The host booking flow: requests, approvals, and payouts

Every marketplace booking starts as a request you personally approve or decline. Here's the whole lifecycle.

When a request comes in

1. •The header bell gets a badge and a "New request from {guest}" item — it counts all unread notifications and refreshes itself about every 45 seconds.
2. •The Today page leads with "You have N booking requests waiting on you" and a Waiting on you section with your newest requests.
3. •The Bookings page lists it under the Upcoming tab with a gold Pending badge.

Reviewing the request

Open the request for the full picture: trip dates, package, the guest's note, and the roster — names, hunter or companion, with tap-to-call phone numbers (guest emails are never shown to hosts). The money breakdown shows the Service fee and Your payout.

If you approve

1. 1Click Approve request — the Approve request? dialog states exactly what will charge before you commit.
2. 2Confirm with Approve and charge $X (or Approve request when nothing charges) — the guest's saved card is charged immediately.
3. 3Expect the split when the trip is far out: your listing's deposit setting (No deposit, 25% up front, or 50% up front) charges now, and the balance auto-charges 30 days before the trip. Closer trips charge in full.
4. 4Watch the booking flip to Confirmed — the guest is emailed, and the charge lands in the booking's Activity section as "Payment received."

If the guest's card is declined

The request stays pending, the booking gets a red Card declined flag on your Bookings list, and we ask the guest to update their card. Their page shows Payment method needs updating (your approve button waits), then Payment method updated once they save a new card — approve again. If the dates filled up meanwhile, the error tells you the real reason.

If you decline

Click Decline request — the Decline request? dialog offers Add a note for {guest} (optional), then confirm with Decline request. Nothing is ever charged, and the guest is emailed with your note.

After you've approved

1. •Message the guest from the booking's Actions menu (Message guest) — the right place for arrival details.
2. •Expect the balance (on split trips) to auto-charge 30 days before the hunt — no action needed from you.
3. •Cancel if you must from Actions → Cancel booking: the Cancel booking? dialog asks you to pick the refund — Full refund (the default, "Recommended — you initiated this cancellation"), {policy} policy (exactly what your listing's policy promises the guest), or Custom amount (anything from $0 up to what they paid). The button states the outcome before you commit — "Cancel booking · refund $X" — and an optional note is emailed to the guest with the exact refund amount. If the guest was never charged, the dialog just notes "These dates become available again."

• Manage hosting requests, listings, and payouts
• When do I get paid as a host?