Airbnb Alexa Welcome Script

The Boston flight got delayed. Your guest finally pulls into the driveway at 1:14 a.m., drags two suitcases up the porch steps, and stares at the smart lock. The code works. The door opens. They walk in, drop the bags, and look at the Echo Show 8 on the kitchen counter. They are tired, hungry, and have no idea where the bathroom light switch is. This is the moment your Airbnb Alexa welcome script gets remembered — or, more often, the moment a host realizes they never actually wrote one and the device is just sitting there blinking.

This guide is the script and the wiring around it. The exact words for the device to say, the trigger that fires it without you babysitting, the placement that makes it audible from where the guest stands, and the privacy phrasing that turns the device from “surveillance thing” into “helpful thing” in about eight seconds. Use it on the next turnover. If you want a broader inventory of routines to layer in after this one ships, the full Alexa scripts for Airbnb library is the next stop.

Who should use this template

Self-managed Airbnb hosts with a single property, a small portfolio, or a co-host who handles turnovers but not tech. You have at least one Echo Dot 5 or Echo Show on the property and you want check-in to feel like the property cares about the guest without you having to be on call at 1 a.m.

Hosts who skip this script are usually relying on a printed welcome book that nobody reads, a long check-in message that gets lost in the booking thread, and an unspoken hope that the guest will figure things out. The script is not a replacement for any of those — it is the on-ramp that makes the guest engage with the rest of them. For tone and pacing across every interaction, the Alexa voice assistant script for guests walkthrough is worth a read before you record.

Prerequisites

Have these in place before building the routine. Skipping any of them means the script will fire intermittently or fail in front of a guest, which is worse than not having one.

Echo Dot 5, Echo Show 8, or Echo Pop on the property, on its own dedicated Amazon account — not your personal one.
The Alexa app installed on your phone, signed into the property’s account, and updated to the latest version.
A guest Wi-Fi network the Echo is on. Don’t put it on your private network.
Optional but useful: a smart lock with rotating codes (Schlage Encode, Yale Assure 2, August Wi-Fi Smart Lock) linked to Alexa so the welcome routine can fire when the guest’s specific code unlocks the door.
Optional: a TP-Link Kasa or Amazon Smart Plug under the Echo so you can power-cycle remotely if the device locks up.

Building the routine, step by step

Open the Alexa app, tap More → Routines → the plus icon to create a new routine.
Set the trigger. The most reliable for an Airbnb is a custom voice phrase like “Alexa, start my stay” — print this on the welcome card. The fanciest is the smart lock unlocking with the guest’s specific code; that is great when it works but be aware some lock integrations to Alexa are flaky.
Add an action: Alexa Says → Customized. Paste the script (one of the three versions below).
Add a second action: Adjust Volume → level 6 or 7. This overrides whatever the last guest left it at.
Add a third action: turn on entryway lights and set the smart thermostat (Ecobee Premium, Nest Learning, Honeywell T9) to a guest-comfortable temperature.
Save and test. Walk to the door, fire the trigger, and confirm the script delivers within five seconds.

Copy-and-paste script — standard version

“Welcome to [Property Nickname]. I’m Alexa, your in-home assistant for the stay. Say ‘Alexa, Wi-Fi’ for the network and password. Say ‘Alexa, house manual’ for thermostat, parking, hot tub, and checkout. Say ‘Alexa, contact host’ if anything is off — we’ll text you back fast. The microphone is off until you say my name, and you can unplug me anytime. Make yourself at home.”

About 70 words. The phrasing is intentional — “in-home assistant” sets expectations, the three sub-routines cover ninety percent of guest questions, the privacy line lands the trust, and “make yourself at home” closes warm. Build the three sub-routines first; an empty pointer is worse than no pointer. The dedicated Alexa Wi-Fi password script and the spoken Alexa house manual script are the first two to ship.

Short version (business or repeat-guest property)

“Welcome back to [Property Nickname]. Wi-Fi password is on the fridge. Say ‘Alexa, house manual’ if you need anything else. Mic is off unless you say my name. Have a good one.”

Use this for properties where most guests are on their second or third stay, or business travelers who want to drop bags and decompress. Twenty-five words. The fridge magnet move — printed Wi-Fi card stuck on the fridge — is faster than a routine for many guests.

Warm version (cabin, beach house, family stay)

“Hey, welcome to [Property Nickname] — we’re really glad you made it. There’s a cold drink in the fridge with your name on it. For Wi-Fi just say ‘Alexa, Wi-Fi.’ For everything else — hot tub, beach pass, where to grab dinner — say ‘Alexa, house manual.’ My mic is off unless you say my name, and unplug me anytime if you’d rather not. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Around 75 words. The cold-drink line is the one most-quoted in reviews when hosts include it — only use it if you actually leave one. Replace “beach pass” with whatever fits your property: ski locker, kayak, garage opener.

Luxury version (high nightly rate, design-forward)

“Welcome to [Property Nickname]. The home is yours for the duration of your stay. For the network, say ‘Alexa, Wi-Fi.’ For climate or lighting preferences, say ‘Alexa, comfort.’ For curated local recommendations, say ‘Alexa, concierge.’ Your privacy is respected: the microphone is inactive unless addressed, and the device may be unplugged at any time. Enjoy your stay.”

Use this only if you can back up the words. “Concierge” must return a real list of restaurants you’d send a friend to, not a generic “there are restaurants nearby.” If you cannot, drop the word. The Alexa local guide script shows how to wire up that concierge response without sounding scripted.

Customizing for your property

Three places to adjust. Property nickname — what guests see in their booking confirmation. Sub-routine names — only reference ones you have actually built. The one-thing-every-guest-asks — review your last twenty guest messages and add the most-frequent question as a fourth sub-routine. For ready-made phrasing on the eight most common topics, the eight Alexa guest script examples roundup gives you starter copy you can paste in.

For a faster custom draft, paste this Airbnb Alexa welcome script template into your AI assistant of choice with the prompt: “Rewrite for a [property type] in a [tone] voice. Keep under 80 words and preserve the three sub-routine pointers and the privacy line.” Read the result out loud before saving. AI-written scripts often look fine on screen but stumble on the spoken delivery — awkward word combinations, missed pauses, hard consonants in a row.

Where to place the Echo

The script does not work if the guest cannot hear it or does not realize it is talking to them. Kitchen counter near the entry is almost always right. Living room is usually too far. Bedrooms and bathrooms are off-limits.

Counter or shelf height, eye level when standing — not the floor and not above a tall fridge.
Within line of sight of the entry. The guest sees it when they walk in.
Plugged into a TP-Link Kasa smart plug so you can power-cycle remotely between bookings.
Not in a bedroom, not in a bathroom, not pointed at a bed. Even with the mic off, perception matters.

If the property has multiple Echo devices, the Echo Dot guest welcome script guide covers which one to make primary and how to keep the secondaries from talking over each other.

Testing checklist

Trigger test — from the entry, fire the trigger phrase. Confirm script delivery within five seconds.
Audio test — stand where the guest stands. Confirm the script is audible over normal background noise (HVAC, dishwasher).
Sub-routine test — trigger “Alexa, Wi-Fi” and “Alexa, house manual” and confirm each delivers useful information.
Failure test — mute the Echo or unplug it. Confirm the printed welcome card on the kitchen counter has the same critical information.

Fallback plan

The Echo will fail at some point — Wi-Fi drops, Amazon servers hiccup, a guest mutes the mic by accident. The fallback is the printed welcome card on the kitchen counter with the Wi-Fi network and password, your phone number, checkout time, and any property-specific essentials (gate code, parking, trash day). The Echo is the convenience layer; the card is the floor. Keep both up to date. The Alexa checkout script for Airbnb is the bookend on the way out and should mirror the same fallback rules.

Privacy and disclosure

Disclose the Alexa device in your listing description — Airbnb requires it for any voice-activated device, and most guests appreciate the heads-up. Set the device to auto-delete recordings after three months in the Alexa privacy settings. The script itself reinforces the privacy posture, which is the moment a guest goes from suspicious to comfortable. No indoor cameras, no always-on listening, ever — it is not worth the trust hit even if your platform tolerates it.

FAQ

How long should an Airbnb Alexa welcome script be?

Twenty-five to eighty words spoken. Anything longer and the guest tunes out. Time it on a stopwatch — if it runs over thirty seconds, cut. The goal is to deliver the Wi-Fi pointer, the privacy reassurance, and one or two sub-routine pointers. Detailed information belongs in the house-manual sub-routine, which only fires if the guest specifically asks for it. Brevity is the difference between a useful interaction and an interruption.

What is the difference between this and an echo welcome script for Airbnb?

None — the terms are interchangeable. “Echo” refers to the device, “Alexa” refers to the voice assistant. Both phrases describe the same routine. Hosts will sometimes search one or the other depending on whether they think of the speaker first or the assistant first. The Echo welcome script for Airbnb walkthrough uses the same setup with slightly different framing for hosts who think device-first.

Should the welcome script include the Wi-Fi password?

No — speak only the network name and point to a separate “Alexa, Wi-Fi password” sub-routine that delivers the password slowly with phonetic letters. Long passwords are unintelligible at normal speech speed. Splitting the password into its own routine lets the guest control when they hear it, which is critical because most guests need to repeat it twice while typing.

What if a guest does not want to use Alexa at all?

That is fine, and the script itself acknowledges it. The printed welcome card on the kitchen counter has the same critical information — Wi-Fi, host phone number, checkout time. Mention in your check-in message that the Echo is optional and the printed card covers everything. A small share of guests will never use the device, and that is normal. The script is a convenience, not a requirement.

Can I run the same script on multiple Echo devices in one property?

Yes, but pick one device as the primary — usually the kitchen Echo — and have the welcome script fire only there. Otherwise it triggers everywhere at once and the audio echoes through the property in a confusing way. Sub-routines like Wi-Fi and house manual can fire on whichever device the guest is closest to; that is fine. Welcome is one device only.

Next steps

Build the welcome routine and one Wi-Fi sub-routine this week. Add house manual and contact host next week. Layer the rest as you have time and as guest behavior tells you what is missing. The Echo welcome scripts hub is the index page that ties every sub-routine together.