Airbnb Welcome Book: How to Create a Comprehensive Guide for Your Guests [+Template]

An Airbnb welcome book is a great way for hosts to impress guests and it shows that you want them to experience the best that your area has to offer. Find out some tips to help you create an effective and exciting Airbnb welcome guide for your guests!

Airbnb Welcome Book How to Create a Comprehensive Guide for Your Guests Template

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If you're still unsure about whether you need an Airbnb welcome book, don't hesitate any longer. We all know how first impressions set the stage for the entire experience. Even if guests only glance at it briefly, a well-designed welcome book will leave a lasting impression and help you earn positive reviews.

Some hosts get confused when crafting their welcome book and include check-in information only in this book. Guests need access to these instructions before arriving. Keep reading for the best practices for creating a perfect, non-confusing welcome guide.

Here are some tips for making an exciting Airbnb guestbook and a downloadable free template.

Why Do You Need An Airbnb Welcome Book?

For hosts, a guestbook offers a great way to impress guests. It shows that you want them to experience the best that your area has to offer.

It also demonstrates to Airbnb guests that you’re a helpful host and you want their stay to be as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

For guests, the Airbnb guestbook is the perfect place to find all of the information that they need for staying at an Airbnb property.

Since every rental is different, guests need to know all of the particulars once they arrive and your guestbook is the first place that they are likely to look.

To Introduce Your Guests to Your Listing

Staying in a new place can be confusing and an Airbnb welcome book can ease your guests into their time staying in your property. We usually recommend a printed welcome book, but a digital Airbnb welcome book can also provide a warm welcome for your guests.

Starts Their Experience Off on a Good Note

Your Airbnb welcome book makes your Airbnb guests feel at home. It allows them to have an easy guide to help them find exactly what they need.

Whether your Airbnb welcome book is printed, emailed or a digital Airbnb welcome book, you’ll need to ensure that your Airbnb guests read and understand the important stuff, like your house rules.

This will also give you a chance to state your wifi password and communicate the location of nearby attractions, grocery stores, local restaurants, and local emergency numbers.

Teach Them How to Use All of Your Amenities & Appliances

An Airbnb welcome book functions like a guide to both give your guests a warm welcome and ensure that an Airbnb host has given them all of the logistical information that they need.

It improves the guest experience and ensures that you’re giving them the best chance of enjoying your property.

Be sure to include your contact details, local attractions, the details of local businesses, and so on. Future guests will appreciate the effort and it’ll enrich your guest’s arrival.

How to Write an Airbnb Welcome Book

So now that you know why an Airbnb welcome book is so important for your property, you need to know exactly how to write one. The good news is that most of the information can be printed out from the internet or obtained from the local visitor center in your area.

Here is a step-by-step guide that covers the most important things to include in your welcome book:

1. The First Page of Your Welcome Book

Make sure that the initial Welcome Page of your Airbnb welcome book contains the most important information that your guests need to know upon arrival. Think of this page as the onboarding guide to your property.

Some vital details that you should make sure to cover include:

• Parking Information
• Access Code Needed for the Front Gate
• Guest Wi-Fi Password
• Your Contact Info
• Emergency Services Contact Info

Even if your guests don’t end up reading most of the other information that you included in your Airbnb welcome book, you should make sure that they have access to this information. Otherwise, they will probably contact you for help.

Include the most important information on the first few pages of your welcome book. It’s a nice personal touch to add the names of your guests and create an overall positive guest experience.

Also, be sure to remind guests who to contact in an emergency. Including the details of the nearest hospital is another great idea. Emergency information should always be included in your welcome guest book.

2. House Rules

You’ve likely already provided your guests with house rules before arrival. However, make sure to reiterate what you already shared in your Airbnb welcome book so that your guests can access them at any time during their stay.

Here are some essential house rules to consider including:

Check-In/Check-Out Info: Even if guests have already checked in/got the message instructions, specify the times for check-in and especially check-out to ensure a smooth transition between guests.

Quiet Hours: Establish quiet hours to maintain a peaceful environment, especially if your property is in a residential area.

No Smoking: Clearly state your smoking policy to prevent any misunderstandings.

Pets: If you allow pets, outline the rules regarding their care and areas they can access. If you don’t allow pets, be explicit about this as well.

Parties/Events: State if parties are not allowed.

Kitchen Use: Provide guidelines for kitchen use, including how to use appliances and the importance of cleaning up after cooking.

Trash Disposal: Explain how guests should handle and dispose of trash and recycling.

Parking: Include details about where guests can park their vehicles and any specific rules related to parking.

Amenities: Outline the proper use of amenities such as the pool, hot tub, or laundry facilities.

Respect for Neighbors: Encourage guests to be considerate of neighbors, especially in shared spaces or common areas.

Emergency Contacts: Provide emergency contact information and instructions for what to do in case of an emergency.

Damages: Specify how things will proceed concerning eventual damages.

3. Local Transportation Information

Make sure that your Airbnb guestbook also includes contact information, schedules, directions, and other related to local transportation in your area. Some options you might want to consider include:

• Taxi & Airport Shuttle Services
• Bus and Train Schedules
• Maps of the Local Areas

This information is especially helpful if you are located outside of the city where cell phone service might not be readily accessible.

It also helps to share any tips that only locals would know about getting around your area. There may even be some local businesses that can deliver certain services.

Finally, consider also including check-out information in this section since guests are most likely to take a look at this section when deciding their departure plans.

4. Things to Do

When guests stay with Airbnb, they miss out on the concierge services that hotels generally offer. In order to make things easier for them, you can provide this service with your Airbnb welcome book.

All travelers love to receive recommendations from the locals. Although your guests probably have their own plans, they’ll likely change them once they see your personal recommendations.

Make sure that you include a wide variety of activities in your Airbnb guestbook that can appeal to all types of guests. Above all, ensure you include the website, address, and phone numbers of each of the recommended places or activities so that your guests can find them.

Some suggestions to include are:

• Restaurants
• Tourists Attractions (local parks, museums, historical places)
• Shopping
• Tours (bar crawl, ghost tour, trolley tour)
• Fairs and Festivals (Sunday street fair, farmers’ markets, annual events)
• Nightlife (bars, breweries, clubs, playhouse, live music)

You should also let your guests know which recommendations you’ve personally enjoyed. That way guests won’t hold you accountable for the quality of the experience if they go to something that you haven’t personally attended.

“Let your guest know about local experiences. Yes, you want to provide your guests with the practical information on how to turn on the television or that fancy rain shower. There are logistics to include, of course. But the main reason guests open the manual is to go to your recommended restaurant, bar or even nail salon. You know your neighbourhood and your guest wants to get to know it as well.”

— Evelyn Badia, The Hosting Journey

5. How-to Instructions for Appliances and Electronics

You already know how to use all of the items installed in your home, but what about your guests? Don’t leave your guests feeling frustrated because they can’t figure out how to adjust the thermostat.

Here are a few important items to write instructions for:

• Thermostat
• Air conditioning
• The entry process for the property (front-gate entry method, how to use smart locks)
• Washer and Dryer
• Kitchen Appliances
• Wi-Fi
• TV Remote and/or Netflix

By including how-to instructions for all of the various appliances and electronics on your property, including any weird quirks needed to get things to work, you can avoid having to answer repeated phone calls from confused guests. It will also help you to avoid a surprise bad review for a problem that could have been easily resolved.

6. FAQ (Optional)

Consider adding an FAQ section to your welcome book. FAQs serve to address the most important, quick questions that are on the minds of most of your visitors. This section reduces the time spent searching for information.

It shouldn't be a lengthy section with many questions, given that you have probably answered them before, but it should cover the most straightforward questions guests usually ask.

It may include instructions for appliances that guests often have issues with, the location of light switches, or something regarding the heating/cooling system. Answer straightforward questions like "What should I do with trash?", "What do I do if I lose the keys?", and "Where do I find extra linens and towels?"

This is also a good place to reaffirm contact numbers in case of emergencies or issues.

Creating and Organizing Your Airbnb Guestbook

Given that this information might come in different formats, you should use a binder or scrapbook to keep all of the different flyers, printed pages, and brochures organized.

Make sure to include section markers so that guests can access the parts of the Airbnb guestbook that interest them faster.

Digital Airbnb Welcome Book

A digital welcome book is convenient because you can send it along with check-in instructions, giving guests time to familiarize themselves with the property in advance. Additionally, it's incredibly easy to design it top-notch.

Handcrafted/Printed Welcome Book

If you have a digital guide, simply print it out, protect it with a plastic cover, and bind it with a binder. You can also handcraft it, which can become a unique part of your brand.

How to Design an Airbnb Guestbook Like a Pro

The easiest way is to use design tools like Canva, which offers many templates that you can customize even if you're not a pro. Alternatively, you can find ready-to-use templates for purchase on platforms like Etsy. Or download iGMS free Airbnb welcome book templates to get you started quickly.

Where to Store Your Airbnb Welcome Book

To ensure that guests always have access to your Airbnb welcome book, leave it in a highly visible location, such as the kitchen table or coffee table in the living room.

You should also tell guests where they can find the welcome book once they arrive and remind them that they should read it.

Conclusion

Not only is a welcome book a great way to elevate your guest experience and enrich your guests arrival, but it also comes in handy to outline rules that guests need to follow when staying at your property.

A welcome book can also help in encouraging direct bookings with personalized discounts and enriching your guest's stay.

However, vacation rental management can turn into a real headache when you have too many tasks to tackle. To cope with your daily operations more efficiently, consider using automation software. For example, iGMS vacation rental software will ease your workload.

The Airbnb welcome book is one of the most important amenities for your Airbnb property. However, it can take significant effort to put together. Not only does it need to be visually appealing, it needs to contain all of the critical information that your guests will need.

Some hosts get confused when crafting their welcome book, and they include check-in information. Anything to do with check-in needs to be sent to your guests beforehand, as they can’t read your welcome guide if they can’t access the property. Make a note to send out your check-in information the day before your guests are due to arrive. Be sure to also send your business VoIP phone numbers.

Be sure to place your welcome book in a conspicuous location like a coffee table. You can also include a personalised welcome letter which should provide answers to basic questions like how to lock the door, the wifi passwords and emergency contact numbers. Most guests will appreciate a step-by-step guide to the more complex things within your property.

Here are some tips to help you create an effective welcome book or an exciting Airbnb guestbook for your guests.