It’s 11pm. You’re about to sleep. Your phone lights up: “Hi, where is the entrance? I’m outside but I can’t find the door.” You’ve answered this exact question forty times this year.

The pre-arrival message is one high-impact operational habit a short-term rental operator can develop to reclaim their evenings. Spend an hour building a good one, set it to send automatically, and you can reduce a significant share of inbound guest messages before they arrive.

TL;DR

  • Most guest questions cluster around 5–6 predictable topics: how to get in, directions from the station, luggage storage, house rules, wifi, and facility how-tos.
  • A thorough pre-arrival message sent 24–48 hours before check-in can reduce many of these questions before guests even think to ask.
  • Japan-specific content is non-negotiable: waste sorting rules, no-shoes etiquette, quiet hours, and station-to-door directions are all expected but rarely intuitive for first-timers.
  • Depending on your license type, you may need to collect guest registration information — including nationality and passport number for guests without a Japan address — before arrival.
  • Automate the send — one missed message can turn into five panic texts at midnight.
  • Keep it scannable. Guests skim looking for what they need right now; they don’t read walls of text.

Why Do Japan STR Guests Keep Asking the Same Questions?

Japan STR guests ask the same 5–6 questions because the answers are property-specific and simply not available in the OTA listing. This is especially true in Japan, where:

  • Addresses follow a block-and-lot system (丁目・番地・号) that is counterintuitive for visitors used to sequential street numbers
  • Many properties are in ordinary residential buildings without hotel-style signage; lawful minpaku properties may still have a small required placard, so include entrance photos and exact landmarks in your message
  • House rules around garbage sorting and quiet hours are stricter than most guests anticipate
  • Self-check-in setups vary wildly — smart lock, key box, key handover — and guests are often anxious about getting it wrong in a foreign country

The answer isn’t more availability on chat. It’s a message that answers those questions before the guest knows they have them.

What Should a Japan STR Pre-Arrival Message Include?

A complete Japan STR pre-arrival message should cover seven things: check-in procedure, directions from the nearest station, luggage handling, wifi credentials, house rules highlights, guest registration requirements, and an emergency contact. Here’s a working structure:

1. Check-in procedure Step by step, with photos if the platform allows. “Turn left out of the elevator, walk to the end of the corridor, look for the black key box above door 303.” Spell it out as if they have no signal and only their last screenshot to rely on.

2. Station-to-property directions Don’t just share a Google Maps link. Map pins and building entrances can be wrong or unclear, especially in dense urban buildings. Write it out: “From Shinjuku Station’s East Exit, walk along [landmark street] for three minutes, then turn right at the [specific building or konbini]. We’re the beige building with the blue sign on the left.” A landmark is worth ten map pins.

3. Luggage storage and early arrivals Can guests drop bags before check-in? If yes, how? If no, say so clearly and point them to a nearby coin locker or luggage service. Guests who don’t know your policy either message you five times or show up at 9am dragging suitcases.

4. Wifi Include the credentials in the pre-arrival message itself, not just on a card inside the unit. Guests sometimes need to access your instructions before they get in the door. Put the network name and password in plain text in the message.

5. House rules highlights Don’t paste the full rulebook. Pick the three or four things that cause the most friction when missed: shoes off at the entrance (and where to put them); waste sorting — use the exact categories and collection days from your municipality or building (burnable, non-burnable, plastics, bottles/cans/PET bottles, paper/cardboard, bulky waste, etc., as applicable); quiet hours; and smoking policy. Japan’s waste sorting rules genuinely surprise many foreign guests; a two-sentence explanation prevents many garbage-related complaints.

6. Guest registration Depending on your license type, you are required to collect certain information before guests arrive. For guests without an address in Japan, this includes nationality and passport number; if operating under ryokan or hotel classification, guests must also present their passport and you must retain a copy. Ask guests to provide this information in advance and confirm the specific requirement with your local authority or the relevant MLIT/MHLW guidance.

7. Your contact for real emergencies Not for “where’s the remote” questions — for actual problems. A number they can call if the key box fails, the toilet overflows, or there’s a safety issue. Knowing this exists reduces anxiety even if guests never use it.

When Should You Send the Pre-Arrival Message?

Send your pre-arrival message 24–48 hours before check-in. Earlier than that and guests forget it; on the day of arrival is too late to solve problems. For guests arriving on long-haul flights, 48 hours hits them right when they’re packing and thinking through logistics. For domestic guests, 24 hours is usually plenty.

How Do You Automate the Pre-Arrival Message?

Airbnb supports scheduled quick replies tied to reservation events; PMS tools such as Guesty support automated messages scheduled around check-in/check-out; Booking.com supports partner messaging, templates, and auto-replies — confirm the current Partner Hub scheduler options in your account. Set up the template once, attach it to each listing, and it sends without you. The catch: templates need property-specific information, so maintain one version per property rather than a single global template.

At BenStay, our guesthouse chatbot handles follow-up questions after the pre-arrival message goes out — when a guest replies with “what time is check-in again?” at midnight, the bot answers instantly without waking anyone up. The chatbot only works well because the initial message sets the context; they’re designed as a pair.

What If Guests Still Don’t Read It?

Some guests won’t read the pre-arrival message no matter what. For them, brevity at the top helps — add a one-liner TL;DR at the very start of the message: “Check-in: 3pm, door 303, key box code 1234, wifi: StayHouse_5G / password1234.” The skim reader catches that. The thorough reader continues below.

For repeat problems — the same question appearing three times in one week from different guests — treat it as a signal to add it to your template. Good pre-arrival messages are living documents that improve with use.

This article is for general information only and is not legal or tax advice. Requirements vary by license type and municipality; confirm with your local authority or a qualified professional.

FAQ

Q: Should I send the pre-arrival message through the OTA platform or directly?

Keep OTA messaging as the primary channel. On Airbnb, do not ask guests to move off-platform before booking; after confirmation, use phone or SMS only when needed, and use WhatsApp or LINE only if the guest requests it or your use fits platform policy and local compliance needs. Keeping communication on the OTA platform during the booking period also gives you a written record if a dispute arises.

Q: How long should a Japan STR pre-arrival message be?

Aim for something a guest can read in two to three minutes. Longer than that and guests skim past the important bits. Use bold headings or section labels to make it scannable. The practical test: can a guest standing outside your door in the rain find the key box code in under ten seconds? If yes, the message is the right length and structure.

Q: Do I need separate pre-arrival messages for Japanese and foreign guests?

Yes. Domestic and international guests often need different levels of detail; adjust the template by language and guest segment. For example, waste sorting rules and quiet hour conventions may need more explanation for guests unfamiliar with local norms, while others may already know the basics. Maintaining two template versions per property is a one-time investment that pays off in reduced questions and fewer rule violations.