A vacation rental welcome book brings together the information guests need before and during a stay: arrival and parking, Wi-Fi, house instructions, house rules, contact details, local recommendations and checkout. Put the essentials in separate sections so a guest can find one answer quickly.
Welcome book, house manual or local guidebook?
A house manual explains how the property works. A local guidebook recommends places nearby. A welcome book can include both, with a greeting and practical arrival and departure information. The outline works for an Airbnb, Vrbo or direct-booked stay; check your own booking information rather than assuming every platform uses the same fields.
Start with a short welcome note
Keep the greeting brief. Guests should be able to move from the introduction to parking or Wi-Fi without reading your property’s full story. Replace every placeholder and avoid putting guest names or booking-specific details in a reusable guide.
Start with arrival and parking
Put the confirmed arrival time, parking instructions and route from the parking space to the door in one section. Use the property’s local time zone. A short sequence is usually easier to follow after a journey than a long paragraph. If you share an exact address or map link, check it yourself and decide whether it belongs in a link that can be forwarded.
Make the everyday details easy to find
Keep the guest network name and password in separate fields that guests can copy. Check capitals, spaces and punctuation against the network you actually provide. Share only the details you intend guests to use, and keep router administration credentials out of the guide.
- For the television, explain which remote to use and how to select the usual input.
- For kitchen equipment, keep only the instructions you have checked for that particular appliance.
- For waste and recycling, describe the actual bins and collection arrangements you have confirmed.
Keep house rules specific
Write the house rules that apply to this stay in plain language. Avoid inventing local legal requirements or safety instructions from memory. Where detailed manufacturer guidance is necessary, link to a verified resource instead of asking an automated tool to produce instructions. Use a short list and keep the wording consistent with the booking information.
Turn check-out into a short checklist
Guests often read check-out instructions while packing. Put the time at the top, followed by separate actions. For example, a fictional cottage might ask guests to wash used dishes, place towels in a basket and check sockets for chargers. Your own list must reflect what you actually ask guests to do; the example is not a universal rule.
Recommend a few places you know
Choose a few local places you know. Explain why you recommend each and link to its own information. Avoid copying opening hours and prices unless you can keep them current.
Review it like a guest
Open the phone preview and try to find parking, Wi-Fi and check-out without scrolling through everything. Remove sections you do not need. Review contact details and private information before publishing. After publishing, scan the guide QR code with another device and keep a dated printed copy if it is useful for your property.
In Welcome Book Builder, edits stay in your draft until you publish. Check the phone preview, publish the update, then open the guest link to confirm that the right information appears.
Include contact and verified property information
Tell guests how to reach the host and where to find the property information they may need. Check any local emergency contacts or safety information against official sources and the actual property. Do not copy a telephone number from another rental’s template or use generic appliance advice as a substitute for the manufacturer’s instructions.
Should the welcome book be digital or printed?
An online guide is useful when you change instructions and want guests to open the current version from a link. A printed copy is useful inside the property when a phone or internet connection is unavailable. A PDF is a fixed snapshot, so treat it like a printed book: date it, review what it reveals and replace it after changes. A QR card opens a link and still needs connectivity.
Browse editable cottage, apartment and cabin welcome book templates
Adapt the arrival and parking instructions template