Airbnb check-in message template: 8 ready-to-send messages so every guest arrives stress-free
Most of a stay’s “crises” happen before the door even opens: the GPS that stops at the corner, the lockbox no one can find, the code that “doesn’t work”. With a good Airbnb check-in message template, sent at the right moment, all of that disappears. Below you’ll find 8 ready-to-send messages — from the complete self check-in to a ferry arrival on a Greek island. Swap the {variables} for your details, copy, and send.
Arrive at the right moment — the day beforeTranslated into 30+ languages with GuestAIReady for WhatsApp, Airbnb, Booking & email
The library: 8 ready-to-send check-in messages
Tap the copy icon, paste, and swap in your details.
Complete self check-in with lockbox
Send it the day before arrival — everything the guest needs to let themselves in.
Hi {guest_name}! 🔑
Everything is ready for your self check-in at {property_name}!
📍 Address: {property_address}, {property_city}
⏰ Check-in from {check_in_time}
🔑 How to get in
{access_instructions}
Lockbox code: {access_code}
Inside the lockbox you'll find the keys for the building door and the apartment.
📶 WiFi
Network: {wifi_name}
Password: {wifi_password}
If you get stuck at any step, send me a message — I reply right away. Safe travels! 😊
Smart lock code
Send it on arrival day, when the door opens with a keypad smart lock.
Hi {guest_name}! 🔐
The door at {property_name} opens with a smart lock — no key needed!
🔢 Your personal code: {access_code}
Type it on the keypad and press ✓.
The code activates at {check_in_time} on your check-in day ({check_in_date}) and works until your check-out.
📍 Address: {property_address}, {property_city}
If the lock doesn't respond, message me right away — there's always a backup plan. Safe travels! ✈️
In-person greeting — asking for ETA
Send it 1–2 days ahead when you'll greet the guest yourself and need to agree on a time.
Hi {guest_name}! 👋
We can't wait to welcome you to {property_name} on {check_in_date}!
I'll be there to let you in, show you around and hand you the keys in person.
So that neither of us has to wait: what time do you expect to arrive, roughly? Check-in starts at {check_in_time}.
If anything changes in your plans (flight delay, traffic), just send me a message — I'm flexible. 😊
Late-night arrival
Send it when the guest arrives after 10pm — it reassures them and protects the neighbours.
Hi {guest_name}! 🌙
No problem at all that you're arriving late — {property_name} will be ready for you, whatever time you get here.
📍 Address: {property_address}, {property_city}
🔑 Entry is fully self-service:
{access_instructions}
Code: {access_code}
💡 The light switch is immediately on your right as you walk in.
🤫 One small favour: after 11pm the neighbours are asleep — please go gently with the suitcases in the stairwell.
If you need anything on the way, write to me — my phone is on. Safe arrival! 🌟
Directions — by car + parking
Send it when you know the guest is driving — parking is the #1 question from drivers.
Hi {guest_name}! 🚗
Driving to {property_name}? Here's the route:
📍 Put this in your GPS: {property_address}, {property_city}
🅿️ Parking
• You'll usually find free spots on the parallel street behind the building
• If not, there's a car park 3 minutes on foot — ask me for the exact location
• Avoid the yellow lines — they do check
Once you've parked: {access_instructions}
If you get lost on the way, message me and I'll guide you live. Safe driving! 🛣️
Directions — public transport / from the airport
Send it to guests without a car — metro, bus or taxi from the airport.
Hi {guest_name}! ✈️
Coming to {property_name} by public transport? Here's how:
🚇 From the airport
• Take the metro or bus towards the centre — ask me which line and where to buy a ticket
• Get off at the stop closest to us and it's a 5–10 minute walk
🚕 By taxi
Show the driver this address: {property_address}, {property_city}
⏰ Reminder: check-in from {check_in_time}
If you get confused at any point, send me your location and I'll guide you step by step. Safe travels! 🧳
Greek island arrival — ferry port & meeting point
Send it for arrivals by ferry — schedules slip and the port gets chaotic in August.
Hi {guest_name}! ⛴️
Welcome (almost) to our island! Here's how to reach {property_name} from the port:
🚢 As soon as you're off the ferry
• Send me a message that you've arrived — ferries often run late and I don't want you waiting around
• Meeting point: at the port exit, in front of the kiosk — I'll also send you the exact location (pin)
🚗 If you're bringing your own vehicle, put this in your GPS: {property_address}, {property_city}
⏰ Check-in from {check_in_time} — if your ferry lands earlier, let me know: either the place will be ready, or we'll keep your luggage for you.
Safe arrival and happy swimming! 🌊
Follow-up: did you make it in OK?
Send it 1–2 hours after check-in time — it catches small problems before they become a bad review.
Hi {guest_name}! 😊
I hope you're settling in nicely at {property_name}!
Did everything go smoothly? Did you find the place easily, did the code work, are you connected to the WiFi ({wifi_name})?
If anything isn't quite as you expected — anything at all — tell me now and we'll fix it right away.
Enjoy your stay! 🏠
Why guests get lost (and message you at 3am)
90% of panicked calls don't happen on the road — they happen in the last 50 metres. The GPS stops at the corner of a narrow street, the building has no visible number, the doorbell shows a different name, the lockbox is 'somewhere at the entrance' but there are three entrances. Add a guest who's tired from a flight, at night, dragging suitcases, maybe in the rain — and you have the recipe for the classic panic message: 'We're outside, we can't find the door!'
The problem isn't the guest; it's that the information you gave them was written by someone who already knows the building. You read 'the blue door next to the bakery' and it's obvious. They see three blue doors and no bakery open at 11pm. A good Airbnb check-in message means writing for someone who has never seen the spot before — and sending it before they need it, not while they're already searching.
The day-before rule: when to send check-in instructions
The golden moment for full arrival instructions is the afternoon or evening of the day before. Earlier, the message gets buried under the rest of the booking thread and the guest can't find it when they need it; later, they may already be travelling without internet, or arrive before you've managed to send it.
The day before, the guest is packing, checking their plans and reading your message carefully — not on the move. They have time to save the address, download the offline map and ask about anything they didn't understand, while you're still awake to answer.
A pattern that works: the full instructions the evening before, plus a short message on arrival day with only the absolute essentials — address, code, your phone number. That way the last message in the conversation is exactly the one they'll open at the door.
The anatomy of a perfect Airbnb check-in message template
A complete self check-in message fits on one screen and answers five questions, in this order:
1. Where do I go? The full written address ({property_address}, {property_city}) AND a Google Maps pin link — GPS with the address alone often misses in alleys and villages.
2. How do I get in? The code ({access_code}) and exactly where the lockbox or keypad is — not 'at the entrance', but 'left of the door, at eye level, small black box'.
3. Where inside the building? Floor, door, what the nameplate says. 'Second floor, on the right, marked A2' saves ten minutes of wandering a dark stairwell.
4. WiFi — network and password, because it's the first thing they'll look for once the suitcases are down.
5. What if something goes wrong? Your phone number, with the reassurance that you answer. Just knowing it's there means they'll rarely need it.
Photos beat words
However well you describe the entrance, a photo shows it. The smoothest arrivals we've seen use 3–4 numbered photos like a little comic strip: (1) the building front from the street, (2) the entrance door with a circle around the right doorbell, (3) the lockbox close up, (4) the apartment door. The guest simply compares what they see with what's on their screen — they don't even need to read.
And for everything the message can't anticipate? That's where GuestAI helps: when a guest types 'I can't find the door' — in English, German, or any of 30+ languages — the AI assistant answers instantly, in their language, with your specific property's instructions and photos. You sleep; the arrival carries on without you.
Frequently asked questions
When should I send the check-in instructions to a guest?
Send the full instructions the day before arrival, in the afternoon or evening — late enough not to be forgotten, early enough for the guest to read them calmly and ask questions. On arrival day, send a short message with only the essentials: address, code, your phone number. That way the last message in the thread is the one they'll need at the door.
What should self check-in instructions include?
Five things, in this order: the address together with a Google Maps pin link, the access code and exactly where the lockbox or keypad is, the floor and door inside the building, the WiFi (network + password), and an emergency phone number. If it all fits on one phone screen, you've got the right length.
How do I share the lockbox code safely?
Send it only in a private message (Airbnb chat, WhatsApp) and only close to arrival — never in the public listing description. Change the code regularly, ideally after every stay. If you have a smart lock, even better: create a separate code per guest that activates at check-in and expires at check-out.
How do I handle very late-night arrivals?
First, reassure the guest early that the hour is no problem — otherwise they'll stress the whole journey. Second, make entry fully self-service: lockbox or smart lock, a light at the entrance, and one line about where the switch is inside. Third, kindly ask for quiet for the neighbours. The 'late-night arrival' template above covers all three.
How do I send check-in messages automatically for every booking?
With an automation tool like GuestAI: you set up once that arrival instructions go out, say, at 6pm the day before, and the system sends them on its own over WhatsApp for every new booking — auto-filling the name, code, address and WiFi from the booking details. They're even translated into the guest's language — 30+ languages.
What if the guest still gets lost despite the instructions?
Some guests will get lost no matter what you send — usually at night, after a long journey. The question is who answers at that moment. GuestAI's AI assistant replies instantly to 'I can't find the entrance', 24/7 and in the guest's language, based on your specific property's instructions and photos. You see in the morning that everything went fine — without your phone ever ringing.
Let your arrival instructions send themselves
Take any messages you like from this page and use them for free — they're yours, no strings. But if you want to stop sending them by hand, GuestAI sends them automatically on WhatsApp the day before every arrival, filled in with the code, address and WiFi, translated into 30+ languages — and answers "I can't find the door" 24/7. You just host.
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