Airbnb Guest Communication Templates You Can Copy

Airbnb guest communication templates are pre-written messages you send at six fixed points in every stay: the booking confirmation, the pre-arrival message with check-in details, a short note on arrival day, a mid-stay check, a checkout reminder, and the review request after they leave. Write each one once, save it with [BRACKETED] merge fields, and every guest gets the same answer at the same moment without you thinking about it. All six are below, word for word, in the wording I actually use.

I have hosted more than 3,000 guests and collected over 1,000 five-star reviews, and this message set has barely changed in years. That is the point. Guests do not want personality at 11pm, they want the door code. If you are still building the business underneath, start with how to start an Airbnb business.

One thing to be clear about: this page is the words. The tooling that sends them, scheduled messages, quick replies, and their triggers, lives in Airbnb message automation. Write the scripts here, then put them on a timer there.

The six messages that cover a whole stay

Most hosts over-message at the start and go quiet when it matters. This sequence front-loads what a guest needs before arrival, checks in once while you can still fix a problem, then gets out of the way.

The six templates, word for word

Copy these, swap the bracketed fields, and save them wherever you keep saved replies. Leave the brackets in your master copy so you can see what needs filling.

1. Booking confirmation

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], this is [YOUR NAME], your host at [LISTING NICKNAME]. You are confirmed for [CHECK-IN DATE] to [CHECKOUT DATE].
Check-in is any time after [CHECK-IN TIME], checkout is [CHECKOUT TIME]. I will send the address, door code, parking, and wifi the day before you arrive.
If you are in town for something specific, a wedding, a game, a work trip, tell me and I will point you at the right places. Anything you need before then, message me here.
[YOUR NAME]

2. Pre-arrival, 24 hours out

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], you are in tomorrow. Everything you need:
Address: [FULL ADDRESS]
Door code: [DOOR CODE], enter it then press the lock button
Parking: [PARKING INSTRUCTIONS]
Wifi: [WIFI NAME] / [WIFI PASSWORD]
Check-in is any time after [CHECK-IN TIME]. No key, nobody to meet, the code goes live at [CHECK-IN TIME] on [CHECK-IN DATE].
Quiet hours are [QUIET HOURS]. Full house rules are on the listing, the short version is no parties, no smoking, no guests beyond the [MAX GUESTS] on the booking.
[YOUR NAME]

Why it works: this message decides whether your phone rings at midnight. Airbnb supports self check-in through a smart lock, keypad, lockbox, or key handoff, per Airbnb's self check-in help, so your access method changes one line of it. My setup is in the Airbnb self check-in guide. Restating the rules in writing makes a later reminder fair rather than a surprise.

3. Arrival day

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], the place is cleaned and ready for you. Door code is [DOOR CODE], and the full check-in steps are in yesterday's message.
The welcome book on the counter covers the thermostat, trash day, and where to eat nearby.
Safe travels, message me when you are in and I will leave you to it.

4. Mid-stay check

Morning [GUEST FIRST NAME], hope the first night was a good one. Is everything working the way it should, hot water, heat, wifi?
If something is off, tell me now while I can still fix it. Most things I can handle same day.
[YOUR NAME]

Why it works: a problem you fix on day two is a five-star review. The same problem found in a public review is a permanent three.

5. Checkout reminder

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], checkout is [CHECKOUT TIME] tomorrow and my cleaner [CLEANER NAME] arrives right after.
Before you head out: start the dishwasher, bag the trash and drop it in [TRASH LOCATION], leave used towels in the tub, and pull the door shut, it locks itself.
No need to strip beds or clean, that is what the cleaning fee covers.
Good having you here, safe trip home.

Why it works: it asks for three small things instead of ten, so guests actually do them. The full list is in Airbnb checkout instructions.

6. Review request

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], thanks for leaving the place in good shape, I noticed.
I have already written your review. If the stay worked for you, one back helps me more than you would think. You have 14 days from checkout and it takes a minute.
If anything fell short, reply here first, I would rather fix it than read about it.
Come back any time, message me directly for repeat-stay dates.

Why it works: guests and hosts both have 14 days after checkout to review, per Airbnb's reviews for homes help page, so asking early is the whole game. The "reply here first" line routes a complaint into a thread you can resolve instead of a public review you cannot.

Why message timing shows up in your search results

Fast, on-platform messaging feeds things Airbnb measures. In Airbnb's explanation of how search results work, quality is assessed partly from host and guest communications on the platform, and host responsiveness sits among the host-controlled factors. Airbnb also counts how often guests message a host as a popularity signal. It publishes no weights, so treat this as a direction rather than a dial, and read how the Airbnb algorithm works for the full picture.

The badge thresholds are concrete. Superhost is assessed quarterly on the trailing 12 months and needs a 4.8 or higher rating, at least 10 reservations (or 3 totalling 100 or more nights), a 90% response rate within 24 hours, and under 1% cancellations. That response-rate number is the one templates solve, and how to become an Airbnb Superhost covers the rest. Guest Favorites, a separate newer badge, is evaluated automatically every day and also weighs guest and host communications.

Answer inside 24 hours every time, even if the answer is "looking into it now." And keep it on Airbnb, because an off-platform call is invisible to all of it.

Three scripts for the conversations nobody enjoys

The easy messages are easy. These three are where hosts hold the line or lose the week.

The late checkout request

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], I wish I could. [CLEANER NAME] is booked for [CHECKOUT TIME] and the next guest arrives at [CHECK-IN TIME], so I have to hold the time. What I can do is let you leave your bags [BAG STORAGE OPTION] until [TIME].

When you can say yes, say it plainly. If it carries a fee, send it through Airbnb so both sides have a record, never by text and cash.

The house-rule reminder

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], a neighbor let me know it got loud at [LISTING NICKNAME] around [TIME]. Quiet hours here are [QUIET HOURS] and the building takes them seriously.
I am not trying to make this a big thing, keep it inside and down after [TIME] and we are fine. The rule I cannot bend is no extra guests and no parties, that one puts the listing itself at risk.
Thanks, [YOUR NAME]

Send it on Airbnb, not by text, so it is timestamped. Name the rule, name the fix, stop typing. If it escalates, the step order is in how to prevent Airbnb parties, and the rules themselves belong in Airbnb house rules.

The refund request

Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], sorry the [ISSUE] got in the way, that is not the stay I want you to have. Here is what I can do. [FIX] is being handled [TIMING], and I am refunding [AMOUNT] for [SPECIFIC NIGHT OR ITEM] through the Resolution Center so it is documented on both sides.
If that does not work for you, tell me what would.

Answer within the hour, because delay turns a request into a claim. Refund something specific, a night or a fee, and run it through the Resolution Center. A partial refund offered fast beats a full refund argued for three days.

Standardising messages across a portfolio

One listing runs on memory. Four run on a library, or they do not run at all.

Build one message set, not one per property. The words stay identical across every listing and the differences live in a per-property sheet: access method, parking, wifi, cleaner name, quiet hours, trash location, max guests. Adding a property means filling a row.

Then agree three things with the owner in writing:

• Who answers, and by when. Mine is inside an hour during the day and first thing for anything overnight. That is what protects the 90% within 24 hours threshold across a whole portfolio.
• What you can decide alone. A dollar limit for a same-day fix or a goodwill refund, so a guest is not waiting while you chase the owner.
• What always goes to the owner. Damage claims, police involvement, anything touching the listing's standing.

Put all three in the Airbnb co-hosting agreement rather than a group chat. That library is how one person covers a dozen listings without the response rate slipping.

Frequently asked questions