Airbnb Checkout Script

It is 11:08 AM. Checkout was at 11. Your cleaner texts a photo of dishes piled in the sink, the trash bins still inside the house, and the Ecobee Premium set to 64. The guest left a five-star property in disarray because they did not know what you expected of them — not because they were rude. This is what a missing or vague checkout message produces, and it costs you in two ways: cleaner overtime and the silent four-star reviews that pile up when guests feel awkward about the messy hand-off. A good airbnb checkout script eliminates almost all of this.

Below are three copy-and-paste versions you can drop straight into your message scheduler — short, warm, and luxury — plus the small operational tricks that make guests actually follow the instructions instead of skimming past them. We will also cover the Echo Dot 5 reminder routine that prompts guests the night before, where to physically post the script in the unit, and the FAQ that handles the inevitable late-checkout request.

When to send the checkout message

Timing matters more than wording. Send the script the evening before checkout, between 6 PM and 8 PM local time. Earlier than that and the guest is still in vacation mode, ignoring messages. Later and they are already asleep. Schedule it through Airbnb’s saved messages or your PMS so it goes out automatically — depending on your tool, this is one of the highest-leverage automations you will ever set up.

Avoid sending the message at the same time as the welcome message; guests treat the first 24 hours of a stay as setup time and tune out anything that is not immediately useful. A second nudge at 8 AM on checkout morning, very brief, locks it in. Pair it with the longer-form Airbnb checkout instructions template for the in-app message and you have full coverage.

The short version (use this for most stays)

This is the version that works for 80 percent of properties. It is seven lines, scannable on a phone, and respects the guest’s time. Replace the bracketed placeholders with your specifics.

Hi [guest first name], hope you have enjoyed [property name]! Quick checkout reminder for tomorrow at [11 AM]:

Start the dishwasher if there are dishes in it.
Take any kitchen and bathroom trash to the bins outside [by the side gate].
Set the thermostat to [72 in summer, 65 in winter].
Lock the door behind you — the Schlage Encode will auto-relock, but please pull it shut.

That is it — no need to strip beds or run laundry. Safe travels, and please leave a quick review when you have a minute. It really helps small hosts like us keep the lights on.

Notice what is missing: no thirty-line list, no “please vacuum,” no “wash all linens.” Cleaning fees exist for a reason. Asking guests to do cleaning work is the single biggest review-killer in the data — if you have added a cleaning fee on top of nightly rate, asking the guest to also vacuum reads as double-charging. Limit asks to: dishes started, trash out, thermostat reset, door locked. The matching Airbnb checkout checklist for guests covers the same five asks for the printed version.

The warm version (for repeat guests and longer stays)

For seven-plus night stays or returning guests, the short version feels too transactional. The warm version trades brevity for human texture. Use this when the relationship matters.

Hi [guest first name],

Hard to believe your week is wrapping up already. We hope [property name] felt like a real getaway. A few quick notes for tomorrow’s [11 AM] checkout so the cleaner can flip the place for the next family:

If you ran the dishwasher, no need to unload — just start it before you head out if there is a load.
Trash and recycling bins are by [the side gate]. Bag everything from the kitchen and bathrooms and toss it on your way out.
Pop the Ecobee to [72 in summer, 65 in winter] — helps us keep utility costs down so we can keep the rates fair.
Front door locks automatically when you pull it shut. No key to leave behind.

If you forgot anything, message us and we will do our best to mail it back at cost. And if you have a moment after you settle in at home, we would love an honest review — even constructive feedback helps us make this place better.

Travel safe, and we hope to host you again. — [Your name]

The luxury version (for premium properties)

If you are charging $400-plus per night, the short version feels jarring. Guests at this price point expect concierge polish — and notably expect to be asked to do less. The luxury version drops most of the operational asks entirely.

Good evening [guest first name],

We hope your stay at [property name] has been everything you needed. As you prepare for tomorrow’s [11 AM] departure, please leave the home as you found it — no need to strip beds, run dishwashers, or take out trash; our team will handle everything.

Two small requests: please set the thermostat to [72] before you leave, and pull the front door firmly shut behind you to engage the smart lock.

Should you need a late checkout, message us this evening and we will do everything possible to accommodate. We would be honored to host you again. Until then, safe travels. — [Your name]

How to customize each version

Six placeholders to fill in once and reuse forever: guest first name (most platforms auto-populate), property name, checkout time, thermostat target, trash bin location, lock behavior. Walk through your property once with this list and write down the exact answer for each, then plug them into all three templates and save them in your message scheduler. The thermostat target deserves extra thought — specifying “72 in summer, 65 in winter” sounds awkward, so seasonally swap the saved message twice a year. Set a calendar reminder for April 15 and October 15.

One optional tweak: if your cleaner handles trash, drop that line from the script. Asking the guest to take out trash that the cleaner is going to handle anyway feels needlessly bossy. The principle is, only ask for things that genuinely save your cleaner time or your wallet money. The companion Airbnb trash reminder script covers when to keep the trash line in and when to drop it.

The Alexa checkout reminder routine

Messaging is great, but a spoken reminder the night before catches the guests who have not opened the app since check-in. Set up an Alexa checkout reminder Airbnb routine on the property’s Echo Dot 5 to play at 8 PM the night before checkout. Open the Alexa app, go to More, Routines, and create a new routine triggered by the time 8:00 PM. Under Add Action, choose Alexa Says, then Customized.

Use this exact wording: “Friendly reminder — checkout is tomorrow at 11. The host has sent the checklist by message, but the highlights are: start the dishwasher if used, take trash to the side gate bins, set the thermostat to 72, and pull the front door shut. Thank you!” The trick: do not run this routine every night. Set the routine to repeat only on the days of the week you typically have checkouts — usually Sunday and Friday for weekend stays. If your booking calendar is irregular, build a more advanced routine using a Hue smart plug or use a tool like IFTTT to fire the reminder only when an actual checkout is scheduled. The deeper version is in our Alexa reminder for checkout time guide.

Where to physically post the checklist

The message goes out, the Echo reminds them, and 30 percent of guests still will not recall the specifics in the morning. Post a small printed card in three places: on the inside of the front door at eye level (they see it on the way out), on the fridge with a magnet (they see it making coffee), and on the bathroom mirror as a small vinyl decal or framed sign (they see it brushing teeth). Keep it to four bullets max with no commentary. The card is a backup — not the primary — so it does not need to be persuasive, just visible.

Common pitfalls and the fallback when guests ignore it

Asking for too much. Anything beyond five short tasks gets tuned out. Audit your script — if it has more than five bullets, cut.
Sending it on arrival day. Guests are unpacking and overwhelmed. They will forget by day three of a five-night stay.
Burying the review request inside the cleaning instructions. Move it to its own follow-up message sent 12 hours after checkout — see the dedicated Airbnb review request message template.
Threatening fees in the message. Saying “late checkout incurs a $50 fee” in the friendly evening message reads as hostile. Mention fees only in the listing’s house rules.

For the guest who still leaves the place a wreck, the fallback is operational, not a re-education project. Do not try to write longer scripts to cover edge cases — they will be ignored too. Instead: have your cleaner photograph the worst issues and submit the photos to Airbnb if it warrants a partial refund through the Resolution Center, and price your cleaning fee with a small buffer for a 10 percent “leaves it rough” rate. Do not try to script your way out of bad guest behavior.

Privacy and tone notes

If you mention the smart lock or the Echo in your checkout message, you are implicitly disclosing them — which is what platform rules require anyway. Do not reference any device the guest does not already know exists from your listing description. Specifically, if you have a Ring doorbell or other outdoor camera, do not mention it in the checkout note — that comes off as “we are watching when you leave.” Disclose cameras in the listing and house rules where they belong, and follow the broader privacy-safe monitoring rules: outdoor only, no indoor lenses, no microphones in guest spaces.

Frequently asked questions

How long should the script actually be?

Under 100 words for the short version, under 150 for the warm version. The biggest predictor of whether guests follow instructions is whether they read them at all, and reading rates collapse past about 150 words on a phone screen. Resist the urge to add “just one more” bullet. If something is genuinely critical, it goes in the message; if it is nice-to-have, it goes on the printed card by the door instead.

When should I send the late checkout message?

Do not preemptively offer late checkout in the script — that signals it is expected and free. Instead, when a guest asks for late checkout, respond within the hour with a yes or no based on your turnover schedule. If yes, send a short message: “Confirmed — you are good until [1 PM] tomorrow. Same checkout instructions apply, just shifted two hours later.” Charge if the late checkout cuts into cleaner time and you offered it as a paid upgrade in your listing. Full wording lives in our Airbnb late checkout message template.

Should I include the thank you message in the same note?

No, send it separately, twelve hours after checkout. Stack two functions in one message and neither lands — either the operational instructions get diluted by the warmth, or the warmth feels manipulative because it is wrapped around a request. The thank-you and review request belong in their own short message the next morning, when the guest is back home and reflecting on the trip. The Airbnb thank you message template drops in cleanly.

What about a checkout message for direct bookings outside Airbnb?

Same script, different delivery. For VRBO, send through the platform’s messaging. For direct-booked guests, send via SMS using a tool like OwnerRez, Hospitable, or even a basic Zapier flow. The wording works identically across channels — what changes is that you can be slightly more direct on SMS since text is more conversational than platform messaging. Drop the “please leave a review” line for direct bookings and replace with a request to share with friends. The short-term rental checkout message page has the off-platform variant.

Does the trash reminder really need its own line?

Yes, because trash is the single most common cleaner complaint. Hosts who skip the trash line consistently report cleaners finding bagged-up garbage in the kitchen at the next turnover. Make the location of the bins explicit — not “outside” but “by the side gate to the right of the front door, behind the wooden fence.” Specifics turn intent into action. If your municipality has tricky recycling rules, leave that off the script and put it on the printed card instead.

Next steps

Pick the version that fits your property tonight and load it into your message scheduler before you go to bed — the next checkout will run on it automatically. Then circle back next week to compare reviews and cleaner feedback against the previous month. Three messages, one Echo routine, and the 11:08 AM panic photo from your cleaner stops landing in your phone.