Airbnb automated messages can help a London host deliver routine information consistently. The useful starting point is a small set of accurate messages, a clear schedule and someone who checks the replies. An automatically sent arrival reminder is only helpful if the property is ready and its access instructions still work.
This guide focuses on setting up and checking the message sequence. For the information guests need inside the home, use our welcome pack checklist; for the physical access arrangements, see our key exchange guide.
How Airbnb automated messages work
Airbnb calls its message templates quick replies. Scheduling a template lets it send around reservation events. On desktop, open Messages, then Settings and Quick replies. Create the template, choose its listings and set its schedule before saving. Airbnb says new schedules apply to existing and future reservations, using the listing's time zone. Check the current scheduled quick replies instructions when setting them up.
Start with one property. Make a list of every place that already sends guest messages: Airbnb, any connected software, the host and a co-host. Give each routine message one owner. Two systems sending slightly different checkout reminders can create more work than either saves.
Build a short sequence around the guest's decisions
The timings below are suggested starting points, not platform requirements or a promise that every property should use the same schedule. Adjust them to the actual arrival process and the length of the booking.
- After confirmation: acknowledge the booking, confirm the arrival and departure arrangements and explain how to contact you.
- Before arrival: provide the route and entry procedure when appropriate. Ask for information you actually need, such as an arrival estimate for a personal handover.
- After arrival: ask whether access went smoothly and whether anything needs attention. Schedule this for a time when someone can review the answer.
- Before departure: remind guests of the agreed time and verified key-return procedure.
A one-night stay may need fewer messages than a week-long visit. Read the sequence as a guest would: several reminders arriving together can hide the one instruction that matters.
Use templates that leave room for real answers
Adaptable wording: replace every bracketed detail, remove irrelevant requests and check the final text against the reservation. The examples are general drafting aids, not StayinLondon's standard messages.
Booking acknowledgement: “Thanks for booking [property name]. Your stay is from [arrival date] to [departure date], with check-in from [time]. We will share the confirmed arrival procedure [when/how]. Please message us here with any questions about your stay.”
Arrival coordination: “We are preparing for your arrival at [property name]. Please follow the instructions in [verified location]. If we are meeting you, could you let us know your approximate arrival time? If your journey changes, message us so we can coordinate the handover.”
First evening: “We hope you have settled in comfortably. Did you find everything you needed to get into the flat? Please tell us if something is unclear or needs attention, so we can arrange the appropriate help.”
Departure reminder: “A reminder that checkout is by [agreed time] on [date]. Please return the keys using [verified procedure] and check that you have your belongings. If you need a different departure arrangement, please ask us; we will confirm what is possible.”
Avoid wording that announces an early arrival, late checkout, luggage store or concierge service unless it has been agreed. For a London apartment, do not direct a guest to leave keys with reception simply because the building has a desk.
Check personalisation and sensitive information
Airbnb's detail placeholders draw on listing and reservation information; missing source information can appear as unavailable. Populate and inspect those fields before relying on them. Its quick replies guide also explains manual use of templates.
Keep a master record of the approved address, entrance description, check-in time, checkout time and contact route. When one changes, review every affected template as well as the house manual. A correct arrival message can still fail if an old PDF describes a different entrance.
For shared buildings, distinguish the street door, communal door and flat door. Include an image only when it clarifies the route. Decide when sensitive access details should be shared, and avoid putting real codes into a generic template used across properties. Check that any reservation-specific code belongs to the right guest and dates.
Review short stays and last-minute bookings
Airbnb may skip certain messages for late bookings or short stays. Its optional last-minute/short-stay setting changes that behaviour. Review the reservation's scheduled-message timeline rather than assuming a normal sequence will fit. The timeline also lets you alter or skip an upcoming message without changing the template.
Illustrative example: a guest books on the afternoon they intend to arrive. A reminder planned for two days before arrival cannot reach them at that original time. Check what has actually been sent, confirm the home can be prepared and supply the current access information deliberately. Avoid sending a generic welcome that implies readiness before housekeeping has confirmed it.
If dates or a handover arrangement change, review the remaining messages against the new plan. Keep that review in the operational handover so another person does not send the old instructions manually.
Give the inbox an owner
Automation handles delivery; a person still needs to interpret replies. Decide who checks messages, who can arrange attendance and who takes over when the usual contact is unavailable. A guest reporting that they cannot enter needs an access response, not another scheduled paragraph.
For co-hosted listings, inspect the timeline's sender information. Airbnb notes that co-hosts can set up their own templates. Compare the host's and co-host's arrangements to identify overlapping sends. If connected software also sends messages, inspect its configuration separately.
Keep promises realistic. Only quote a response time or attendance arrangement that the operation can support. A message saying someone is on the way should follow an actual agreement with the person attending.
Run a review before expanding the setup
- Read each template against the listing, house rules and welcome information.
- Inspect an upcoming reservation's timeline for the intended order, listing time zone and overlapping messages.
- Review a short stay and a late booking to see whether essential information is covered.
- Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the flat to follow the arrival instructions and explain the key-return steps.
- After completed stays, record repeated questions, contradictory instructions and messages needing manual correction.
Use those observations to improve the few messages you have before adding more. Keep a revision date and a named owner for the templates. Consistent communication supports the stay, but it does not guarantee bookings or reviews.
StayinLondon's London Airbnb management service includes guest communication alongside property operations. Request a property assessment to discuss how arrival, messaging and housekeeping can work together for your home.
Airbnb guidance checked on 13 October 2026. Suggested timings and template wording should be adapted to the property's actual arrangements.
