How to Automate Guest Messages on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com (Complete Platform Guide)

How to Automate Guest Messages on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com

If you manage more than a handful of bookings per month, copying and pasting the same check-in message over and over is time you shouldn't be spending. All three major platforms have built-in tools for automating routine guest communications, they're just buried differently and have different capabilities.

This guide covers each platform step-by-step: where to find the tools, how they work, and the message templates worth setting up first.

Before You Automate: Get the Content Right

Automation delivers whatever you put in it, reliably and at scale. That's an advantage if your messages are good, and a liability if they're not. Before setting up automated messages, review what you're planning to send.

The messages worth automating, in priority order:

1. Booking confirmation (at booking)
2. Pre-arrival / check-in instructions (48 hours before)
3. Arrival day reminder (morning of check-in)
4. Check-out reminder (day before / morning of)

Post-stay review requests are optional, they can feel transactional if not handled carefully.

Airbnb: Scheduled Messages

Where to find it

Airbnb → Menu → Host Tools → Scheduled Messages

Or: Inbox → top right menu → Scheduled Messages (varies by app version)

How it works

You create message templates with a trigger event (booking confirmed, check-in, checkout) and a time offset (e.g. "2 days before check-in"). Airbnb sends them automatically for every booking.

Available triggers

• Booking confirmed
• Check-in (before or after)
• Checkout (before or after)

Personalisation variables

{{guest_first_name}}
{{listing_name}}
{{checkin_date}} / {{checkout_date}}
{{checkin_time}} / {{checkout_time}}
{{nights_count}}
{{host_name}}
{{confirmation_code}}

Suggested messages to set up

1. Booking confirmation (trigger: booking confirmed, immediately)

Hi {{guest_first_name}},

Thanks for booking {{listing_name}}, looking forward to hosting you!

I'll send all the check-in details a couple of days before you arrive. In the meantime, feel free to message if you have any questions.

[Your name]

2. Pre-arrival (trigger: 2 days before check-in)

Hi {{guest_first_name}},

Your stay at {{listing_name}} is coming up on {{checkin_date}}!

CHECK-IN (from {{checkin_time}})
[Entry code / key details]

PARKING
[Specific parking instructions]

WI-FI
Network: [name] / Password: [password]

PROPERTY GUIDE
Everything about the home and local recommendations: [link]

My number is [phone], I'm usually back to messages within an hour.

[Your name]

3. Check-out reminder (trigger: 1 day before checkout)

Hi {{guest_first_name}},

Just a reminder that check-out tomorrow is by {{checkout_time}}.

Before you leave:
- Dishes washed or in the dishwasher (run if full)
- Bins emptied to outside bins
- Lights off, windows and doors locked
- Key left at [location]

No need to strip beds or hoover, the cleaning team handles that.

Hope you've had a great stay. Safe travels!
[Your name]

Tips for Airbnb

• You can set a message to send only if it hasn't been overridden by a personal message, useful for the arrival day message
• Add the listing-specific details (entry code, parking, WiFi) as static text in the template, Airbnb variables don't cover these
• Test each template by checking the preview before activating

VRBO (Vrbo): Message Templates

Where to find it

VRBO Owner Dashboard → Inbox → Message Templates

Or: Dashboard → Properties → [Select property] → Communication → Message Templates

How it works

VRBO has a template library you can build, plus an automated message section that triggers templates at set intervals. The setup is slightly less flexible than Airbnb but covers the key use cases.

Available triggers

• New booking
• Before check-in (days offset)
• After check-in
• Before checkout (days offset)
• After checkout

Variables available

{GUEST_FIRST_NAME}
{PROPERTY_NAME}
{CHECKIN_DATE}
{CHECKOUT_DATE}
{CHECKIN_TIME}
{CHECKOUT_TIME}
{BOOKING_ID}

To enable automated sends

After creating templates, go to Properties → [Property] → Communication → Automated Messages → enable and assign templates to triggers.

Tips for VRBO

• VRBO allows per-property automation, if you manage multiple listings, set up templates separately for each if they have different entry or parking details
• The post-checkout review request (1–2 days after checkout) has good response rates on VRBO; worth setting up

Booking.com: Automated Messages

Where to find it

Extranet → Property → Messaging Preferences → Automated messages

How it works

Booking.com offers a more limited automation system than Airbnb and VRBO, but covers the main triggers. Templates are sent via the platform's messaging system.

Available triggers

• After booking confirmation
• Before check-in (days offset)
• On check-in day
• After check-in
• Before checkout
• After checkout

Variables available

[guest_name]
[property_name]
[checkin_date]
[checkout_date]
[booker_name]

Important: URL restrictions

Booking.com is more restrictive about external links in automated messages than Airbnb or VRBO. Links to your property guide need to be on an approved domain. If you use a third-party guide tool, check whether its URLs are permitted before building your templates around guide links.

Tips for Booking.com

• Keep check-in messages self-contained, include all entry information directly in the message rather than relying on links
• The pre-arrival message timing (24–48 hours out) is particularly important on Booking.com, where guests often book later and may have less familiarity with the property

When to Override Automation

Automated messages handle the routine. Some situations need a personal message instead:

• Guests who mention they're celebrating something, personalise the welcome
• Guests arriving very late or very early, flag and confirm logistics personally
• Any stay following a guest complaint or issue, don't automate your response to a problem

Automation is a floor, not a ceiling. It ensures every guest gets the baseline communication; your personal involvement raises it when the situation warrants.