How to Automatically Send Airbnb Guests Their Door Code
Send your Airbnb guests their smart lock or keypad code automatically, at check-in time, without doing it by hand. The reliable setup, the security rules, and how to handle the code that does not work.
To send your Airbnb guests their door code automatically, you need two things working together: a code you can set per stay on your smart lock or keypad, and a tool that messages that code to the guest at check-in time, not before. Airbnb scheduled messages can send a fixed code on a timer, but they cannot answer the guest who writes back that it is not working. Rezi sends the entry details and the code you set at the right moment and answers the follow-up questions, so the whole handoff runs without you. The stakes are real: a 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology that analyzed 59,766 Airbnb reviews found that door-lock and key-collection problems are a statistically significant source of guest dissatisfaction, exactly the friction a code sent on time removes. Here is how to set it up.
The two parts of an automatic code handoff
- 1A code on the lock. A keypad smart lock or its app lets you set a code, ideally a new one per stay. This part is controlled by your lock, not by your messaging tool.
- 2A message that delivers it on time. Something has to send that code to the guest at check-in time and answer the questions that follow. This is the part you automate with messaging.
Send it at check-in time, not days early
Sending the door code at booking is a security risk and invites early arrivals. Automate the timing so the code lands at check-in time, every time, on its own.
Why the obvious options fall short
| Method | Sends the code on time | Answers "the code is not working" | You control the code |
|---|---|---|---|
| By hand, each guest | Only if you remember | Yes, if you are awake | Yes |
| Airbnb scheduled message | Yes, on a timer | No | Yes, you type it in |
| Airbnb native smart-lock code | Yes | No | Often no, it generates one |
| Rezi | Yes, at check-in time | Yes, instantly | Yes, you set it |
A lot of hosts hit a specific frustration with Airbnb native lock integrations: the platform generates a code for the guest, and you cannot always choose or control it. If you would rather set your own code and simply have it delivered reliably, you keep the code in your hands and automate only the message.
The reliable setup
- 1
Set a code per stay on your lock
Use your smart lock or its app to set a unique code for each booking. A fresh code per guest is the safest pattern. If your lock cannot rotate codes, a keypad you update between stays still works.
- 2
Connect your messaging to your calendar
Point your messaging tool at your Airbnb and VRBO calendar so it knows each guest and their check-in time.
- 3
Deliver the code at check-in time
Automate the message so the entry instructions and the code go out exactly at check-in, not before, with the steps spelled out.
- 4
Cover the follow-up
Make sure something can answer "what is the code again" and "the keypad will not open" at any hour, because that is where automatic handoffs break.
How Rezi automates the code handoff
Rezi connects to your listing over a calendar link and gives each property a dedicated phone number. At check-in time it sends the guest the entry steps and the code you have set, in the guest language, and it holds that code until check-in time for security. When the guest writes back that the keypad will not wake up or asks for the code again at midnight, Rezi answers in seconds and walks them through it, then escalates to you only if it cannot solve a real lockout. Rezi delivers and supports the code you control on your lock. It does not pick your lock hardware or generate the code for you, so you stay in charge of what the code is and Rezi makes sure it reaches the guest at the right time. See how Rezi works.
One assistant, both platforms
Rezi syncs with Airbnb and VRBO over iCal, so the same automatic code handoff runs no matter where the booking came from. Pair it with our check-in instruction templates.
How do I automatically send my Airbnb guest the door code?
Can I choose my own Airbnb smart lock code?
When should I send the Airbnb door code?
What if the door code does not work or the guest is locked out?
Let Rezi handle the messages for you
Rezi answers every guest text and call in seconds, 24/7, in your voice. It sends check-in details on time and only pings you for what truly needs you.