A guest lands late, stands outside, and cannot find the lockbox. Or the door code was in a message from three weeks ago. Or the building has two entrances and nobody said which one. The check-in instructions existed. They just were not in front of the guest when it counted.
If this happens once a month you can answer by hand. If it happens across ten units, it is a routine you need to build.
Why check-in goes wrong
Three things repeat.
The instructions are written for you, not for someone arriving tired. You know the gate sticks. The guest does not.
The timing is off. Too early and the message is buried under everything else. Too late and the guest is already at the door.
The details drift. A lock code changes, a parking rule changes, and the template that went to the last twenty guests is now wrong.
What Airbnb shows, and when
Airbnb's help center says hosts add check-in and checkout instructions in the listing editor, under the Arrival guide section. You pick a check-in method from six options: Smart lock, Keypad, Lockbox, Building staff, In-person greeting, or Other. That page says guests see the method before booking but "won't see the detailed check-in instructions until 48 hours before check-in." The guest-side page, Where to find your check-in instructions, says the same: about 48 hours before check-in, in Trips under Checking in.
Airbnb distinguishes arrival-guide information available after confirmation, such as the check-in method, checkout instructions and house manual (confirmation details), from detailed check-in instructions, which it says guests usually receive about 48 hours before arrival (detailed check-in instructions).
Airbnb also offers a house manual for things like the Wi-Fi password, parking, and appliance instructions. Use it for what stays true all year, and use messages for what is true for this arrival.
A check-in instructions template
Copy this and fill the brackets once per unit. Keep the order: guests act in this order.
Arriving at [unit name]
Address: [full address, unit or apartment number]
Arrival window: Check-in is from [time]. If you will arrive after [time], tell us here so we are watching for you.
Getting in: [Method: smart lock / keypad / lockbox / meet in person.] Your code is [code], active from [time] on [date]. [One sentence on what the guest sees: "The keypad is to the right of the door, press the lit button first."]
Parking: [Where, how many cars, anything that is not allowed.]
Wi-Fi: [network] / [password]
If something does not work: Reply to this message. If it is urgent, call [number].
Checkout: By [time]. [One or two actions: lock up, return key, start dishwasher.]
Write the "Getting in" line from the point of view of someone standing at the door with luggage. If you can add a photo of the door or lockbox to the message, do. Airbnb's quick replies accept attachments, with PNG and JPG files up to 50MB per Airbnb's quick-replies page.
Checklist before you send
- The code works. Test it from outside.
- The address includes the unit number and any gate or building name.
- Parking is stated, not assumed.
- There is a way to reach a person tonight.
- The text matches what Airbnb already shows in the arrival guide.
When to send it
Match the message to the moment the guest needs it:
- At booking: a short note that arrival details come before check-in, with check-in and checkout times.
- The day before arrival: the full template above, so the guest has it before travel starts.
- On the day, once the unit is ready: a short "ready when you are" with the code if you hold it until then.
Airbnb's quick replies can be scheduled relative to booking and check-in, with examples such as 5 minutes after a guest books or 1 day before check-in. That covers the happy path.
Where scheduled messages stop
Airbnb supports messages scheduled around booking events and placeholders drawn from reservation details. Your team still needs to confirm that the unit is ready and that any manually entered access instructions are current. If you run more than a handful of units, the work moves from writing the message to making sure it is the right one for this booking.
How InnSync does it
InnSync sends the check-in message from the booking's real dates and timing, so a change to arrival moves the message with it. Your team edits the template in an editor, and the exact text shown is what the guest receives. A document reminder goes out before arrival too, so ID and details are collected ahead of the day rather than at the door; this collects documents and alerts your team, and does not verify identity or screen guests.
When a guest replies with a question the message did not cover ("which entrance?", "can I arrive at 1 a.m.?"), Carmen, InnSync's AI assistant, writes the answer from the booking and the unit's details. You decide per channel whether that goes out automatically or waits for a person. After checkout, InnSync's turnover checklist records whether the unit was marked ready, so you can see readiness before the arrival instead of guessing.
If you use a PMS
- Guesty: InnSync connects to Guesty; reservations, units and guests arrive from it.
- Hostaway: Keep Hostaway. InnSync runs the operation around it — the connection is set up with you during onboarding.
- Hostfully: Keep Hostfully. InnSync runs the operation around it — the connection is set up with you during onboarding.
- OwnerRez: Keep OwnerRez. InnSync runs the operation around it — the connection is set up with you during onboarding.
- Lodgify: Keep Lodgify. InnSync runs the operation around it — the connection is set up with you during onboarding.
- Hospitable: Keep Hospitable. InnSync runs the operation around it — the connection is set up with you during onboarding.
Next step
Fill the template once per unit and test it from the door. When the arrival-day routine is the part that breaks, see automated Airbnb messages in InnSync or how InnSync works.