Guide
The automated guest journey
Every automated guest message from request to review and when it goes out, plus a digital arrival guide that reveals the door code the day before check-in.
Updated
What goes out, and when
From the first request to the post-stay thank-you, BnB Console emails each guest the right message at the right moment, in your business's name. You write the content once; the timing takes care of itself.
- Request received — the guest gets an instant acknowledgment with the estimated total and their booking reference, and a receipt for anything they paid. If their card was only held, the booking page tells them it is not charged until you confirm.
- Quote & reminder — a sent quote links to a private page with the locked-in price and cancellation milestones; one reminder goes out before it expires.
- Confirmation — on your yes, the guest receives the confirmation with the exact address (revealed only now), dated refund milestones and their arrival-guide link.
- House rules — sent on schedule before the stay, so rules arrive when they're relevant, not buried in the booking rush.
- Pre-arrival guide — directions, parking, local tips, and a sensitive block (door code, wifi password, exact address) that reveals itself the day before check-in.
- Balance — when the balance falls due, the card the guest saved is charged and a receipt follows. If the charge fails, the guest gets a link to pay at the first failure and every three days after, until arrival; a guest with no card on file gets their never-expiring payment page instead.
- Declines and expiry — requests you decline or don't answer end cleanly: the guest is told, any card hold is released, and the dates free themselves.
- Review request — after checkout, every guest is asked how it went, and can be offered your Google review link.
The arrival guide (your digital guidebook)
Each property carries a step-by-step arrival guide you write once under Properties → your property → Guest guide:
- Arrival steps, in the order guests follow them — from “Getting from the airport” to “Finding the lockbox”.
- Wifi name and password and the door code, kept in the sensitive block.
- Parking, local tips and an emergency contact.
Guests open it from any of their emails on a private link — no login, and it works on the phone in the driveway.
Everything is logged
Every automated email logs into the reservation's message thread alongside your own messages, so you always know exactly what the guest has been told. Timing (request and quote expiry, house-rules lead time, balance due dates) is configurable per property or business. See also: guest message templates and what happens when a balance payment fails.
Frequently asked questions
- What automated messages should a vacation rental send?
- Most hosts send the same set on every stay: a request or booking acknowledgment, a confirmation with the address and cancellation terms, house rules a few days before arrival, a check-in guide the day before, payment reminders when a balance is due, and a thank-you with a review request after checkout. BnB Console sends each of these on schedule.
- When should I send guests the door code?
- Close to arrival, not at booking. BnB Console's arrival guide keeps the door code, wifi password and exact address hidden until the day before check-in, so a guest who cancels never holds your codes.
- What should a vacation rental guidebook include?
- Step-by-step directions from the airport or highway, how to get in, parking, the wifi name and password, house quirks such as the heating or hot tub, local tips for food and activities, checkout steps, and an emergency contact. In BnB Console these make up the arrival guide each guest opens from their emails.
- Do these automated messages go to Airbnb and Vrbo guests?
- No. Airbnb and Vrbo handle messaging for their own bookings, including their own scheduled messages. BnB Console's automated emails go to guests who book directly, by quote or by phone, and to any reservation you add with the guest's email.
- Can I change when automated emails are sent?
- Yes. How long a request or quote holds its dates, how far ahead house rules go out and when a balance falls due are set per property or for the whole business, and every email that goes out is logged in the reservation's message thread.