Managing late night check-ins via WhatsApp has become a necessity for every Moroccan landlord renting to travellers: flights arrive at all hours, trains run late, and nobody wants to call a stranger at midnight to ask how to open the door. Here is how to fully automate this process.
The Problem with Nocturnal Check-ins
If you manage rentals in Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, or any Moroccan city with tourist activity, you have certainly lived this scenario: it is 11:30 pm, your phone rings, a tenant tells you they just landed and will be there in 45 minutes. You were asleep.
This type of situation creates several problems. For you first: a disrupted night, unnecessary stress, and an availability that is impossible to sustain long-term. For your tenant: the anxiety of disturbing someone at a late hour, uncertainty about how check-in will proceed, and a first impression of your property that begins in tension.
The consequences for your business are real. Reviews on Airbnb and Booking.com very often mention the check-in experience. A failed or stressful check-in ends up as one star fewer. According to Airbnb data, properties with smooth check-in processes score on average 0.4 stars higher overall.
In Morocco, the situation is compounded by the diversity of traveller profiles: European tourists whose budget flights arrive in the evening, business travellers, families with children. Each has different needs, but they all share one thing: they want to access their accommodation quickly and without complication.
Solutions Requiring No Human Effort
The goal is to create a system where late night check-in happens without you needing to intervene. Two elements are required: clear instructions and autonomous access.
Autonomous access: The most effective solution is a code lock or a secure key box. A code lock allows you to change the code between each tenant. A key safe is cheaper and very common among Moroccan landlords managing short-term rentals. In both cases, the tenant needs no physical help to enter.
Clear instructions: Even with a code lock, tenants need to be guided. Where exactly is the building? How do they find the apartment inside? Does the code work in a particular way? These questions seem obvious to you; they are not for someone arriving for the first time at midnight in an unfamiliar neighbourhood.
WhatsApp as the central channel: Almost all travellers coming to Morocco use WhatsApp. It is the most reliable channel to reach them, even with a foreign SIM card or via WiFi.
Automated Instructions Step by Step
Here is how to set up an automated instructions flow via WhatsApp for late check-ins:
Day -1 (the day before arrival, at 10am): Automatic sending of a preparation message. This message confirms the booking details, asks for the estimated arrival time, and notifies that access instructions will be sent that evening.
Day -1 (at 6pm): Sending of complete access instructions. This message contains: the exact address with a Google Maps link, a photo of the building and entrance, the access code or the location of the key box with its code, the apartment number and floor, WiFi instructions, and an emergency number in case of a serious problem.
Day of arrival, 2 hours before the estimated time: A short, warm reminder with the access code and a "See you soon!"
Estimated time + 30 minutes: If the tenant has not reported their arrival, an automatic check: "Did you find the apartment alright? Everything going well?"
This flow can be configured once in SakanAI and adapts automatically to each booking according to the indicated arrival time.
Handling Unexpected Issues Remotely
Even with the best instructions, unexpected things happen. The code does not work, the tenant cannot find the entrance, there is a problem in the apartment. How do you handle these situations at midnight without being on site?
Preparation upfront: Before every stay, verify that the code works, that the key box is accessible, and that the apartment is ready. A preparation checklist sent to your cleaning agent or to yourself the day before prevents 90% of unexpected issues.
Rapid escalation: If the tenant has a problem, they need to know in 30 seconds who to contact and how. The WhatsApp bot can handle a first resolution attempt (sending additional instructions, a photo from another angle, a video link). If the problem persists, the bot immediately alerts the landlord with a priority message.
Backup contact: For truly urgent situations, having a trusted neighbour or a building caretaker who can physically intervene is a valuable safety net. This contact can be automatically passed to the tenant if physical assistance is needed.
Incident log: Every check-in problem should be documented. SakanAI keeps a history of all interactions, which makes it possible to identify recurring problems (a code that does not work well, a confusing instruction) and correct them.
Real-world Case: Apartment in Casablanca
Fatima manages three apartments in Maarif, Casablanca. Before automating her check-ins, she spent an average of 45 minutes per late night check-in between calls, messages, and waiting for confirmations. In a week with 4 late arrivals, that was 3 hours of her time.
Since she started using SakanAI with an automated flow, here is what happens: tenants receive their instructions the day before with no action required on her part. The code on her connected lock is updated automatically for each new tenant. She receives a notification when the code is used, confirming the tenant has entered. In the event of a problem, she receives a priority alert.
The result: she is no longer woken at night except for a real problem, which happens about once a month. Her time spent on check-ins has gone from 3 hours per week to less than 15 minutes. And her average rating on Airbnb has risen from 4.6 to 4.9 stars, mainly due to positive comments about the ease of check-in.
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