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If you own a vacation rental business, then you know the importance of providing guests with a welcome book. This document is your chance to make a great first impression and help guests get settled in quickly and easily. A well-crafted welcome book can also help reduce the number of questions your guests have and make their stay more enjoyable.
Are you looking to make improvements to your current welcome book or are you starting one for the first time? Then this is the guide for you!
In this blog post, we’ll provide tips on how a vacation rental homeowner can create the perfect welcome book for a rental property and what to include in it.
Table of Contents
What is a Vacation Rental Welcome Book?
A vacation rental welcome book is a document that provides guests with information about your property and the area. It typically includes things like contact information, driving directions, local attractions, restaurant recommendations, and more.
A welcome book has the dual benefit of making it easier for your visitors to locate everything in your unit as well as saving you time with answering questions or dealing with problems.
Creating a well-organized welcome book will help ensure that your guests have an enjoyable stay and leave happy.
Benefits of a Well-Crafted Welcome Book
There are a number of benefits to having a well-crafted welcome book for your vacation rental business. Some of the key benefits include:
Reduced Questions and Requests from Guests
A well-organized welcome book will help reduce the number of questions and requests that guests have during their stay. This means less time spent dealing with problems or answering questions, and more time on other important tasks.
Improved Guest Experience
By providing guests with a comprehensive welcome book that includes information on your property and the area, you will make their stay easier and more enjoyable. A guestbook is a great place to add perks for your guest, such as free trial passes to a nearby gym or discounts for local restaurants.
Saves Time by Providing Information to Guests Before They Arrive
A well-crafted welcome book can save you time by providing guests with information on the property and the area even before they arrive. This means less back-and-forth communication with questions from guests or requests for additional details after check-in. You will, of course, need to have your guestbook ready in a digital format to send over to guests before they arrive.
Promotes Your Business and Your Area’s Local Attractions
A well-crafted welcome book is a great way to promote your business and the area by providing guests with information on local attractions. It can also include recommendations for restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, parks, museums, etc. You may want to consider including coupons or discounts in your book for these attractions.
Repeat Customers
Your guidebook can increase revenue by improving guest satisfaction through better communication of key details like how to get around town, where things are located within the unit, and more.
Guests will appreciate knowing what they need to do before leaving so they don’t incur any penalties or late fees and will also likely rebook a vacation with you if they feel comfortable and well-guided by you.
Great Reviews
You can use your welcome book to encourage guests to write a review. A great guest experience will result in better reviews and more revenue for you! You can even request one in the guidebook itself.
Reduced Mistakes
A well-crafted guidebook helps reduce mistakes from guests during their stay, such as not taking out the trash or leaving lights on that should be off. It will also help you inform them about new additions or home improvements done on your property and how to utilize them. This also means less miscommunication when it comes to house rules, which is important for keeping your short-term rental in tip-top condition.
How to Create the Perfect Vacation Rental Welcome Book
1. Draft Your Guidebook
The first step in creating your perfect vacation rental welcome book is to draft the guidebook itself. This will include all of the information that you want your guests to have about your property and the area. Here is a checklist for different sections to include:
Welcome Message
The first impression your guests will have of your hospitality is on the first page of their welcome book. Make sure it’s warm and welcoming!
Use this space to thank them for choosing you as their host and get them excited about their stay. This can be done through a personal message or by showcasing images from around your property (and nearby area, if applicable). Let them know that you’re grateful for the opportunity to host them and wish them a wonderful vacation. Add any interesting facts about yourself, your property, or the location here.
Property Information
This section should include essential information about your property and the amenities available to them. Include details like how many bedrooms there are, what each bedroom can sleep (single bed/queen bed), which room has its own bathroom or not, etc.
If you have any electronics that are unique to your property, like a TV, DVD player, or stereo system, this would be the place for it. It’s important to make your WiFi login and WiFi password very clear and consider repeating it in different places in the guidebook.
Let them know where the thermostat is and how to use it, as well as any other special amenities such as hot tub instructions. If there’s any home security system installed for security purposes, let them know about it as well.
House Rules
This is where you’ll want to include all of the rules that guests should follow while they’re staying at your vacation rental home. This could be anything from not smoking inside to turning off lights when leaving the unit for extended periods of time. You may also want to request that your guests let you know if they have any issues during their stay so that they can be resolved quickly and easily.
There may be fees that you charge for violating certain house rules, or an extra fee for pets or having more than the allotted number of guests. Make sure to list these fees prominently in this section! This will prevent any surprises when they check out.
Check-in and Checkout Times
You should include a section on the expected check-in and checkout times in order to avoid any confusion. This will help assure you have ample time for house cleaning and checking over the unit before your next guest arrives.
Area Information
In this section, you’ll want to include information about the surrounding area that your guests may find useful. List points of interest like restaurants, shops, local hikes, grocery stores, ATMs, entertainment venues, parks, and other tourist attractions.
Local Numbers and Addresses
This is a great way to let your guests know about any emergency numbers that are important in case of an emergency (e.g., police, fire department, property manager). You can also include an address and phone number for a local hospital for your guest’s peace of mind.
You should also include contact information for yourself so that guests can reach out with any questions or concerns during their stay at your property. This will help you avoid having to send them an email every time they have a question about something in the unit!
2. Design and Print Your Book
Once you’ve written out your guidebook, decide whether you’re building a digital guidebook, a printed one, or both. Many hosts today go digital-first since it’s easier to update and guests can access it before they even arrive, but a printed copy is still a nice touch for on-property reference.
If you’re designing a printed version, Canva is a free and beginner-friendly design tool with guidebook templates to get you started. Make sure the design is readable, both in terms of font and layout, and that the pages are sturdy enough to withstand handling. Consider cardstock or a thicker paper stock, and bind it with a binder, spiral binding, or staples.
If you’re going digital, tools like Touch Stay, Hostfully, or Airbnb’s built-in Guidebooks feature can help you build something guests can access instantly from their phone.
Modern Guidebook Trends Worth Adopting
While a printed binder still has its place, most successful vacation rental hosts now treat their welcome book as a digital-first tool, with a few upgrades that have become the norm rather than the exception:
- QR codes for instant access. A small QR code on your entry table or fridge lets guests pull up your full digital guidebook on their phone in seconds, no app download or login required.
- AI-powered guest assistants. Several guidebook platforms now let guests type or ask a question directly (e.g., “What’s the WiFi password?” or “Where’s the nearest grocery store?”) and get an instant answer, cutting down on late-night texts to you.
- Auto-translation. If you host international guests, guidebook platforms that automatically translate your content into the guest’s preferred language remove a real friction point.
These additions don’t replace the fundamentals covered above, they just make the information easier for guests to actually find and use.
3. Add Any Additional Resources
There are some additional items you may want to include in your guest welcome book in addition to the sections mentioned above. These items may need to be replaced more often, are seasonal, or may just be a nice surprise gift for each guest!
Local Maps
Print out local maps and include them in your guidebook so that guests can easily find their way around the area. If you’re including information about specific points of interest, mark them on the map for easy reference.
Restaurant Menus
If you have a favorite restaurant that you want your guests to check out, include a copy of the menu in your guidebook. This will give them an idea of what they can expect before they even walk in the door!
Gift Certificates or Coupons
Consider including gift certificates or coupons for local businesses in your welcome book. This is a great way to show your guests some of the best that your town or city has to offer!
Blank Pages For Guests to Leave Notes
At the end of your guidebook, include a few blank pages for guests to leave notes. This can be anything from suggestions on how to improve the book to simply saying thanks for a great stay!
4. Encourage Your Guests to Use the Guidebook
Now that you have your guide drafted and assembled, it’s time to make sure your guests know what a great resource it is. Sending your guest a digital copy of the guest book will allow them to prepare for their stay before they even arrive. It’s also helpful if your guests will need information when they’re out of the unit and away from the physical book.
You can upload an AirBnb host welcome book directly onto their website and it will automatically be sent to your guests when they book.
If you’re not using Airbnb’s built-in guidebook feature, there are several dedicated digital guidebook platforms built specifically for vacation rentals. Touch Stay remains one of the most established options, now offering AI chatbot functionality and guest messaging automation in addition to the core digital guidebook. Other platforms worth comparing include Hostfully and Guidey, which offer similar guidebook-building tools with varying price points and feature sets. Most offer a free trial, so it’s worth testing one before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a physical welcome book, or is digital enough?
Digital is enough for most hosts today, and it’s often preferred since guests can access it from their phone before they even arrive. A printed copy is a nice touch for guests who prefer flipping through a book, but it’s no longer a necessity.
How long should a vacation rental welcome book be?
There’s no strict rule, but most effective welcome books stay focused and skimmable. Guests are more likely to actually use a guidebook they can scan quickly rather than one that reads like a full manual.
What’s the most commonly forgotten section in a welcome book?
House rules and emergency contact information are the two sections hosts most often forget to include or update, and they’re the two guests need most.
Should I update my welcome book after every stay?
It’s a good habit to review it seasonally or whenever something about your property, the local area, or your house rules changes, rather than waiting until something goes wrong.
Final Thoughts
By taking the time to create a custom welcome book for your vacation rental property, you’ll make sure that each and every guest has an amazing stay at your property. A well-designed guidebook will make it easy for guests to find everything they need, and can even be a great way to encourage them to leave 5-star reviews on Airbnb, VRBO, Google, or other booking sites.
Make sure to put your own personality in your house manual. Visitors appreciate how vacation rental owners add their own flair to the rental experience. It’s what makes a trip truly memorable! Hopefully, this welcome book vacation rental guide has given you some ideas of how to take your first steps.
