Overview
You can drop pieces of your property guide straight into a guest message instead
of re-typing them. The {{section:...}} building blocks pull a guide section —
house rules, Wi-Fi, parking, and more — into the message at send time. Your guide
stays the single source of truth: update a section once, and every message that
references it stays current.
This guide also covers the returning-guest welcome line, which greets repeat guests without you maintaining a separate template.
How it works
Guide-section building blocks
Add a {{section:...}} placeholder anywhere in a message body. When the message
goes out, ArrivHQ replaces it with that guide section's content, rendered as a
titled block. Available blocks include:
{{section:wifi}}— your Wi-Fi section{{section:parking}}— your Parking section{{section:house_rules}}— your full House rules section{{section:check_in}}— your Check-in / getting-in section{{section:check_out}}— your Check-out section{{section:directions}}— your Directions section{{section:emergency}}— your Emergency-info section{{section:faq}}— your FAQ / good-to-know section{{section:amenities}}— your Amenities section
If you have not written a given section, its block renders as nothing, so it is safe to leave a block in a template you reuse across properties.
Other guide-backed variables
Some content has a dedicated variable in addition to the {{section:...}} form,
useful when you want a shorter form:
{{house_rules_short}}— the first few bullets of your House rules section, for an inline reminder.{{parking_instructions}}— the body of your pinned Parking section.{{checkout_instructions}}— the body of your pinned Check-out section.{{welcome_message}}— the body of any pinned Welcome arrival cards.{{entry_instructions}}— your default entry instructions.{{wifi_ssid}}— your default Wi-Fi network name.
The full list of variables is shown in the editor sidebar — click any variable to insert it into the message body. See Message Templates for how to edit a template and preview it against a reservation.
Returning-guest welcome
For guests who have stayed with you before, {{returning_intro}} renders a warm
"welcome back" line. First-time guests see an empty string in its place, so you
can leave the variable in any template and only repeat guests see the greeting. A
guest counts as returning when they have an earlier accepted reservation with
you.
Limits & requirements
- Guide-content blocks and the returning-guest welcome are available on the Host and Portfolio plans.
- A
{{section:...}}block renders empty when you have not written the matching guide section. - Editing a guide section changes future sends. Messages already scheduled use the content as it was when they were scheduled.
- Variables that do not exist render empty; the template preview flags unknown variable names so you can catch typos before a message goes out.
FAQ
What's the difference between {{section:house_rules}} and
{{house_rules_short}}?
{{section:house_rules}} inserts your full House rules section as a titled block.
{{house_rules_short}} inserts just the first few bullets for a quick inline
reminder. Use the short form in a message where the full section would be too
long.
If I update a guide section, do my messages update too? Future messages pick up the change. A message that is already scheduled keeps the content it had when it was scheduled, so update sections ahead of the next stay cycle.
Why is a {{section:...}} block blank in my preview?
That section is empty in the property guide. Write the section in the Property
Guide and the block fills in. If you misspelled the variable name, the preview's
unknown-variable warning will flag it.
Will first-time guests see the "welcome back" line?
No. {{returning_intro}} renders only for guests with an earlier accepted stay.
First-timers see nothing in its place, so it is safe to keep in every template.
Where do I see and insert these variables? In the message editor under the property's Messages tab (and in the Templates editor). The sidebar lists every variable with a description; click one to insert it. See Message Templates.