How to Write an Airbnb Welcome Letter: A Formula for Success

 

An Airbnb welcome letter can win your guests over before they’ve even checked into your property. While it may sound like magic, many hosts swear by a welcome letter for their success.A well-thought-out welcome letter will help create a positive first impression. It will also present you as a caring host.

Are you eager to learn how to compose a warm and effective vacation rental welcome letter? Read on to find out!

What is an Airbnb welcome letter?

An Airbnb welcome letter is a letter written by hosts to guests. It shares important information about their  vacation rentals and elevates the guest experience. It should contain everything you want to communicate to your guests about their stay.

An excellent guest messaging strategy is key to ensuring a top-notch guest experience. A vacation rental welcome letter plays an essential role in your guest communication. It helps to:

• introduce your guests to your vacation rental
• provide information that will make their stay more comfortable and enjoyable
• communicate instructions and how-tos for the property, 
• provide recommendations and suggestions for things to do. 

An awesome welcome letter should be informative but still friendly. You should refrain from using stiff, formal language. Also, avoid using negative language that could come across as strict and negative. Instead of saying, “No smoking allowed indoors,” rather say, “Please only smoke outdoors.” 

What Should I Include in My Airbnb Welcome Letter? [A Full Checklist]

It’s a good idea to create a comprehensive welcome letter that includes all the essential information that your guests need to know. Find out what points you should gather to create an Airbnb welcome letter template.

• Address and Directions

Remember that your guests may have never traveled to your city or town before. It can be very confusing trying to navigate a new place (especially if you’ve just come off a long flight or train ride). 

Adding directions with your street address and door number will help your guests to find your rental more easily. Make sure to include directions from the nearest airport, as well as the nearest train and bus stations. 

• Check-in and Checkout Instructions

Provide instructions for how to check into your rental in your Airbnb welcome letter. This includes instructions for where to find your keys or the code for any Airbnb lockboxes or smart locks. Also, add clear instructions for checking out (including the checkout time and any special requests for checkout). 

• House Rules

You’ve likely written your house rules in your listing, but not all guests read through listing descriptions. Including your house rules in your welcome letter is a great way to ensure your guests will read them. 

• Wi-Fi Instructions

Upon arriving, your guests will likely want to connect to Wi-Fi to check their messages and let friends and family know they’ve arrived safely. Adding your Wi-Fi network and password to your Airbnb welcome letter will allow them to do this with minimal fuss. 

You can use this point in your letter to point out any N.B details about your Wi-Fi. Is the Wi-Fi reception stronger inside or in certain parts of the house? Now’s the time to let your guests know to avoid potential complaints at a later stage.

• Appliance Instructions

Never assume that your guests will know how your appliances work. Although these are common items, your guests may not be familiar with your brand appliances or may try to use them when tired or jetlagged. Rather be safe than sorry and leave detailed instructions for how to work all major appliances in your rental. Doing this will prevent any potential disasters and complaints from your guests.

• Your Contact Information

You need to provide contact details in case guests need to get a hold of you. Whether it’s an emergency or if your guests just have a question, you should try your best to make yourself as available as possible. 

You should provide an international or local contact number and an email address. Mention to your guests that you’re available should they need any help or have a question. This can reassure your guests that they have nothing to worry about, and also present you as a caring, considerate host. 

Airbnb Welcome Letter Template

Hi [guest name],

Welcome to [your rental property name]! I hope your journey from [guest’s destination] was pleasant and comfortable. Allow me to introduce myself to you – my name is [insert your name]. I’m a [insert your profession]. Some of my hobbies include [insert hobby], [insert hobby], and making sure my guests have the best stay at my Airbnb property! 

Past guests have mentioned how they love [insert property highlight] and [insert property highlight]. Some recommendations I could make are [insert recommendation], it’s great for [insert reason]. Another would be [insert recommendation], because [insert reason]. 

My rental address is [insert your property address]. To reach my property, please take note of the following directions.

From [insert name] airport:
[insert directions]

From [insert name] train station:
[insert directions]

From [insert name] bus station:
[insert directions]

If you’d like to call a taxi cab, I can recommend [insert taxi cab business name]. You can contact them on [insert number]. 

Your check-in time is [insert time]. You can find the rental keys in my lockbox which is at [insert location of lockbox]. The passcode is [insert code]. After you have checked out, please place the keys back in the lockbox. 

Check-out time is at [insert time]. Please ensure you check out by the specified time, as the cleaning team will arrive shortly after. Before you check out, please ensure that [insert request], [insert request] and [insert request]. 

Please take note of the house rules:

1. [insert rule]
2. [insert rule]
3. [insert rule]
4. [insert rule]
5. [insert rule]

The Wi-Fi network name is [insert name] and the password is [insert password]. 

You’re welcome to make use of all the appliances on the property. Here are the instructions:

• The oven – [insert instructions]

• The microwave- [insert instructions]

• The dishwasher – [insert instructions]

• The washing machine – [insert instructions]
  
• The Smart TV – [insert instructions]

If you need to contact me, you can reach me on [insert number]. Otherwise, you can email me at [insert email]. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have a question or need anything. I would be more than happy to help.

Wishing you the best stay!

[insert your name]

Why is an Airbnb Welcome Letter Important?

A warm welcome letter also helps to break the ice and lets your guests know you are available to help them should they need it. This can go a long way in making your guests feel more comfortable. Guests who enjoy their stay are more likely to leave 5-star reviews and recommend your rental to other guests.  

How Can I Make My Airbnb Welcome Letter Stand Out?

Even though you may see guests come and go, remember that you may have new guests who have never stayed with you before. You don’t want your guests to have a run-of-the-mill stay, you want them to have a unique experience at your rental. 

Going that extra mile and personalizing your letter can elevate your guest experience from good to marvelous. 

• Always address your guest by name in your letter and mention that you hope their trip from their destination was comfortable.
• Share some information about yourself and what you do for a living.
• Mention some of the highlights of your rental (easy access to transport, walking distance to a landmark, etc.)
• Mention some activities and things to do that relate to them personally. If a family has booked your rental, mention some kid-friendly activities to do, or if they’re a solo traveler, mention the best breakfast cafe nearby.

Personalizing your Airbnb welcome letter to each guest allows for any guest staying with you to have a wonderful experience. Creating an attractive letter with an eye-catching design will also encourage your guests to take the time to read through the letter.

When Should I Send the Letter to My Airbnb Guests?

Choosing the right time to send your welcome letter is up to you as a host. Some hosts send their welcome letter after a guest has booked their rental, instead of a confirmation Airbnb message. Other hosts choose to send their letters closer to the guest’s booking date. 

If you choose to send your letter immediately after booking, keep in mind that guests might forget your letter’s contents by the time they arrive. But, if you only send it right before they arrive, they might not see it due to travel. 

An ideal time to send it would be at least a week before the booking date. You can choose to digitize your letter as part of an Airbnb welcome email. It’s also essential to have a printed-out copy of your letter at your vacation rental, so guests may re-read it after checking in. If you opt for leaving a physical copy, try to place it somewhere easily visible like near the front door or on a kitchen table.

Should I Include My Letter in My Airbnb Welcome Book?

You’ll be hard-pressed to find any superhost who doesn’t have a comprehensive and attractive welcome book to show their guests. A welcome book is the contents of a welcome letter in book format. It often includes a guest book for guests to sign and leave a comment. If you decide to include your guest welcome letter in your book, it’s a good idea to add it near the beginning, where guests are less likely to page past it.

What Tools Can I Use to Create My Airbnb Welcome Letter?

Creating the perfect welcome letter doesn’t need to be overly complicated. Using a few online tools, you can craft your ideal letter that’s sure to wow your guests!

• Canva. Canva is a well-known software that offers graphic design tools and templates for creating designs and posters. Offering more than 50,000 free design templates, you can let your creative side go wild and have fun! The platform is available for use for free, and also offers paid subscriptions with more features. 
• Easil. While not as renowned, Easil is a popular alternative to Canva. It offers high-quality design templates for you to choose from. It also provides a range of advanced design features like Text Effects, Layers, and Design Merge. Easil offers features that allow you to design and protect your own brand logo. 
• Stencil. Stencil is a graphic design tool perfect for bloggers and small businesses. Their range of templates is not as vast as Canva’s, but their user-friendly software is perfect for beginners. Stencil integrates with Google Web Fonts, so you are spoiled for choice when selecting your ideal font for your welcome letter. They also have a huge library of quotes that you can add to your content for a sophisticated touch. 

Conclusion

Good management is also an essential factor in providing an excellent guest experience. Vacation rental software, like iGMS, can keep your business running smoothly even when you’re not online. Using automation technology, iGMS can streamline your vacation rental business by:

• Organizing all messages in a single thread within a unified inbox.
• Managing all listings across the top OTAs.
• Creating messaging templates and automating guest messages. 
• Automating the process of creation and leaving of guest reviews.
• Assigning tasks to your cleaning team and track task progress.
• Managing direct bookings coming from your website and other channels.
• Processing online payments securely via integration with Stripe.
• Tracking business growth and producing detailed reports using financial reporting tools.

About the Author

Phoebe Gunning is a content writer in the Marketing Department at iGMS. She is passionate about the vacation rental industry, notably helping hosts make the most out of their vacation rental businesses. Some of her hobbies include reading, traveling and drinking a good cup of coffee.