Good Airbnb check-in instructions give the guest every step in the order they will walk it: address, parking, the entrance, the lock and code, then Wi-Fi and a contact. Send them one to three days before arrival, repeat the code on the morning of check-in, and add a photo of the door.
Below is a master template, versions for keypads, lockboxes, smart locks, in-person check-in and buildings with a concierge, and the details that turn "we're outside, how do we get in?" into a message nobody needs to send. We manage 200 short-term rentals, and these are the formats we use.
The order guests need it
Write check-in instructions as a route, not a list of facts. A guest follows them top to bottom, from the car to the couch.
- The address, exactly as it should be typed into a maps app.
- Check-in time, and whether early arrival is possible.
- Parking: where, which bay, any permit or gate code.
- Finding the entrance: a landmark, which door, which floor. This is the step most instructions skip.
- Getting in: lock type, where it is, the code, and how to open it.
- Inside: lights, the Wi-Fi, and anything they need in the first ten minutes, like the heating.
- Locking up when they go out.
- Who to contact if any step fails.
If the guest has to scroll back up to find the code while standing at the door, the order is wrong.
The master template
Start here, then swap the "Getting in" section for the version that matches your lock. Anything in square brackets is a field to fill in.
Templates by entry type
Each of these replaces the "Getting in" section of the master template. Keep the rest the same.
Keypad lock
Say whether the door locks automatically. It is the single most common thing guests are unsure about with keypads.
Lockbox
Lockboxes vary a lot. Describe yours exactly, including which way the dials turn and how it opens, and include a photo.
Smart lock
Only offer remote unlock if your lock and its connection support it, and test it before you promise it.
In-person check-in
Always have a self check-in fallback for in-person arrivals. Flights land late.
Building with a concierge
Check with the building what name the front desk expects, and whether they need advance notice of guests. Some buildings require it.
Photos and landmarks
Words get guests to the street. Photos get them to the door. A few rules that save us the most messages:
- Photograph the approach, not only the door. One photo from where the guest parks, one of the entrance, one close-up of the lock. Take them at the angle a guest will see.
- Use landmarks guests can see in the dark. "The door with the brass number 4 and the light above it" works at 11 pm. "The second house past the big tree" does not.
- Name what maps get wrong. If the pin drops on the wrong side of the block, or the driveway is shared, say so in the first lines.
- Label buildings and doors that look alike. Townhouses, duplexes and apartment blocks need "ours is the second door, with the green mat."
- Re-take photos when anything changes. A new lock or a repainted door makes old photos wrong.
Photos are hard to fit in a message but easy in a digital guidebook, where each step can sit next to its photo.
When to send it
| Message | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Full check-in instructions | 1 to 3 days before arrival | Time to plan the trip and ask questions |
| Arrival-day reminder | Morning of check-in | The code sits at the top of the thread when they arrive |
| Same-day booking | Straight after booking | No time to wait for the schedule |
Airbnb scheduled messages and most PMS tools can send both automatically. See how to automate Airbnb messages for the full timeline.
When check-in goes wrong
Codes fail. Batteries die. A guest types the code into the neighbor's lock. Plan for it before it happens:
- A second way in. A spare key in a separate lockbox, a cleaner or neighbor nearby, or a remote unlock.
- A named contact in the message. Not "call us," but who, on what number or app, until what time.
- Battery checks on every turnover. Add it to the cleaner's checklist. Most smart locks warn before they die, if someone is reading the alerts.
- A test of each new code. If codes are created per stay, confirm the new code is live before the welcome message goes out.
Put it in a guidebook
A message is the right place for the address and code. Everything else, especially the photos and the "inside" details, reads better in a guidebook the guest can open on their phone.
Welcome, Alex. You're all set.
The HostOwls guidebook builds this for every guest from your reservations: their own link, their door code, their check-in time, the Wi-Fi, and your check-in steps with photos. When a reservation changes, the guidebook changes with it. A weekly AI review of guest messages finds the questions the guidebook did not answer, so the gaps get filled. There is no setup to do. It is free for your first property, then A$1.90 to A$3.75 per property per month. See pricing.
For the message that goes with it, see our Airbnb welcome message templates. To build a printable version, try the house manual generator or browse house manual examples.