What to include in your holiday rental guest book

 

vacation rental home guest book

When any guest arrives at a rental property they will need information to make their stay a memorable one. Remember many of your guests will never have visited your area before and therefore will need help to navigate around your home and the local area.

Wi-Fi login details, the best local restaurants, the nearest beach, available TV channels, the best bars, check-out time - the list is almost endless.

You may well provide a good check in experience but as soon as you're gone, there's every chance that a guest will forget and could end up phoning you at a very unsociable hour.

Put yourself in the shoes of your guest. They want to feel secure. They want to know how everything works. They want to know which are the best restaurants or bars to visit. By providing a comprehensive guest book your guest will feel happy from the start.

 

Digital Guest Books

Many hosts still provide a welcome sheet or bounded books with guest information. This is fine however can surprisingly go missing or get damaged very quickly.

Digital holiday home guest books provide more security as guests can, on occasion, take physical information out of the property and potentially leave sensitive information in the hands of others.

Guests can access all of the relevant information on their mobile device. This can be in the form of a PDF or by using one of several excellent providers of personalised digital guest books.

The owner or property managers need only send a URL link to the guest prior to arrival where all of the relevant information is accessible in the palm of their hand.

 


Hostfully Digital Guestbooks

Use coupon code 'needmorerentals' and get two months of Power Host or Prime for free


Ideas For Your Guest Book

Having detailed information in your guest book (hard back, welcome sheet or digital) can save you significant time in answering questions during the guests' stay.

Here is our suggested checklist of what to include in yours.

 

Before Arrival

  1. Property address
  2. Directions (from airport, train station, bus stop, etc)
  3. Local transport & timetables (check for changes to timetables every 6 months)
  4. Nearest free and paid parking
  5. Check-in and check-out times
  6. Gaining access to the property
  7. Property manager contact details

 

Property Information

  1. Welcome message
  2. Owner or manager introduction
  3. Responsible tourism statement
  4. Wi-Fi login details (network name / password or key)
  5. House rules (noise, pool hours, parking restrictions, towels to remain in property, etc)
  6. TV & DVD operating instructions
  7. Remote control information and instructions
  8. Location of replacement batteries for remote controls, smoke alarms, etc.
  9. Air conditioning and thermostat instructions
  10. Washing machine / laundry instructions
  11. Wood burner instructions
  12. Hot tub instructions
  13. BBQ instructions
  14. Full inventory
  15. What must not be flushed down a toilet
  16. Instructions for tripped electricity switches and location of fusebox
  17. Location of iron, ironing-board and hair-dryer
  18. Security reminders (double locks, window grilles, etc)
  19. Refuse (nearest bins)

 

Emergency

  1. Location of first-aid kit
  2. Location of stopcock, fire extinguisher, gas valves and smoke alarms
  3. Fire evacuation procedure
  4. Emergency contact details for nearest doctor, hospital, dentist, pharmacy, vet (if you allow pets), local police, translators and consulates

 

Local Attractions

  1. Map of local and regional area
  2. Local attractions, highlight, day-trips, activities and ticket information
  3. Best local restaurant recommendations (nationality, dog-friendly, vegan, vegetarian)
  4. Best local bars
  5. Events
  6. Best walks
  7. Nearest supermarkets, shops
  8. Nearest taxi rank(s)
  9. Nearest ATM
  10. Nearest post office
  11. Bike hire
  12. Local phrases (if your property is located in another country)

 

Upon Departure

  1. Locking doors and widows and where to leave keys (if host not available)
  2. Refuse instructions
  3. Cleaning dishes instructions
  4. Bedding instructions
  5. Towel instructions
  6. Luggage storage
  7. Review request (on your website, Google or listing site)

 

Examine your guest book every 6 months to check if anything needs to be updated.