Airbnb Check-In Instructions: What to Include + Free Template
Good check-in instructions tell a guest exactly where to go, how to get in, when access begins, where to park, and what to do if something does not work. Below is a copy-ready template, three worked examples and the mistakes that generate arrival-day messages.
Confusing
- No time stated
- No address detail
- Code not repeated
- No fallback
Clear
Check-in from 15:00 · 14 Mercer St
Blue door beside the bakery. Park in bay 4 behind the building.
Lockbox code 5678
2nd floor, door 2B. Wi-Fi details are on your stay page.
- Time stated
- Landmark given
- Code stands out
- Details stay reachable
What makes check-in instructions work?
- Answer five things in order: where is it, when can I get in, where do I stop, how do I open the door, and who do I call if it fails.
- Write numbered steps, not paragraphs — guests read them standing outside with luggage.
- Give the access code its own visually distinct line.
- Keep the instructions somewhere the guest can reopen, so they are not hunting through a message thread.
What to include in Airbnb check-in instructions
Address & location
The full address plus what the guest is actually looking for — a blue door, a courtyard entrance, the building name. Map pins are frequently a few metres off.
Check-in time
When access begins, and whether the property is available earlier. State it plainly so nobody has to ask.
Arrival & parking
Where to stop, where to park, permit or paid-bay rules, and the nearest alternative if the street is full.
Building or gate access
Intercom, gate code, stairwell, lift — every step before the front door of the unit itself.
Unlocking the door
Lockbox, smart lock or key pickup, written as numbered steps, including what the lock does when it works.
Identifying the unit
Floor, door number and any distinguishing feature. This is where guests in multi-unit buildings get lost.
Wi-Fi
The network and password, or a clear pointer to where they are shown.
Immediate house notes
Only what matters in the first ten minutes: shoes off, alarm to disarm, thermostat, the tap that runs hot.
Support & escalation
A current phone or message route, and what to do if the code fails. Every set of instructions needs a plan B.
Copy-ready Airbnb check-in instructions template
Replace everything in square brackets with your property’s detail, and delete any line that does not apply. Shorter is better — if a section needs three sentences of explanation, it belongs in the guidebook instead.
CHECK-IN — [Property name] Address: [Street, number, city, postcode] Look for: [Blue door / building name / courtyard entrance] Check-in from: [15:00] GETTING THERE - Parking: [Free on [street] / paid bays / allocated space no. X] - If the street is full: [nearest car park + walking time] - Nearest transport: [stop/station + walking time] GETTING IN 1. [At the gate, enter code 1234 and push.] 2. [Take the stairs to the 2nd floor — the lift is on the right.] 3. [The lockbox is on the wall to the left of the door.] 4. [Enter 5678 and slide the cover down to open.] 5. [Unit 2B — the door with the brass number.] FIRST FIVE MINUTES - Wi-Fi: [Network name] / [password] - Heating: [thermostat in the hallway, set to 21] - [Shoes off, please / bins are under the sink] IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG Call or message [name] on [number]. If you can't get in, don't force anything — message straight away and we'll sort it.
Three worked examples by access type
Apartment with a keypad
- 1Street door: press 1234 then the bell symbol; the door buzzes for three seconds.
- 2Second floor, door on the right marked 2B.
- 3Enter 5678 on the keypad and turn the handle down while the light is green.
- 4The lock re-arms itself when the door closes — the code works all week.
Lockbox property
- 1Park in the driveway — the space on the left is yours.
- 2The lockbox is mounted on the fence post beside the gate.
- 3Set the dials to 4-7-2-1 and pull the front cover down.
- 4Return the key to the box on departure and scramble the dials.
Staffed building or front desk
- 1Reception is open 08:00–22:00 and holds the keys for our apartment.
- 2Give the booking name at the desk and show photo ID — they will hand over two fobs.
- 3The fob calls the lift and opens the apartment door.
- 4Arriving after 22:00? Message us that morning so we can arrange late access.
These are illustrative examples written for this guide — replace the codes, floors and landmarks with your own.
The five moments your instructions have to cover
- 1
Arrives on the street
Needs to recognise the building and know where to leave the car.
- 2
Gets into the building
Gate code, intercom or reception — the step hosts most often forget to write down.
- 3
Finds the right door
Floor and unit number, stated exactly as it appears on the door.
- 4
Unlocks and enters
One clear access method, plus what to do if it does not work.
- 5
Settles in
Wi-Fi, heating and the two house notes that matter immediately.
Six mistakes that turn a smooth arrival into a message thread
Sending everything at booking
Arrival details sent weeks ahead are read once and lost. Repeat them close to the stay, in a place guests can reopen.
Burying the access code
If the code sits in the middle of a paragraph, a guest standing at the door will miss it. Give it its own line.
Writing an essay
Anything the guest does not need in the first ten minutes belongs in the guidebook, not the arrival message.
No backup contact
A dead battery in a keypad becomes a crisis when there is no second route in and nobody to call.
Vague parking
“Parking available nearby” causes more arrival-day messages than almost anything else. Name the street, the bay or the car park.
Instructions that quietly went stale
New gate code, new bin location, changed reception hours — one outdated line undoes an otherwise perfect arrival.
Keep the instructions reachable for the whole stay, not just the pre-arrival message
A message is delivered once. Guests need arrival details again when they go out on the second evening, when a second guest arrives separately, or when the code slips their mind. Putting the same information on a stay page they can reopen — by tap, scan or link — means one edit updates what everyone sees, and nobody has to scroll back through a conversation.
Arrival is one stage of a wider system — pair this with the check-out instructions template so departure is as clear as arrival, see how to automate guest communication end to end, or browse the rest of the host resources.
