arrive and stop.
What should you never automate?
Do not automate the first reply to an inquiry. A generic auto-reply is a response by Airbnb's definition, but the guest still has an unanswered question. Airbnb's 2026 Summer Release adds auto-replies inside the inbox (Hostaway). Use them to buy an hour, then answer the actual question.
Do not automate refunds, complaints, or anything about damage. Those threads end up in support tickets, and quality-related tickets feed the Guest Favorite and top 10% labels.
Questions hosts ask
Does a declined request hurt my response rate?
No. Declining within 24 hours counts as a response. Letting the request expire counts as a non-response.
Do scheduled messages count as responses?
No. Response rate measures your first reply to new inquiries and requests. Scheduled messages go out on reservation triggers, not on incoming messages.
Does response time affect Superhost?
Airbnb says response time has less impact than response rate. Superhost measures response rate at 90% over 12 months.
Why did a same-day guest get no check-in message?
Scheduled messages skip last-minute and one-night bookings unless you toggle each template to include them.
Sources
- Airbnb Help Center article 430, Response rate and response time, Airbnb, accessed 2026
- Airbnb Help Center article 829, Superhost requirements, Airbnb, 2026
- Airbnb Help Center article 2897, Scheduled messages, Airbnb, accessed 2026
- Airbnb Help Center article 2899, Scheduled message settings, Airbnb, accessed 2026
- Airbnb Help Center article 1926, Check-in and checkout instructions, Airbnb, accessed 2026
- Airbnb Help Center article 2894, Checkout tasks, Airbnb, accessed 2026
- Airbnb Resource Center 666, The highlight for top homes, Airbnb, 2025
- Airbnb Newsroom, 2024 Winter Release, Airbnb, 2024
- Hostaway, Airbnb 2026 Summer Release, Hostaway, 2026
- Enso Connect, Response times in hospitality, Enso Connect, undated, vendor benchmark