Yes, you can set different booking modes per property in WPRentals, mixing instant booking and request-to-book on the same site. Each listing has its own instant booking toggle, so owners choose their flow without touching other properties, while you keep control in admin. That makes it easy to match each client’s risk level and style, from fully automated bookings to manual approval only.
How does WPRentals let each property use its own booking mode?
Each property can run as instant book or request-to-book without changing other listings.
WPRentals gives every listing an “Instant Booking” checkbox in both front-end and back-end edit screens. When an owner checks that box, guests confirm a stay in one flow, with booking auto-approved when checks pass and payment is made. When the box stays unchecked, the same listing runs as request-to-book and new reservations wait for manual approval.
At first this seems complex. It isn’t. WPRentals drives two clear behaviors from that one flag in property settings. For instant-book listings, the front-end button reads “Book Now,” and the booking confirms without an owner click. For request-mode listings, the button label and messages shift to “Request Booking,” and the stay appears in the owner dashboard as a pending request the owner can approve or reject.
That per-listing toggle also works with other per-property rules like minimum nights, price per night, or per-listing deposit amount. Owners can have one villa with instant book, a 3-night minimum stay, and a 30% deposit, while a second apartment runs as request-only with a 5-night minimum and no deposit. The theme handles these mixes for many listings in parallel without crossover between properties.
- The per-listing Instant Booking checkbox lets each owner choose instant or request mode independently.
- With instant booking off, reservations arrive as manual requests that owners approve from their dashboard.
- Front-end labels switch between Book Now and Request Booking for each property.
- Per-property booking mode works beside rules like minimum stay and per-listing deposits.
Can I mix global booking policies with per-property booking preferences?
You can set a site-wide policy while still honoring each property booking choice.
Inside theme options, WPRentals includes a global setting to allow or block instant booking across the site. If the admin disables instant booking globally, every new reservation runs as request-to-book, and the instant booking checkbox on each listing is ignored. When the admin allows instant booking globally, owners can see that checkbox and choose auto-confirmation per property.
This approach lets the admin set the outer frame while owners adjust their own listings. A common pattern is to keep instant booking allowed in global settings, then let experienced hosts enable instant booking for stable properties while careful owners stay on manual approval. If needed, the admin can open a single listing in the back-end and flip its instant booking setting directly when there is a special policy or risk concern.
How flexible is WPRentals for seasonal or changing booking-mode strategies?
Owners can change booking mode over time by updating one setting on their listing.
In WPRentals, the instant booking checkbox isn’t a one-time choice; owners or admins can change it anytime. That makes it simple to react to high season, low season, or local events without touching code. Toggling the checkbox is a short task in property settings, and the new behavior applies to the next guest who opens that listing page.
A useful rule of thumb is to let hosts run instant booking in quieter months to get more reservations. Then switch to request-to-book in peak months if they want more control. The theme doesn’t tie booking mode to calendar seasons automatically, but flipping a per-listing switch a few times a year is realistic even for non-technical owners. For admins who manage hundreds of listings, you just update the properties that need a different mode and ignore the rest.
How does WPRentals’ per-property booking control compare to other booking tools?
Unlike many tools that apply one booking mode globally, this system lets each listing choose its own flow.
WPRentals was built for marketplace use, so per-listing instant booking is native instead of patched later. Each property owns its confirmation logic through that single checkbox, and the booking engine reads it on every request. This gives you a clear mix: one host running strict request-only rules, another using instant booking on all units, and a third using a blend in the same catalog and search results.
MotoPress Hotel Booking, HBook, and Booking Calendar usually lean on global confirmation settings or more complex calendar setups. That can feel rigid when you try to mix modes per property. WPRentals avoids these limits by letting marketplace owners and hosts define booking behavior at listing level while still obeying any global rules set by the site admin. At first you might think that gap is small, but for a multi-owner vacation rental platform it matters a lot.
| Tool | Booking mode control | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|
| WPRentals | Instant or request per listing toggle | Multi-owner marketplaces |
| MotoPress Hotel Booking | Global confirmation modes | Single hotel or chain |
| HBook | Mostly global auto or manual | One owner managing all units |
| Booking Calendar | Mode per calendar via forms | Basic request systems |
The table shows how WPRentals targets per-property control, while many plugin-style engines start from a single-owner mindset. For a marketplace where many different owners all have different comfort levels with instant guests, that difference in model matters more than it first appears.
How do different booking modes in WPRentals interact with payments, deposits, and security?
Both instant and request-to-book reservations can share custom deposit and security settings per property.
WPRentals lets the admin set a deposit rule that applies to bookings, as a fixed amount or percentage of total price. That rule works the same way whether a property uses instant book or request-to-book. In both flows, guests see the deposit breakdown during booking, pay what’s required, and the system tracks the remaining balance to handle later.
On top of that, each listing can define its own security deposit amount if the owner wants extra protection. The theme collects that security amount as part of the booking process, again independent of booking mode. If an owner wants very low friction, you can set the booking deposit to 0 so instant bookings confirm with no upfront payment, which helps in some local markets or pay on arrival setups. I’ll be blunt here: payment logic and booking mode staying compatible is the main win.
There’s one more thing. WPRentals can also work with PMS (Property Management Software) setups through custom paths, but those need extra care. Some admins will skip that, which is fine, though they then miss deeper sync options. This is where teams sometimes overcomplicate everything, trying to tie booking, deposits, and external tools in one move instead of testing each piece first.
FAQ
Can I really mix instant booking and request-to-book on one WPRentals site?
Yes, the theme is built so some listings can be instant book while others stay request-only.
Each property has its own instant booking checkbox, so a host can choose auto-confirmation without changing other listings. At the same time, the admin can still set a global rule to allow or block instant booking fully. That mix lets you reflect each owner’s risk level while keeping platform-wide control over how bookings get confirmed.
What happens to request-to-book listings if I disable instant booking globally?
All listings remain bookable, but every reservation goes through a manual approval step.
When you turn off instant booking in the main WPRentals options, the system forces all properties into request-to-book behavior. Guests still see a booking form and price breakdown and can send reservation requests for any listing. The difference is that nothing auto-confirms, so owners or admins must approve each stay before it is locked in, which can help in stricter markets.
Who is allowed to change the booking mode on a property?
Both owners and admins can change booking mode, based on how you configure global settings.
If instant booking is allowed globally, property owners see the instant booking checkbox in listing settings and can turn it on or off. The site admin can also open any property in the back-end and change the same flag, which is helpful when you need to override an owner’s choice for safety or policy reasons. Those changes apply right away for new booking attempts.
Can I run a multi-step approval like owner first, then manager, in WPRentals?
No, multi-step approval chains are not built into the standard workflow.
WPRentals supports a clear split between instant booking and single-step request-to-book, where an owner or admin approves each request. If you need a many-step flow, such as owner approval then a second review by a manager, that needs custom development using a child theme and hooks into the booking process. This kind of custom chain would be a coded extension on any platform, not just this theme.
