Airbnb Guest Message Templates for Co-Hosts (Copy and Paste)

If you co-host more than one listing, guest messaging is where your time quietly disappears. The same questions come in every week: "What's the Wi-Fi?", "Can we check in early?", "Where do we park?". Writing each answer from scratch is slow, and it's how mistakes and inconsistent tone creep in.

Below are 14 guest message templates you can copy, adjust once per property and reuse. They follow the order of a stay, then cover the messages most co-hosts dread writing. Replace anything in [brackets].

Before you copy: three rules that keep you out of trouble

• Keep everything on the platform. Don't ask guests to email, text or pay you off Airbnb. It breaks Airbnb's rules and removes your protection if something goes wrong.
• Never trade anything for a review. You can ask for a review. You can't offer discounts, refunds or gifts in exchange for a good one.
• Match the owner's house rules exactly. If your message says checkout is 11:00 and the listing says 10:00, the listing wins and you look careless. Paste the times, codes and rules from one source of truth.

1. Inquiry reply (before they book)

Hi [Guest name], thanks for your message! Yes, [the dates / the home] work for [number] guests. [Answer their specific question in one or two lines.]

A couple of things guests usually like to know: [parking detail], [one standout feature, e.g. "the patio gets afternoon sun"], and self check-in from [check-in time]. If that sounds good, you can book directly and I'll send full arrival details a few days before.

Answer the actual question first. Fast, specific replies convert inquiries far better than a long welcome speech.

2. Booking confirmation

Hi [Guest name], you're booked for [check-in date] to [checkout date]. Thank you for choosing [property name]!

I'll send check-in instructions and the door code on [day, e.g. "the day before arrival"]. In the meantime, if you have questions about the area or the home, just reply here.

3. Pre-arrival (3 days before)

Hi [Guest name], looking forward to hosting you on [day]! A few quick things:

• Check-in is from [time], checkout by [time].
• Parking: [where and how many cars].
• What's your estimated arrival time? It helps us make sure the home is ready.

Full instructions and the access code will arrive on [day].

Asking for an arrival time does two jobs: it surfaces early check-in requests before they become a problem, and it gets the guest to reply, which makes later messages more likely to be read.

4. Check-in instructions (day of arrival)

Hi [Guest name], everything is ready for you!

• Address: [full address]
• Door code: [code] (keypad on the [location])
• Wi-Fi: [network] / [password]
• Parking: [exact spot]
• House guide: [where it is, e.g. "the folder on the kitchen counter"]

Quiet hours are [times]. If anything isn't right when you arrive, message me here and I'll sort it out quickly.

Put the details in a list. Guests read this message on a phone, in a car, often in the dark.

5. First-night check-in

Hi [Guest name], just checking that you got in OK and everything is as expected. Let me know if you need anything!

Send this an hour or two after check-in. It's the cheapest review protection you have: guests who were going to quietly complain in a review will usually tell you now instead, while you can still fix it.

6. Checkout reminder (evening before)

Hi [Guest name], hope you've enjoyed your stay! Checkout is tomorrow by [time]. Before you go, please:

• [Load and start the dishwasher]
• [Put used towels in the bathtub]
• [Take trash to the bins at the side of the house]
• Lock the door behind you (the keypad locks automatically / press [button])

Safe travels!

Keep checkout tasks short and reasonable. Long chore lists are one of the most common complaints in reviews. Everything else belongs in your cleaner's turnover checklist, not the guest's.

7. Review request (after checkout)

Hi [Guest name], thanks so much for staying with us, it was a pleasure to host you. If you have a minute, a review would really help us. And if anything could have been better, I'd genuinely like to hear it.

Also leave your review of the guest promptly. Airbnb reminds guests to review once a review is waiting for them.

8. Early check-in request

Hi [Guest name], I'd love to help. We have a [guest checking out / clean scheduled] that morning, so I can't promise early access yet. I'll confirm by [time] on the day. If the home is ready earlier, you're welcome in. You're also welcome to [drop bags at / park at] [place] from [time].

Never promise an early check-in before you've confirmed with the cleaner. A broken promise is worse than a polite "maybe".

9. Late checkout request

Hi [Guest name], we have guests arriving the same day, so the latest I can offer is [time]. Would that help?

Or, if the calendar is open: "Good news, there's no one arriving tomorrow, so checkout at [time] is fine."

10. Something isn't working

Hi [Guest name], I'm sorry about the [issue], thanks for letting me know right away. [Specific next step, e.g. "Our handyman can be there between 2 and 4pm today" / "Please try resetting it with the button behind the unit; if that doesn't work, I'll send someone this evening."] I'll update you as soon as I hear back.

Acknowledge, give a concrete next step with a time, then follow up. Guests forgive broken things far more readily than silence.

11. Noise or house rule reminder

Hi [Guest name], hope you're having a good time! We've had a note about noise from the home this evening. Just a friendly reminder that quiet hours are [times] under the house rules, as the neighbors are very close. Thanks so much for understanding.

Keep the first reminder friendly and factual. If it happens again, refer to the house rules directly and document everything in the message thread.

12. Refund or discount request

Hi [Guest name], I'm sorry the [issue] affected your stay. [What was done to fix it.] For refund requests, please submit them through Airbnb's Resolution Center so they're handled properly. I'll review it as soon as it comes in.

Routing money questions through the Resolution Center keeps a record, protects the owner and stops negotiations happening by message.

13. Item left behind

Hi [Guest name], our cleaner found [item] after your stay. We're happy to post it back. Shipping to [their city] would be about [cost]. If you'd like that, you can send the amount through Airbnb's Resolution Center and we'll ship it within [number] days.

14. Message to the owner after a difficult stay

Co-hosts have a second audience: the owner. When something goes wrong, tell them before they read it in a review.

Hi [Owner name], quick update on [property]. Guests [date range] reported [issue]. We [action taken] by [time]. Cost: [amount, or "none"]. The guests [were satisfied / may leave a lower rating]. Next step: [preventive action, e.g. "replacing the batteries in the lock every 3 months"].

Owners keep co-hosts who communicate this way. The same format works in your monthly owner statement notes.

How to schedule these so you're not typing them

Airbnb lets hosts and co-hosts with the right permissions save quick replies and set up scheduled messages that send automatically at a set time before or after check-in and checkout. A simple setup:

Message	When to send	Automate?
Booking confirmation	Right after booking	Yes
Pre-arrival	3 days before check-in	Yes
Check-in instructions	Morning of check-in	Yes
First-night check-in	2 hours after check-in	Yes
Checkout reminder	6 pm the day before checkout	Yes
Review request	2 hours after checkout	Yes
Everything else	When it comes up	Save as a quick reply

Use the shortcodes Airbnb offers (guest name, check-in time and so on) where they exist, and read every automated message once from a guest's point of view before switching it on.

Personalize the template, not the facts

Templates should save you time on the facts: codes, times, rules. Spend the time you save on one personal line: their reason for traveling, a restaurant that suits a family with kids, a reply to the question they actually asked. That one line is what guests remember in reviews.

Want the full set?

The Co-Host Operations Playbook includes 20 guest message scripts in an editable Word file, plus replies to bad reviews, a turnover cleaning process and an emergency plan, so every property you manage runs the same way. It's also part of the complete Co-Host Business Kit, together with the agreement templates, owner statement tracker and pricing calculator.

New to co-hosting? Start with how to become an Airbnb co-host, then price your first property with the free co-host fee calculator.