Worried you’d miss a guest because you couldn’t approve a booking request in time?
If you rent out a short-term stay, it can be hard to approve a booking request right away while you’re working.
“What if I miss a request?”
“It’d be a shame if a guest booked somewhere else while waiting for my approval.”
If approving booking requests feels like a burden, try Instant Booking. The booking is confirmed as soon as the guest pays, with no approval step.
Here’s how booking request approvals work on Samsam M2, Zigbang, and plott LIFE, as of early November 2026, plus what to check before turning on Instant Booking.
We’ll also show how many of the 298 host-listed plott LIFE homes offer Instant Booking.
How booking request approvals differ by platform
What happens if a host misses a request on Samsam M2?
If the host doesn’t approve within 24 hours, the booking request is automatically declined.
On Samsam M2, the guest requests approval. Once the host approves, the guest has 6 hours to pay for the booking to be confirmed.
① Approve or decline within 24 hours of receiving a request
② If approved, the guest pays within 6 hours
③ The booking is confirmed as soon as payment is made
Source: Samsam M2 official guidance (as of early November 2026; terms may change)
How long do hosts have to approve on Zigbang?
Zigbang’s landlord FAQ doesn’t specify an exact timeframe. Hosts must accept or decline within the “stated approval deadline.”
If you don’t respond by the deadline, the request may be automatically closed.
If the guest doesn’t pay by the payment deadline after you approve, no booking is made and the request is automatically closed.
If multiple requests come in for the same dates, you can approve more than one, but only the first guest to complete payment gets the booking.
We couldn’t find instructions in Zigbang’s landlord FAQ or listing guide for enabling bookings without approval.
Source: Zigbang Short-Term Rentals landlord FAQ (checked in early November 2026; terms may change)
How does plott LIFE handle approvals?
Hosts can turn on Instant Booking themselves.
For other homes, the host must approve after the guest pays to complete the booking.
With Instant Booking, the booking is confirmed as soon as the guest pays, with no approval step.
Approval process | Samsam M2 | Zigbang Short-Term Rentals | plott LIFE |
|---|---|---|---|
Host approval | Yes (approve after request) | Yes (accept or decline) | Yes for approval-based bookings; none for Instant Booking |
Approval deadline | 24 hours | Stated deadline (time not specified) | Not applicable to Instant Booking |
When the booking is confirmed | After payment within 6 hours of approval | After payment by the deadline following approval | Instant Booking: as soon as payment is made; approval-based: after host approval |
Source: Samsam M2 official guidance, Zigbang Short-Term Rentals landlord FAQ, and plott LIFE official website (as of early November 2026)
What changes when you turn on Instant Booking
Does Instant Booking remove the approval step?
Yes. With Instant Booking, the booking is confirmed as soon as the guest pays.
There’s no request to approve, so you won’t lose a booking by missing the approval window.
But you also won’t be able to approve or decline guests before the booking.
How do guests find homes with Instant Booking?
The plott LIFE listings page has an “Instant Booking” label and filter, so guests can browse only homes set up for Instant Booking.
Guests using the filter will only see homes with Instant Booking enabled.
Guests who need to move in soon can find homes that don’t require them to wait for approval.
How many homes actually offer Instant Booking?
About 2 in 10 (22%) of the 298 host-listed homes offer Instant Booking.
Nearly 8 in 10 require host approval after payment.
For comparison, 157 of 160 plott LIFE direct listings offer Instant Booking (direct listings only).
Source: 298 host-listed homes, excluding direct listings, and 160 direct listings on plott LIFE (as of early November 2026)
