“Where should we park?” “What’s the WiFi password?” “How do we work the dishwasher?” One or two of these messages isn’t too much of a hassle, but an influx of these questions, day after day, is exhausting.
Constant guest messages can quickly clutter up your week, pulling you away from more important tasks and causing unnecessary stress. But you can minimize these questions by giving your guests all the information they need upfront—in the form of an Airbnb welcome book.
This article explains everything you need to know about welcome books, from what to include to how to share them with guests. Plus, we’ve included a customizable welcome book template for you to plug your information into when creating the content for your welcome book.
Have happy, independent guests (and more time back in your day) |
An Airbnb welcome book is a digital guide that compiles all the helpful information your guests need to make the most of their stay. This includes arrival details, house and safety rules, appliance instructions, and local recommendations, all of which they can access right on their smartphone.
Airbnb guidebooks aren’t just convenient for guests—they also make hosts’ and property managers’ lives easier. Some of the benefits of sharing a welcome book include:
Your welcome book is as valuable as its content, so you need to cover all the helpful information your guests could need during their stay. Here’s what to feature in your Airbnb welcome guide to help your guests make the most of their time at your property.
No guest wants to arrive at their Airbnb only to realize they don’t know how to find the lockbox or don’t know where to park. Providing detailed arrival instructions helps make check-in as smooth as possible for guests, getting their stay off to a great start.
What information you need to include depends on the nature of your properties, of course—some common instructions that could be helpful include:
Written instructions will help your guests find your place more easily if it’s a little off the beaten path.
While your guests can always message you via the Airbnb app, it can be helpful to provide alternative methods of communication. They also need to know who to reach out to in case of an emergency. So, consider including:
House rules help make sure your guest has the best possible stay, but they also help you protect your properties and prevent harm. Also, including house rules in your welcome book can provide you with some protection in the case of a dispute.
In this section, you should include:
Remember, your guests are arriving at a property that’s completely foreign to them. So while it may seem obvious to you where they can find the trash or switch for the fridge, having this information in the palm of their hands will give your guests a more convenient stay.
Your property information section could include helpful details like:
You may think your oven is easy to operate, but you’re always better off providing your guests with detailed instructions on how to work your home appliances and electronics. Include information about:
Giving your guests the WiFi password up front means they don’t have to message you to ask for it.
Here’s your chance to shine: Sharing your local recommendations helps ensure your guests have a special, memorable stay. You can suggest a favorite restaurant, recommend a secluded beach, or tell guests about those places only the locals visit.
When curating your list of recommendations, consider your audience—are your guests business travelers? Families? Couples? Hikers or surfers? Suggest places and activities that connect your guests with the unique characteristics of the property’s local area. For example:
Adapt this template to your needs, customizing it to include property-specific information and anything else your Airbnb guests might need:
Welcome to [Your Property Name] - Your Home Away from Home
We are thrilled to have you as our guest and look forward to ensuring your stay is comfortable and memorable. This welcome book is designed to provide you with all the information you need to make the most of your time here.
Whether you're here for a short visit or an extended stay, we want you to feel at home. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the information provided, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need help during your stay.
Arrival Information
Check-in and Check-out
Parking
Access information
Contact Information
For non-emergency inquiries or assistance, please feel free to contact us at any time. Also, here are some local services you may find useful:
[List of Local Services with Phone Numbers]
House and Safety Rules
To ensure everyone's safety and a comfortable experience, we kindly ask you to follow these guidelines:
Property Information
Wi-Fi Access
Heating and Cooling
Security
Miscellaneous
Instructions for Appliances and Electronics
Kitchen Appliances
Entertainment
Laundry
Local Recommendations
We want you to explore and enjoy our local area, so here are some personal recommendations:
Restaurants
Attractions
Grocery Stores
Thank you for choosing [Your Property Name] as your home away from home. We hope you have a fantastic stay. If you have any questions, need assistance, or simply want to share your experience with us, please feel free to get in touch.
Creating your welcome book is just the first step. Now you need to share it, which you can do with automated Airbnb messages—this will save you time and make sure the guest always has it before check-in.
For example, Breezeway automatically pulls reservation data from your property management system (PMS) to personalize a pre-check-in message that includes a link to your Airbnb guestbook. You can also use one of our customizable templates to prepare a pre-arrival message that links out to your welcome book.
What’s more, Breezeway helps you make the most of your digital guidebook by making it interactive for guests. So, if an issue arises during their stay, the guest can report it right in your digital guide. Then, you can instantly create a maintenance task—so it’s addressed right away, making the process quick, reliable, and hands-off.
The Breezeway Guide is easy to share with guests and ensures they have the smoothest stay possible, from arrival to check-out.
“The Breezeway Guide does a fantastic job at delivering the guest info in a way that is easy for the guest to use… When the guest can answer their own question, it’s one less call for our support team.” |
If you want to bring in more bookings, reach Airbnb Superhost status, and grow your business, each guest’s stay needs to exceed their expectations, and a welcome book can help you do that. The good news is that creating a welcome book for your guests doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process.
With Breezeway Guide, you can set up a welcome book in minutes. Guide automatically fills in your property details from Airbnb or your PMS, and once you add personalized information, like curated recommendations and house rules, you can automatically share it with guests via Breezeway’s messaging platform.
Not only do your guests get all the information they need about your property at their fingertips, but they can also report maintenance issues right within the welcome book, simplifying the process for everyone.
This smoother guest experience not only means better reviews, but also fewer guest messages and calls to answer. This gives you more time to focus on bigger-picture concerns like growing your short-term rental business.
Have happy, independent guests (and more time back in your day) |