Airbnb Checkout Instructions Template: Copy-and-Paste Template for Hosts

Why checkout messages matter as much as the welcome ones

The departing guest is the one who writes the review. The last 24 hours of the stay set the tone they’ll use. A clear, friendly checkout message that doesn’t read like a passive-aggressive list of demands keeps the goodwill you built earlier. A poorly written one can torpedo a five-star review into a four because the guest leaves feeling like a chore.

The mechanics: most hosts send three messages around departure. A pre-checkout reminder the night before (covers checkout time and the basic asks). A morning-of reminder with the specific to-do list (dishwasher, towels, lights). A thank-you note 30 minutes after the door code expires, which doubles as your review request. Hospitable, Hostfully, OwnerRez, iGMS, and Lodgify all handle the scheduling natively.

Voice layer: an Echo Dot 5th Gen routine triggered by “Alexa, we’re heading out” can run a quick checkout helper, locking the Schlage Encode, dropping the Ecobee to setback, turning off Philips Hue lights, and confirming the trash schedule. Some guests use it; the ones who do feel taken care of.

The five checkout-window message templates

Night-before reminder. Hi {{first_name}}! Hope you’ve had a great stay. Just a heads-up that checkout is at 11am tomorrow. No need to strip the bed or do dishes — just toss any trash in the bins under the deck and make sure the Schlage door locks behind you. Safe travels! — Sarah. Friendly, low-ask, no demands.

Morning-of checkout list. Good morning! Quick checkout list: dishwasher started (pods are under the sink), used towels in the bathtub, lights off, and the door will auto-lock when you close it. The Schlage code expires at 11am sharp. Safe travels and please leave a review if you enjoyed your stay! Three asks max, ordered by location flow.

Late-checkout request response. If you can swing a noon checkout, that works for us — just want to confirm the cleaner can still arrive at 12:30. The Schlage code is updated to 12pm. Otherwise the standard 11am still applies. Friendly when possible (covers your turnover slack), firm when not.

Thank you and review request (post-checkout). Hi {{first_name}}! Thank you for staying at the Maple House — it was a pleasure hosting you. If you have a minute, a quick review on Airbnb really helps us reach more thoughtful guests like you. Hope to see you back. — Sarah. Sent 30 minutes after the door auto-locks. Personal, low-pressure, never “please give five stars.”

Trash day reminder (when applicable). Hi {{first_name}}! One more thing — tomorrow morning is trash pickup. If you don’t mind rolling the bin to the curb on your way out (or before bed tonight), the cleaner will really appreciate it. Bins are around the side of the house. Thanks! Send only when trash actually needs to go out, not as a default.

Echo “we’re heading out” routine. Trigger: “Alexa, we’re heading out.” Actions chained: turn off Philips Hue or Lutron Caseta lights, set Ecobee to 78F (summer) or 58F (winter), confirm Schlage Encode is locked, play a recording: “Thanks for staying! Trash bin is around the side if you have any to drop. Safe travels.” Optional — some guests use it, none are bothered by it.

Setup gotchas with checkout messaging

Gotcha one: the checkout list that reads like chores. Asking guests to wash dishes, strip beds, take out trash, sweep, and run the dishwasher trains them to assume short-term rentals are unpaid hotels. Three asks max, all genuinely low-effort. The cleaner does the actual cleaning — that’s what your cleaning fee is for.

Gotcha two: the review request that says “please leave us a 5-star review.” Airbnb has flagged this language and it’s policy-borderline at best. Better wording: a quick review on Airbnb really helps us reach more thoughtful guests like you. The implicit ask works, the explicit number-of-stars ask doesn’t.

Gotcha three: review request sent too late. Wait too long and the guest has moved on mentally. The sweet spot is 30 minutes to 4 hours after checkout, while the experience is fresh. Hospitable’s automated message timing handles this if you set the trigger to checkout completed plus 30 minutes.

Gotcha four: the morning-of checkout message that arrives at 6am. If a guest set their phone to vibrate overnight and your Hospitable schedule fires a 7am message, they wake up to it. Set the trigger to 9am or later, or use a smart trigger (“check-out day” plus “two hours before checkout time”).

Gotcha five: the Schlage Encode code that doesn’t expire when the message says it does. If your auto-rotated code is set to expire at 11am but the guest is running 30 minutes late, they get locked out and have to message you. Set the code to expire at noon (one hour after the listed checkout time) to give a buffer, and explain the 11am hard checkout in the message itself.

Sub-guides in this section

• Airbnb Checkout Instructions Template — the master copy for night-before and morning-of messages.
• Airbnb Checkout Script — conversational tone with the three-ask framework.
• Alexa Checkout Reminder Airbnb — the Echo routine for departure day.
• Airbnb Review Request Message Template — the policy-safe ask that boosts review rate.
• Airbnb Thank You Message Template — warm-tone copy that opens the door to repeat bookings.
• Airbnb Checkout Checklist for Guests — the printable card for the kitchen counter.
• Short Term Rental Checkout Message — cross-platform copy for VRBO and direct bookings.
• Airbnb Late Checkout Message Template — how to say yes (or no) without alienating the guest.
• Airbnb Trash Reminder Script — the trash-day-only conditional message.
• Alexa Reminder for Checkout Time — a scheduled Echo announcement at 10am on departure day.

Frequently asked questions

When should I send the review request?

30 minutes after the Schlage Encode or Yale Assure 2 code expires — that’s the moment Airbnb logs the checkout. Hospitable’s trigger “checkout completed plus X minutes” handles this. Send too early and it feels rushed; too late and the guest has moved on. The 30-minute window catches them while they’re driving away or settling on the plane, when a quick phone tap to leave a review is easy.

How many checkout asks is too many?

Three is the line. Start the dishwasher, used towels in the tub, lights off. Anything beyond that — strip the bed, take out the trash, sweep the floor, wipe down counters — pushes guests into chore-mode and they push back in the review. If your turnover requires more, that’s what the cleaning fee covers. The exception: trash on actual pickup day, which is genuinely just one extra step.

Should I send a separate trash-day message or include it in the morning-of?

Separate, conditional. If trash pickup isn’t tomorrow, no message. If it is, send the trash reminder the night before checkout (so they can do it that evening) rather than the morning-of when they’re hauling bags. A Hospitable conditional based on day-of-week handles this; you build the trigger once.

Does asking for a review actually increase review rate?

Yes, by roughly 25-40% based on what hosts report. The key is asking once, in a friendly tone, after the experience is fresh. Asking twice or three times annoys the guest and lowers your odds. The single-ask, sent within four hours of checkout, in a personal-name signed message, is the highest-yield play. Don’t follow up if they don’t respond.

Where this connects

The checkout messages are the bookend to the welcome message templates. They share the same automation backbone (Hospitable, OwnerRez, Hostfully) and the same tone. The Echo “we’re heading out” routine pairs with the Alexa concierge setup. Full pillar at guest scripts and messaging.