Hosting is one of the most rewarding things you can do on Couchsurfing. You get to share your city, your culture, and your story with someone from the other side of the world, all without leaving your living room. You'll swap travel tips over coffee, hear about places you've never been, and make friendships that last well beyond the stay. For a lot of members, hosting is what makes Couchsurfing feel like home.
There are two ways to get started: wait for a stay request to land in your inbox, or go find a traveler yourself by sending a host offer.
Set Up Your Home Profile First
Before you dive in, take a few minutes to fill out your home profile so travelers know what to expect. Tap or click Edit Home on your profile to get started.
This is where travelers get a feel for you and your space. Add some photos, describe what makes your place unique, share the sleeping arrangement, and mention any house rules or amenities. The more you add, the easier it is for the right traveler to say yes.
Your exact address stays private until 24 hours before a confirmed stay.
How Do I Accept or Decline a Stay Request?
When a traveler wants to stay with you, you'll get a notification in your Activity Center and the request will show up under Your Guests in your Library . Open the chat with the traveler to see the full request, then respond from there.
If the traveler isn't already a friend, their stay request comes in as a chat request. You'll need to accept the chat before you can respond to the stay itself. Once you do, the full request opens up and you can take it from there.
On mobile:
- Tap Library
in the bottom navigation bar
- Find the request under Your Guests
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Tap Respond to view the stay details
- Tap Accept Stay or Decline
On the web:
- Click Library
- Find the request under Your Guests
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Click Respond to view the stay details
- Click Accept Stay or Decline
If you accept, you'll be asked to review your home info to make sure the address and sleeping arrangement are up to date. Once you confirm, the traveler will confirm on their end and the stay is on.
If you decline, you'll be asked to select a reason. That feedback goes only to Couchsurfing, not to the traveler.
How Do I Send a Host Offer?
Don't want to wait? You can browse upcoming trips to your city and reach out to travelers who look like a great match.
On mobile:
- Tap Explore
in the bottom navigation bar
- Tap the search bar
- Select the Travelers category
- Enter your city
- Tap a profile to open the traveler's trip page
- Tap Offer to Host
- Complete the offer details
- Tap Send Offer
On the web:
- Click Explore
- Click the search bar
- Select the Travelers category
- Enter your city
- Click a profile to open the traveler's trip page
- Click Offer to Host
- Complete the offer details
- Click Send Offer
Once sent, if the traveler is a friend the offer lands straight in your Chats tab. If they're not a friend yet, it goes to Chat Requests and they'll need to accept before they can see it.
Can I Host Multiple Travelers at Once?
Yes. You can have stays with different travelers at the same time, even on overlapping dates. Just keep in mind you can only have one active host offer or upcoming stay with the same traveler at a time.
Can I Cancel an Upcoming Stay?
Yes, you can cancel at any time, even after both sides have confirmed. Just reach out to your traveler as soon as you know, so they have time to make other plans.
On mobile:
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Tap the three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner
- Tap Cancel Stay
On the web:
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Click View at the top of the chat
- Click Cancel Stay in the panel on the right
You'll be asked to select a reason and provide a brief explanation.
How Do I Cancel a Host Offer?
If you've sent a host offer that hasn't been accepted yet, you can cancel it directly from the chat. Open the conversation and tap or click View on the offer banner at the top. The offer details will open — on mobile this appears inline, and on web it opens in a panel to the right of the chat. Select Cancel Offer at the bottom of that panel.
You can also find it through your Library:
On mobile:
- Tap Library
- Find the request under Your Guests in pending requests
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Tap View on the offer banner at the top of the chat
- Tap Cancel Offer
On the web:
- Click Library
- Find the request under Your Guests in pending requests
- Open the chat with the traveler
- Click View at the top of the chat
- Click Cancel Offer
Where Can I See All My Hosting Activity?
Everything lives in your Library . Open it and scroll down to Your Guests, where you'll see confirmed stays listed as "Hosting [name]" and pending offers as "You offered to host [name]." Your own upcoming and pending stays appear just above under Your Stays.
Your Activity Center catches all the notifications: new stay requests, upcoming visits, and anything that needs your attention.
You can also open any chat with a traveler to see the stay details at the top of the conversation.
A Couple Things to Know:
- There's no hosting status to turn on or off. Every member is a potential host.
- Chat with your traveler before they arrive to align on expectations, arrival time, and house rules.
Need more help? Get in touch. You can also reach us anytime through Settings → Contact Support.