Automated messages are the cheapest hour a host will ever save, and the fastest way to sound like a vending machine. The difference is timing and restraint. Below are the twelve messages we send across a portfolio that runs on WhatsApp and Airbnb, with the trigger for each, the text you can paste, and a note on the one message that must never be sent by a timer alone. Placeholders are in square brackets.
The timeline first, then the words
| # | Message | Trigger | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booking confirmation | Booking confirmed | Airbnb + WhatsApp |
| 2 | Pre-arrival details | 3 days before check-in | |
| 3 | Arrival time question | 2 days before check-in | |
| 4 | Directions and parking | Morning of check-in | |
| 5 | Door code | Gated, see below | WhatsApp + Airbnb |
| 6 | Welcome and Wi-Fi | 1 hour after check-in | |
| 7 | First-night check-in | Morning after arrival | |
| 8 | Mid-stay note | Stays of 5+ nights, day 3 | |
| 9 | Check-out reminder | Evening before check-out | WhatsApp + Airbnb |
| 10 | Thank you and review request | Evening of check-out | Airbnb |
| 11 | Payment reminder (direct bookings) | Quote unpaid after 24 hours | |
| 12 | Out-of-hours auto-reply | Inbound message, desk closed |
The twelve templates
1. Booking confirmation
"Hi [first name], you're confirmed at [property] from [check-in] to [check-out]. I'll send arrival details three days before. If anything changes on your side, reply here and a person will answer. [Host name]"
2. Pre-arrival details
"Three days to go. Check-in is from [time]; check-out is by [time]. The address is [address]. There's [parking note]. Two quick questions: what time do you expect to arrive, and are there [number] of you as booked?"
3. Arrival time question
Only if 2 went unanswered. "Hi [first name], could you let me know your rough arrival time on [check-in date]? It helps the cleaning team finish before you get there."
4. Directions and parking
"Today's the day. [Property] is at [address], map: [link]. Building entrance is [description]. [Parking or taxi drop-off note]. Your door code arrives separately once check-in is ready."
5. Door code
"Your door code for [property] is [code]. It works from [time] on [date] until [time] on [check-out date]. Apartment [unit], floor [floor]. If the door does not open, reply here and we'll sort it in minutes."
This is the one that must not run on a timer. The code lets someone into a building. Before it sends, two things must be true at that exact moment: the stay is paid, and the guest's ID is verified. A rule that fires "30 minutes before check-in" is fine as a trigger, but the send has to re-check both conditions when the trigger fires, and hold the message with a reason if either fails, so a person can clear it. Our own automation does exactly this, and thedoor code feature page explains the gate. We wrote a separate guide on self check-in, including what to do when a code fails.
6. Welcome and Wi-Fi
"Welcome in. Wi-Fi is [network], password [password]. AC remote is [where]. Water heater is [instruction]. Anything not right? Message here, we're around until [time]."
7. First-night check-in
"Morning. How was the first night? If anything needs fixing, tell us now rather than in the review, and we'll get to it today."
8. Mid-stay note (5+ nights only)
"Halfway through. Would you like fresh towels or a mid-stay clean on [day]? Reply yes and a time, or ignore this if you're happy as you are."
9. Check-out reminder
"Check-out is tomorrow by [time]. Leave the keys [where], switch off the AC, and pull the door closed. No need to strip beds. If you'd like a later check-out, ask now and we'll say if the calendar allows it."
10. Thank you and review request
"Thank you for staying at [property]. If everything was as described, a review helps the next guest choose. If it wasn't, tell us first, we'd rather fix it." Send in the Airbnb inbox; that is where the review happens.
11. Payment reminder (direct bookings)
"Hi [first name], your quote for [property], [dates], is holding until [deadline]. The bank details are on the quote link: [link]. Upload the transfer proof there and we'll confirm the same day." This one only exists if you take direct bookings by bank transfer, and it should stop as soon as a proof is uploaded, not when a human notices.
12. Out-of-hours auto-reply
"Thanks for your message. The desk is closed until [time]; for anything urgent at the property, call [number]. We'll reply first thing." Send once per conversation per night, never on every message.
Airbnb's scheduler versus your own rules
Airbnb's built-in scheduled messages handle 1, 2, 9 and 10 well enough, and they send in the inbox Airbnb can see, which matters in a dispute. Where they fall short is everything that needs a condition rather than a clock: a payment reminder that stops when the proof arrives, a door code that checks payment and ID, a mid-stay note only for long stays, an auto-reply only when nobody is on the desk. Those want an automation that reads the booking's state at send time and writes down which rule sent what. Ours are described on the AI agents page: rules an operator configures, a run history for every send, and a hard limit that no rule can move money. If your tooling cannot show you which rule sent a message and why, you will not enjoy the day a guest says they received nothing.
Four mistakes that make automation feel like spam
- Sending the code with the confirmation. Days before the stay, before payment cleared, to an ID nobody checked. Wait, then gate it.
- Repeating the listing. The guest read the listing. Automated messages should add what the listing could not: the code, the timing, the person.
- No signature, no human. Every template above ends with a name or the promise that a person will reply. Guests answer people, not systems.
- Automating on a personal phone. WhatsApp Business on one handset is a single point of failure. Past three units, the team needs a shared inbox on a business number, which is the subject of our WhatsApp guide for hosts and the WhatsApp feature.