The Perfect Airbnb Welcome Guide: Complete Structure + Examples (2026)
A good welcome guide reduces guest messages by 60 to 80 percent. A bad one — or no guide at all — costs you hours every month and stars in your reviews.
The difference between the two isn't how much time you spend. It's knowing what to include, in what order, and with what tone.
This guide gives you the exact structure, real examples for each section, and the mistakes even Superhosts make.
What guests actually want to know
Before talking about structure, let's talk about intent. Most hosts write welcome guides for themselves — not for their guests. They list everything that seems important about the property, in whatever order comes to mind.
The result: a document nobody reads.
Your guests arrive with three questions, in this order:
1. How do I get in?
2. What's the WiFi password?
3. What time do I need to leave?
Everything else — restaurant recommendations, neighborhood history, equipment lists — is secondary. Important, but secondary. Your guide should answer these three questions in under 30 seconds of reading, then cover the rest.
The 6-section structure that works
Section 1 — The welcome note
Short. Three to five sentences maximum. Warm but not saccharine.
This is the section everyone writes badly. Avoid hollow phrases like "We are thrilled to welcome you to our charming home." Nobody reads that, and it immediately gives an impression of copy-paste.
Write like you're talking to a friend who's staying at your place for the first time. Mention one specific thing — the neighborhood, the view, the season, something that only applies to this property, at this moment.
Example that works:
Welcome! You're right in the heart of Le Panier, the most alive neighborhood in Marseille. The market starts at 7am tomorrow morning fifty meters away — worth the early rise. Everything you need is in this guide.
Example to avoid:
Dear travelers, we are delighted to welcome you to our magnificently renovated apartment, ideally located in the heart of the city.
For ready-to-use wording, see our welcome note examples and welcome letter examples.
Section 2 — Arrival instructions
This is the most important section of the guide. It's read while standing at your door, luggage in hand, often in the evening. Be surgical.
Include in this order:
- The full address with a visual landmark (not just the number — "the red brick building next to the pharmacy")
- The building entry code
- The floor and door number
- Where to find the keys (lockbox, code, concierge)
- Check-in and check-out times
- Your phone number in case of a problem
One tip that prevents 80% of arrival calls: add a photo of the building entrance with an arrow on the door. What guests see on Street View isn't always what they find on the ground.
We have check-in instruction templates for every situation — lockbox, concierge, smart lock, late arrival.
Section 3 — WiFi
Give it its own section. Large, readable, impossible to miss.
Network name, password, and if possible a QR code guests can scan to connect without typing. Our free WiFi QR code generator creates one in 30 seconds.
A practical tip often overlooked: avoid special characters in your password if you host international guests. Foreign keyboards struggle with @, !, and accented characters. WelcomeMarseille2026 is better than M@r$€!ll€2O26.
Section 4 — Appliances and how they work
This is where most guides lose their readers — because hosts list the appliances instead of explaining how to use them.
The rule: for anything that isn't obvious, explain step by step. The induction hob with its touch panel, the oven whose fan mode is hidden in a submenu, the dishwasher whose salt compartment has been empty for six months.
Format that works:
Washing machine (cupboard to the left of the bathroom): put a detergent pod in the drum, turn to Eco 40°, press Start. Duration: about 2 hours. The door stays locked for a few minutes after the cycle ends — that's normal.
Format that doesn't work:
The property is equipped with a washing machine and dryer.
For every appliance with a quirk, add a photo with an arrow on the relevant button. One picture prevents ten messages.
See our full guide to Airbnb appliance instructions for copy-paste templates appliance by appliance.
Section 5 — House rules
Your rules exist for good reasons. How you phrase them changes everything.
Tone that creates friction:
Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the property. Any violation will result in a security deposit deduction.
Tone that preserves the relationship:
Non-smoking property — the balcony is fully set up for it, enjoy it.
Same rule, completely different feel. Your guests are adults. Treat them like adults in how you phrase your rules.
Cover the essentials: smoking, pets, parties, noise, maximum occupancy, trash sorting. For trash, be specific — it's the number one source of confusion in rental properties.
Section 6 — Local recommendations
This is the section guests remember. Not the checkout instructions, not the WiFi password — the time their host pointed them to the café that makes the best croissants on the street.
Golden rule: five addresses maximum. Beyond that, nothing gets chosen.
- One spot for morning (café, bakery)
- One casual restaurant for the evening
- One restaurant for a special occasion
- A bar or terrace
- One place you won't find on Google (a viewpoint, a market, a bookshop, a local grocer)
That last one is gold. Guests quote it in reviews. It's what turns a good rating into an enthusiastic comment.
Bonus — Practical info and checkout
Add a quick block with the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, transport options, and trash collection day. Not glamorous, but it prevents questions.
For checkout, be explicit about what you expect and what you don't expect. Guests never know where their responsibility ends. A simple "no need to do the dishes or strip the beds" removes real mental load — and it shows up in reviews.
The 5 mistakes even Superhosts make
Mistake 1 — The guide that's too long A 30-page booklet doesn't get read. Keep each section to the essentials. If you need to cover everything, use a digital guide with collapsible sections rather than a linear PDF.
Mistake 2 — The corporate tone The moment your guide starts with "Dear guests," you've lost them. Write the way you talk.
Mistake 3 — Outdated information A guide that mentions a restaurant that closed six months ago or a WiFi password that changed in January breaks trust immediately. Paper and PDF guides age poorly. A digital guide updates everywhere in a few seconds.
Mistake 4 — A single language If you host Italians, Germans, British guests — and most hosts in Europe do — your guide in one language only serves part of your guests. Auto-translation into 6 languages is no longer a luxury, it's an expectation.
Mistake 5 — The unfindable guide A PDF sent by email ends up buried in an inbox. A paper booklet ends up in a drawer. A guide accessible by QR code is on the guest's phone, where they look up everything else during their trip.
Paper, PDF or digital: which format to choose?
Paper: professional and tactile, especially in premium properties. Downside: one language only, impossible to update without reprinting.
PDF: convenient to send before arrival. Downside: gets lost in email threads, creates a security risk if you include access codes.
Digital with QR code: the 2026 standard. You update once, every guest sees the current version. Accessible on phone, in the guest's language, no app download required.
This is what we built Welkome for. Fill in your property details, AI writes a warm, complete guide in 30 seconds, auto-translated into 6 languages. Guests scan a QR code on arrival. Free for 1 property, no credit card needed.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to create a good welcome guide?
Starting from scratch and writing everything yourself: 4 to 6 hours for something genuinely polished. With a tool that generates content from your details: 15 to 30 minutes. The gap is real.
Do I need a different guide for each property?
Yes, always. The WiFi is different, the appliance quirks are too, local recommendations even more so. A generic guide reused across multiple properties shows immediately.
Should my guide be in multiple languages?
If you host international guests — and virtually all hosts in popular destinations do — yes. At minimum your local language and English. Ideally Spanish, German, and Italian if your destination attracts those nationalities.
What shows up most often in reviews?
Three things: cleanliness, host communication, and — often surprising for new hosts — the quality of arrival information. A well-made guide is directly correlated with better ratings.
How often should I update the guide?
Review it after every 10 stays or every 3 months, whichever comes first. Check local recommendations especially (restaurants close), access codes, and transport info. With a digital guide, one change takes 30 seconds and propagates everywhere.
What's the difference between a welcome guide and a house manual?
A welcome guide is the complete document guests use throughout their stay. A house manual is the operational reference section within it — how appliances work, house rules, checkout procedure. Some hosts use both terms interchangeably; what matters is that the document answers every question a guest might have. See our Airbnb house manual template for the full operational breakdown.