Should a host receive a guest's regular grocery delivery?

Usually no. The safest default is for the guest to schedule regular delivery after check-in and receive it personally. Only offer host or staff receipt when a named person has agreed, the timing is confirmed, building access is lawful, and refrigeration responsibility is explicit.

What grocery delivery instructions should hosts provide?

Give the exact entrance, a visible landmark, unit or cabin identifier, permitted drop-off point, building access and parking rules, and a host contact for property-access questions. Never publish reusable access codes in general delivery notes.

Who handles missing items, substitutions or grocery refunds?

Those are grocery-order issues, so guests should use Instacart support from the order-management area in Airbnb Trips. Hosts should handle property-specific questions such as the correct entrance, gate process, parking restrictions and kitchen equipment.

Does TapStay place or track Instacart orders?

No. TapStay does not place, receive or track grocery orders and has no live Instacart integration. A TapStay portal can hold the host's own arrival, kitchen and local information so guests can find accurate property guidance in one place.

Can the TapStay AI Concierge answer grocery delivery questions?

It can answer property questions only when the host has supplied the relevant information, such as the permitted entrance or kitchen equipment. It should not claim to know an order's status, substitutions, arrival time or refund outcome.

Host operations · Grocery delivery

Airbnb Grocery Delivery with Instacart: What Hosts Need to Prepare

Airbnb has added Instacart grocery ordering for eligible trips. That can simplify the order, but it does not make an apartment entrance, gated driveway, refrigerator or delivery handoff self-explanatory. Hosts still need a precise property layer.

October 4, 2026By the TapStay team8 minute read

Illustrative route only — not actual order tracking, a delivery map, or a representation of Airbnb or Instacart software.

Factual update

What Airbnb announced

Airbnb announced on September 22, 2026 that Instacart ordering is available inside Airbnb for eligible US trips up to three weeks before check-in, with Canada announced for the following weeks. Canada’s rollout should not be treated as complete until the option appears for a specific reservation. Airbnb says the delivery address is prefilled and no separate Instacart account or app is required. Read Airbnb’s announcement

Airbnb’s Help Center says eligibility appears in Trips. Regular delivery is scheduled after check-in. Some eligible homes may separately offer optional pre-arrival kitchen stocking by the host; Airbnb’s announcement names Phoenix and Orlando for that opt-in host service. Order, delivery, refund and missing-item help belongs with Instacart through Trips → Grocery delivery → Manage order → Help. Read Airbnb’s help article

Official product facts above; the operational guidance below is TapStay’s practical recommendation for hosts, not an Airbnb rule.

The useful thesis is simple: ordering may now take fewer steps, while arrival still happens in the physical world. A driver can receive a correct street address and still reach the wrong tower, wait at a residents-only gate, block a fire lane, or leave frozen food at an unstaffed office.

Hosts do not need to become grocery coordinators. They need to make the property legible: where a handoff can happen, when the guest must be present, what the kitchen contains, and which questions belong to the host rather than the order provider.

Operational checklist

Six details to prepare before a guest orders

Write these once, verify them on site, and keep them with the rest of the property’s arrival information.

01
Name the exact drop-off point
Write the building, unit or cabin identifier plus one landmark a driver can see from the road. Explain which entrance to use and where bags may be left. A postal address alone is often not enough at apartments, gated communities or multi-cabin properties.
02
Make guest receipt the default
For a regular delivery, tell guests to schedule it after check-in and be present to receive it. Do not imply that a cleaner, co-host, front desk or neighbor will accept groceries unless that person has explicitly agreed for this reservation.
03
Document building and parking rules
State whether drivers may enter the lobby, use a callbox, stop at a loading bay, or must meet the guest outside. Add height limits, gate procedures and short-stay parking restrictions when they affect a handoff.
04
Audit the kitchen, not just the listing
List the equipment guests can actually use: fridge and freezer space, hob type, oven, microwave, coffee maker, kettle, cookware and food-storage containers. Record only staples you reliably replenish, with no assumption that an opened item remains.
05
Assign responsibility for perishables
Say plainly who will receive and refrigerate chilled or frozen items. For ordinary post-check-in orders, that should be the guest. If an optional stocking arrangement is offered, define the handoff separately and confirm it before an order is placed.
06
Draw the support boundary
The host answers property questions: entrance, unit, gate, parking and kitchen setup. Instacart handles order status, substitutions, delivery, refunds and missing items. A clear boundary sends guests to the right help channel without making them repeat the problem.

Know the handoff

Standard delivery and optional stocking are different

Question	Standard delivery	Optional host stocking
Timing	Scheduled after guest check-in	Before arrival, only where the option is offered
Receipt	Guest receives the order	Host-side receipt and stocking must be explicitly arranged
Host preparation	Accurate entrance, parking and kitchen notes	Confirmed access, storage, refrigeration and responsible person
Order support	Instacart via the order in Airbnb Trips	Order issues still go to Instacart; property handoff stays with the host

Copy and customize

A grocery-delivery note guests can act on

Keep it specific and short enough to scan at the curb. Replace every bracketed field; remove any line that does not apply.

Guest-facing delivery notes

Replace every [PLACEHOLDER] before sharing.

GROCERY DELIVERY NOTES FOR [PROPERTY NAME]

Exact entrance and drop-off:
Use [ENTRANCE / GATE / BUILDING]. Look for [VISIBLE LANDMARK]. Meet the driver or collect bags at [EXACT DROP-OFF POINT].

When to schedule:
For regular delivery, choose a time after your check-in at [CHECK-IN TIME] and be present to receive the order. The host team cannot promise to receive or refrigerate groceries.

Building and parking rules:
[CALLBOX / GATE / LOBBY / LOADING / PARKING INSTRUCTIONS]

Kitchen and supplied staples:
Available equipment: [FRIDGE / FREEZER / HOB / OVEN / MICROWAVE / COFFEE MAKER / COOKWARE].
We reliably supply: [ONLY STAPLES THE HOST REPLENISHES].

Need property access help?
Contact [HOST / CO-HOST NAME] at [HOST CONTACT METHOD]. Never send door or gate codes to a delivery driver unless your host has specifically approved it.

Need help with the grocery order?
In Airbnb, open Trips > Grocery delivery > Manage order > Help to reach Instacart support for order, delivery, refund or missing-item questions.

No access codes are included. Keep permanent codes out of general delivery notes.

Illustrative example

A clean arrival-day handoff

Scenario, not a customer case

3:00 PM

The guest checks in and confirms the unit and kitchen are ready.

4:15 PM

The guest schedules a regular delivery and uses the host’s exact east-lobby landmark and callbox notes.

5:00 PM

The guest meets the driver at the permitted loading area and brings chilled items directly upstairs.

5:10 PM

A missing item is handled through Instacart support; a question about the induction hob is answered from the property guide.

This is a practical illustration only. It does not describe a real guest, property, delivery or measured result.

The property information layer

Put the physical details where guests can find them

A TapStay guest portal can keep delivery directions beside check-in, parking, kitchen equipment, house rules and local essentials. Guests open one link rather than searching an old message thread while a driver waits outside.

Use the existing property and guest portal setup guide to add and review those facts. A host should verify every instruction at the property and update it whenever an entrance, gate process or supplied staple changes.

TapStay does not place, receive or track groceries and is not affiliated with Airbnb or Instacart. Its AI Concierge should answer only from information the host has supplied. It must never imply access to an Instacart order, live location, delivery estimate, substitutions or refund status.

Current TapStay offer

Free during the Early Pilot

Full access. Unlimited properties. No credit card required. Build a clear guest-facing home for arrival, kitchen and local information without changing how you take bookings.

Create your guest portal See the guest demo

FAQ

Grocery delivery questions hosts should settle

Sources and scope

Official information used for this guide

Information checked October 4, 2026; availability varies by reservation. Check the guest’s Trips view and current official help before relying on availability. Airbnb and Instacart are trademarks of their respective owners. TapStay is not affiliated with either company.