Overview

ArrivHQ's automated guest messages run across the whole stay — pre-arrival, day-of-arrival, mid-stay, check-out, and post-stay. As of June 2026 they read warmly in the guest's inbox and can pull in your own content automatically: your local recommendations, the relevant parts of your property guide, and a "welcome back" line for guests who have stayed with you before.

The goal is that you write your property details once and your guest messages stay accurate without you re-typing anything. When you update a guide section or add a new local pick, the next message that references it picks up the change.

How it works

Each phase of the stay has a message you can turn on and edit under the property's Messages tab:

  • Pre-arrival — sets expectations before check-in (arrival window, parking, what to bring).
  • Day-of-arrival — entry details and a warm welcome the day the guest arrives.
  • Mid-stay — a light check-in during longer stays, a natural place for day-by-day local picks.
  • Check-out — departure steps and timing.
  • Post-stay — a thank-you and review ask after the guest leaves.

Three things make these messages feel personal:

  1. Local recommendations. Drop a {{local_food}}, {{local_activity}}, {{local_attraction}}, or {{local_tip}} block into any message and your verified picks appear automatically, filtered to the right day of the stay. See Local recommendations in messages.
  2. Your guide content. {{section:...}} building blocks (house rules, Wi-Fi, parking, check-in, and more) pull the matching section straight from your property guide, so the guide stays the single source of truth. See Using your guide content in messages.
  3. Returning-guest welcome. The {{returning_intro}} variable renders a warm "welcome back" line only for guests who have an earlier accepted stay with you. First-time guests see nothing in its place, so you can leave it in every template.

Every block is safe to leave in a template. If there is no verified pick, no matching guide section, or the guest is a first-timer, the block renders as nothing rather than leaving a broken placeholder.

Limits & requirements

  • Automated guest messages are available on the Host and Portfolio plans. They are not available on the Comply plan.
  • Local picks only reach guests once you mark them Verified in the property guide. Unverified picks are skipped from real sends.
  • {{section:...}} blocks read from the matching guide section. If you have not written that section, the block renders empty.
  • You always review and edit each phase's message before it is active. Nothing is sent on your behalf without you turning the message on.

FAQ

Do I have to use all five phases? No. Turn on only the phases you want. Each one is independent, and you can edit or disable any of them under the property's Messages tab.

Will a message look broken if I leave a block in but have no content for it? No. Local blocks, guide-section blocks, and the returning-guest line all render as nothing when there is no content, so the surrounding message reads cleanly.

How does ArrivHQ know a guest is returning? A guest counts as returning when they have an earlier accepted reservation with you. For those guests, {{returning_intro}} fills in a warm welcome-back line; everyone else sees an empty string there.

Where do I edit these messages? Open a property, go to the Messages tab, and edit each phase. Use the live preview to render against a recent reservation before turning a phase on.

Can a guest reply to an automated message? Yes. Replies thread into the property's message conversation under Messages, the same as any other guest message.