The Best Airbnb & VRBO Booking Message Templates (That Share Your Guidebook)
By StayScan Editorial Team · Published · Last updated
Ready-to-use booking message templates for Airbnb, VRBO, and direct bookings, pre-arrival, check-in, mid-stay, and checkout messages that link to your digital guidebook and reduce back-and-forth messaging.
A great hosting experience starts before the guest arrives. The messages you send, and when you send them, set expectations, reduce anxiety, and dramatically cut the number of questions you receive during the stay. The problem is that writing these messages from scratch for every booking takes hours you do not have.
This guide gives you a complete set of ready-to-use message templates for every stage of the booking lifecycle: confirmation, pre-arrival, check-in day, mid-stay check-in, checkout reminder, and post-stay review request. Each template is written to work on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com, and each one includes a natural integration point for your digital guidebook link, because a well-timed message that points guests to a comprehensive guidebook does more work than any message alone.
To use these templates with your StayScan guidebook, log in to StayScan, open your property, and copy your guidebook URL from the share panel. Then paste it into your preferred template wherever you see [your-guidebook-link].
Template 1, Booking Confirmation
When to send: Immediately after booking is confirmed (within minutes)
Purpose: Welcome the guest, confirm the dates, and set a warm, professional tone. This is the first impression after the booking click, make it count.
Hi [Guest first name],
Fantastic, your booking for [Property name] is confirmed! We are really looking forward to hosting you from [check-in date] to [checkout date].
To make sure your stay goes smoothly, I have put together a digital guidebook with everything you will need: Wi-Fi, check-in instructions, house rules, parking, and some of my favourite local spots.
You can access it here any time before and during your stay: [your-guidebook-link]
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions before arrival. Otherwise, I will send over the check-in details a couple of days before you arrive.
Safe travels,
[Your name]
Why it works: Guests who receive a guidebook link immediately after booking visit it before arrival and arrive better prepared. Mentioning it early also sets the expectation that "all information lives here", reducing check-in-day messages.
Template 2, Pre-Arrival (2–3 Days Before Check-In)
When to send: 2–3 days before check-in
Purpose: Give guests the practical details they need to get in, park, and settle. This is the highest-impact message in the sequence, most guests read it carefully.
Hi [Guest first name],
Your stay at [Property name] is coming up on [check-in date], exciting! Here are everything you need for a smooth arrival:
Check-in time: [check-in time]
Address: [full address]
Parking: [parking instructions]
Access: [key code / lockbox instructions / host meet details]All the details, Wi-Fi password, house rules, appliance guides, and my top local recommendations, are in your guidebook:
[your-guidebook-link]I recommend bookmarking it on your phone now so you have it handy when you arrive.
Let me know if anything is unclear. See you on [check-in date]!
[Your name]
Why it works: Sending this 48–72 hours out gives guests time to read, plan, and ask questions before the day of arrival when you are busiest. Mentioning the guidebook a second time reinforces it as the primary resource.
Booking.com note: If you are sending this as a scheduled template on Booking.com, make sure your guidebook URL is whitelisted in the Extranet under Property > Messaging settings > Security settings, or the link will be automatically stripped from the message.
Template 3, Check-In Day (Morning)
When to send: Check-in day, 9–10 AM in the property's time zone
Purpose: Final practical reminder with the most important details. Keep it short, guests are travelling and will skim.
Hi [Guest first name],
Today is the day! Just a quick reminder of the essentials:
Check-in from: [check-in time]
Address: [address]
Access: [code or method]Everything else, Wi-Fi, house rules, and local tips, is in your guidebook: [your-guidebook-link]
I hope you have a wonderful stay. Message me if you need anything.
[Your name]
Why it works: Short messages on check-in day get read. The guidebook link here serves guests who forgot they received it earlier, or who are opening your message for the first time on their phone while standing at the door.
Template 4, Mid-Stay Check-In (Day 2 or Day 3)
When to send: Day 2 or 3 of the stay (for stays of 3+ nights)
Purpose: Show genuine care, catch any issues before they become review complaints, and give guests a natural opening to ask questions without feeling like they are bothering you.
Hi [Guest first name],
Just checking in to make sure everything is comfortable at [Property name]. Is there anything you need or anything I can help with?
If you have not had a chance to explore the local recommendations in your guidebook yet, there are some great options: [your-guidebook-link]
Enjoy the rest of your stay!
[Your name]
Why it works: Mid-stay messages that catch problems early prevent negative reviews. The casual guidebook mention here also encourages guests to explore local recommendations, which improves their experience and often leads to better reviews.
Template 5, Checkout Reminder (Evening Before or Day Of)
When to send: Evening before checkout, or morning of checkout
Purpose: Remind guests of checkout time and any departure tasks. Keep the tone warm, guests should feel good about leaving, not scolded.
Hi [Guest first name],
Just a reminder that checkout is [checkout time] tomorrow. When you are ready to leave:
— [Checkout task 1, e.g., "Start the dishwasher if used"]
— [Checkout task 2, e.g., "Leave the key on the kitchen counter"]
— [Checkout task 3, e.g., "Turn off all lights and lock the front door"]The full checkout checklist is also in your guidebook under the Checkout section: [your-guidebook-link]
It has been a pleasure having you. Safe travels home!
[Your name]
Why it works: Referencing the guidebook's checkout section gives you a clean, consistent way to communicate departure tasks without writing them into every message. When you update your checkout instructions in StayScan, every future guest gets the new version automatically, without changing your message template.
Template 6, Post-Stay Review Request
When to send: 1–4 hours after checkout (not the next day, response rates drop significantly)
Purpose: Thank the guest and make leaving a review as frictionless as possible. One warm, personal sentence performs better than a formal request.
Hi [Guest first name],
It was genuinely lovely having you at [Property name], thank you for being such a considerate guest.
If you have a moment, a quick review would mean a lot to me and helps future guests make their decision. I will be leaving one for you too.
Hope to host you again sometime!
[Your name]
Why it works: Personal, short, and timed perfectly. No instruction list, no links to navigate, just a genuine thank-you and a natural mention of the review. The line "I will leave one for you too" triggers reciprocity and significantly improves review rates on Airbnb, where both parties need to submit before either one is published.
How to Connect Your StayScan Guidebook to These Templates
Your StayScan guidebook URL is the same for every guest, it does not change between bookings. This makes it perfect for automated message templates, because you set the link once and every future guest receives it automatically.
Here is how to find your guidebook URL in StayScan:
- Log in to your StayScan dashboard
- Click on your property
- Click the Share button (or look for your property's short link, usually
stayscan.app/g/your-property-name) - Copy the URL
- Paste it into your message templates wherever you see
[your-guidebook-link]
If you have multiple properties, each has its own guidebook URL. Set up a separate message template sequence for each property and use the correct URL in each.
What Should Be in Your Guidebook?
The message templates above reference the guidebook for Wi-Fi, check-in, house rules, local recommendations, and checkout instructions. Make sure all of these sections are filled in before you start sending these templates to guests. The sections that generate the most guest visits (and the biggest reduction in inbound questions) are:
- Wi-Fi credentials, always the most-viewed section; display prominently with tap-to-copy
- Check-in instructions, access code, parking, building entry, key location
- House rules, quiet hours, smoking, pets, occupancy
- Checkout checklist, 3–5 specific tasks, nothing more
- Local recommendations, restaurants, coffee, supermarkets, transport, this is the section that makes guests feel you went the extra mile
- Emergency contacts, your number, plus relevant local contacts (nearest hospital, local taxi service)
Hosts who have all six sections filled in and send these message templates consistently report a 50–70% reduction in mid-stay messages and measurably higher review scores on "communication" and "accuracy" criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use these templates on all three platforms?
Yes. All six templates above are written to work on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. The core message and structure are identical, just set them up as scheduled templates in each platform's native messaging system. Remember to whitelist your guidebook URL in Booking.com's Extranet security settings before using it in a template there.
What if a guest books last-minute and misses the pre-arrival message?
Both Airbnb and VRBO have a "send for last-minute bookings" toggle on scheduled templates that fires the message immediately at booking confirmation if the scheduled time has already passed. Enable this toggle for your pre-arrival and check-in-day templates so last-minute guests still receive the essential information.
Should I personalise these templates beyond the name and dates?
The templates above are deliberately minimal, guests prefer concise messages over long ones. The guidebook handles the detailed information, which is why keeping messages short and pointing to the guidebook works so well. The only personalisation worth adding is anything specific to the individual booking (a birthday stay, a large group, a pet) that you want to acknowledge personally.
How do I update checkout instructions without changing my template?
This is one of the biggest advantages of using a digital guidebook alongside your message templates. Your checkout template references the guidebook's checkout section, so when you update the instructions in StayScan, every future guest gets the new version, without you touching the message template. Same applies to Wi-Fi passwords, check-in codes, and local recommendations.
StayScan is a digital guidebook for Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com and Agoda hosts: one QR code gives guests Wi-Fi, check-in steps, house rules and local tips in 30+ languages. Create your guidebook with a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.