You probably already have most of the material for a guest guidebook: arrival messages, Wi-Fi notes, appliance explanations and local recommendations. The work is bringing it together and making it easy to use.
In this guide
Make a first version with six cards
Start with Arrival, Parking, Access, Wi-Fi, Contact and Checkout. Fill these using the instructions you already send to guests. Preview each card on a phone, then ask someone unfamiliar with the property to find the entrance and checkout time. Add appliance help and local recommendations after this first version is clear. You can use our editable guidebook template as the starting structure.
How to make an Airbnb guidebook guests will actually use
Start by thinking less like a host and more like a tired guest. What do they need first, what might confuse them, and what information tends to trigger a message? If you build your guidebook around real guest behaviour, it becomes far more useful than a generic welcome pack.
A strong Airbnb guidebook usually follows the flow of the stay. Arrival information comes before appliance instructions. Checkout steps come after house rules. Local recommendations should be easy to skim, not buried under operational details. This sounds obvious, but many guidebooks fail because they are written from the host’s point of view rather than the guest’s.
There is also a practical choice to make early on: printed or digital. Printed folders can still work for some cottages and traditional holiday lets, especially where mobile signal is poor. The trade-off is maintenance. Printed information goes out of date quickly, gets damaged, and often ends up missing the one detail the guest needs most. A digital guidebook is easier to update, easier to share before arrival, and far more convenient for guests already using their mobile phone for check-in instructions.
Decide what your Airbnb guidebook needs to include
If you are wondering how to make an Airbnb guidebook without overloading it, the answer is to focus on essential guest tasks. Start with the information that prevents problems.
Arrival and access
This section should cover parking, directions, entry instructions and what to do if the guest arrives early or late. Keep it direct. If access details are sensitive, separate them from general information where possible. Not every guest needs every security detail at the same time.
Wi-Fi and the basics
Guests should not have to search for the Wi-Fi password. Put it near the top. Then include the details they usually ask about in the first hour: heating, hot water, lighting, rubbish and recycling, and how to lock up when leaving.
House rules that are clear, not defensive
The best house rules explain expectations without sounding like a warning sign. Be specific about smoking, pets, noise, extra visitors and checkout times. If there are quirks in the property, such as a stiff front door or a shower switch in an unusual place, say so plainly. Clarity feels more helpful than formality.
Appliance and property instructions
Only include what a guest might genuinely struggle with. If your oven, coffee machine, hot tub or log burner needs a bit of explanation, write short instructions in plain English. This is where many hosts write too much. Guests do not want a manual. They want the three steps that help them use something correctly.
Local recommendations
This is the part guests remember, but it should still be practical. Recommend nearby food, shops, walks, taxis and emergency essentials. A short list of places you would genuinely suggest is better than a long directory nobody reads. If your audience includes international guests, avoid assuming local knowledge. Simple notes like where to buy groceries on a Sunday can be surprisingly useful.
Checkout
Keep checkout instructions realistic. Guests do not mind doing a few sensible tasks, but long chore lists create friction. Focus on the essentials: key return, bins, used towels, windows, heating and departure time.
Write for speed, not for style
One of the biggest mistakes hosts make is treating the guidebook like a brochure. Guests do not read it the way they read a listing description. They scan. They search. They come back to it in small moments when they need one answer quickly.
That means your writing should be short, direct and grouped by topic. Use headings that sound like the question in the guest’s mind, such as “How to get in”, “Wi-Fi”, “Parking” or “How the heating works”. Avoid long introductions and avoid repeating information already covered elsewhere.
It also helps to write in the tone you would use if a guest asked you in person. Friendly is good. Overwritten is not. “The boiler is in the utility cupboard. Press the boost button for hot water” is better than a polished paragraph full of extra wording.
Choose the right format for your setup
How to make an Airbnb guidebook depends partly on how often your information changes. If you run one property with very stable details, a printed folder may seem enough. If you manage multiple properties, seasonal recommendations, changing access instructions or frequent updates, digital quickly becomes the better option.
A browser-based guidebook has a practical advantage here. Guests can open it instantly from a link or QR code without downloading an app or creating an account. That removes the usual friction and makes it more likely they will actually use it. For hosts, it also means you can update one detail once instead of reprinting every welcome folder across your portfolio.
For many short-term rental operators, that is the real shift. The guidebook stops being a static document and becomes part of the guest communication system.
Build your guidebook in the order guests need it
A simple structure works best. Start with a welcome screen, then move into arrival details, stay information, house rules, local recommendations and checkout. That order mirrors the guest journey and reduces the chance of key information being missed.
If you manage different property types, adapt the structure slightly. A city flat may need stronger parking and access notes. A countryside cottage may need clearer directions, heating instructions and notes about patchy mobile coverage. A serviced accommodation unit aimed at business travellers may benefit from quick access to Wi-Fi, workspace details and nearby transport.
This is where templates help, but only if you personalise them. The most useful guidebooks feel specific to the property. Guests should feel that the information was prepared for their stay, not copied in from a generic host pack.
Keep security and convenience in balance
Not every detail belongs in a publicly accessible document. Lockbox codes, gate access and private entry notes need a bit more care. A good setup lets you keep general stay information easy to access while protecting sensitive sections.
That balance matters because convenience alone is not enough. Yes, guests want instant information, but hosts also need control over what is shared and when. If your current setup means posting codes in message threads and then separately sending PDF instructions, your system is probably creating more work than it saves.
Test it before you share it
Before sending your guidebook to guests, test it like somebody who has never stayed at the property. Open it on your mobile phone. Time how long it takes to find the Wi-Fi code, parking details and checkout steps. If anything takes more than a few seconds, improve the layout or wording.
It is also worth checking whether your guidebook answers the questions you get most often. If guests repeatedly ask where to park, how to use the hob, or whether the sofa bed has bedding, those answers need to be more visible.
A useful rule is this: if you have sent the same message three times, it belongs in the guidebook.
Update it as part of your hosting routine
The guidebook is not a one-off task. It works best when treated as part of normal property operations. After each guest stay, notice what caused confusion and tighten that section. After buying a new appliance, update the instructions. After a local café closes, replace the recommendation.
This is another reason digital tends to outperform print. It stays current with very little effort. For hosts who want everything guests need in one place, a digital system such as Welcomly makes that upkeep much easier because the guide is simple to edit, mobile-friendly and quick to share by QR code or direct link.
The goal is not to produce the most detailed guidebook on Airbnb. It is to create one that quietly removes friction from the stay. When guests can find what they need without messaging you, your property feels more polished, your workload drops, and the whole experience runs more smoothly. That is what a guidebook should do.
Add a scan-to-connect Wi-Fi card alongside your guidebook with our free Wi-Fi QR code generator, and see everything an Airbnb guide can include on our page about digital guidebooks for Airbnb hosts.
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