Creating a winning Airbnb house manual template can seem difficult when you’re just starting as a vacation rental host. Although perfecting this stage may take some time, it will pay off for your Airbnb business with each booking along the road.
A house manual comes in handy as a tool to welcome guests to your Airbnb rental. It is a must-have for any professional host because it fulfills many requirements. It not only communicates crucial information about your property and the surrounding area to guests but can also make them feel unique, resulting in more 5-star ratings.
This article will show you how to make and perfect your Airbnb property instruction template.
- What Is and Isn’t an Airbnb House Manual?
- What Should Every Airbnb Host Include in a House Manual Template?
- How to Give Your Guests Your Airbnb House Manual
- How to Create a Standout Airbnb House Manual Template
- Final thoughts
What Is and Isn’t an Airbnb House Manual?
An Airbnb house handbook serves as an intermediary between you and your visitors. It informs them of all they need to know about your home as if you were giving them a personal tour.
An Airbnb house handbook template has a lot of distinct aspects. It’s easy to confuse it with the house rules, welcome letter, or check-in instructions, but a good house manual will have everything and more.
It should include all of the information needed to get your guests settled, comfortable with the amenities of your lodging, and acquainted with their surroundings.
Continue reading to ensure that your Airbnb house handbook template includes all you need.
What Every Airbnb Host Should Include in a House Manual Template
A detailed and well-thought-out Airbnb house manual is essential for guests to feel at ease. It will clear up any ambiguity or doubt that may arise when settling into a new environment and provide guests with insider tips for making the most of their visit.
The following topics should be included in your house manual template:Â
1. Greeting and settling your visitors
Here you’ll find all the information you need to get your guests through the door. The greeting area is important for making a good first impression on your visitors. To avoid miscommunication, make sure that this information is clear and straightforward.
- A letter of welcome
A pleasant welcome letter should be included in every Airbnb property manual. You’ll send this letter to your guests, welcoming them to your Airbnb property and wishing them a wonderful stay. You can keep it simple or include additional features, such as important check-in instructions or house regulations.
A welcome letter is a great way to engage with your guests more personally, especially if you allow guests to self-check in. Maintaining positive interactions with your guests will increase the likelihood of 5-star reviews.
- Instructions and check-in times
Even if you sent your guests’ check-in hours and instructions ahead of time, it’s still a good idea to include them in your house handbook.
You can eliminate the chance of guests disregarding important information by making it freely accessible wherever they want to look for it.
- Unlocking instructions and access codes
Each Airbnb property is unique when it comes to home security. The host’s responsibility is to ensure guests understand how to unlock all gates, doors, and lockboxes.
These instructions should be included in your home handbook so guests can refer to them quickly and be ready whenever they need to enter or exit the house.
- Directions for parking
Guests may drive themselves. It will be helpful to include simple parking directions for when they arrive.
These parking instructions don’t have to be difficult to understand. All you need to do is make sure they know where to park their car and how to open the garage door.
- Password for Wifi
One of the most common reasons for guests to open the house handbook in the first place is to learn the Wifi login information. As a result, you must make it as simple as possible to find information.
Using large, bold font or placing it on the front cover page of the handbook makes it easier to identify and eliminates the majority of “what is the Wifi password?” questions.
The wifi at an Airbnb apartment has progressed from a nice-to-have to a must-have, and most visitors will want to connect as soon as they arrive. They will appreciate not having to look too far for the first page’s password.
- Contact information in case of an emergency
Guests may need to contact you during their stay, whether it is an emergency or not. As a result, providing several ways for people to get you is a no-brainer.
The Airbnb app should be your primary point of contact with visitors. However, your phone number and email address should be readily available if they cannot contact you through the app.
Other methods of communication, such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, may be beneficial. You must, however, commit to staying on top of the various communication channels. It’s pointless to provide your Facebook Messenger information in your guidebook if you don’t react to your guests’ messages.
Emergency contact information should also be included in your house manual if your guests require it during their stay. The local police station, fire department, ambulance, or hospital, as well as a generic national emergency number, should all be included in these contact data.
This information should also be on your house handbook’s first or second page if needed in an emergency. It’s also a good idea to write it down on a separate piece of paper and keep it somewhere in your Airbnb.
2. Getting to know your surroundings
It’s critical to ensure that your guests understand how everything works after you’ve spent time completely outfitting your rental property.
- Rules of the house
The purpose of the house rules is not to limit your enjoyment. They establish clear boundaries that protect your guests and yourself from loss, harm, and injury.
Some of the things your house rules should specify are:Â
- Whether guests are permitted to smoke in your home;Â
- When quiet hours apply;Â
- Whether dogs are permitted inside your rental; andÂ
- When unconfirmed guests are permitted in your rental.
Here’s our complete guide to establishing your house rules:
A Template for Vacation Rental House Rules
- Instructions for using the appliance
Using your home’s various appliances for the first time can be difficult to figure out. It will go a long way with guests if you leave clear instructions on using them.
These instructions do not need to include every feature that each machine has; rather, they should focus on the quickest and most straightforward options for getting the work done.
The coffee machine, air conditioning, dishwasher, laundry machines, and water heater are just a few of the items that may require instructions. Add the user instructions to your house manual to acquire new appliances for your Airbnb home.
- Room-by-room directions
A room-by-room guide is not required for Airbnb apartments that are kept simple and easy. However, if any rooms in your house have peculiarities – such as a window that opens in an unusual manner or a burner with a hotter-than-normal heating plate – this would be an excellent place to point them out and suggest how to work around them.
This section lets you emphasize each room and any special pet or family-friendly amenities your lodging may offer. You can also list where everything is kept if a visitor needs to find something specific.
3. Entertainment and sight-seeing
The guests who stay in your Airbnb are likely to be first-time visitors to the area. Incorporating recommendations for things to do in the vicinity into your template will enhance the guest experience, resulting in more positive reviews and repeat reservations.
Here are some suggestions for inclusion in your house manual:
- Information on local transportation
This section will be helpful for guests who wish to navigate town using the local transportation alternatives during their stay.
The most essential elements to include are the contact information for local taxi firms, the location and schedules of local train or shuttle services, and the specifics of any private transportation businesses, such as Uber.
- Recommendations for restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops
A detailed section on the various places to eat in town is an excellent addition to any house manual. It eliminates the guessing about what options are available if guests wish to eat out or order in.
Make sure to include a variety of cuisines available in the area to cater to your guests’ diverse tastes. It’s also a good idea to have eateries that cater to specific dietary needs, such as vegetarian and vegan diets.
- Events
A simple internet search will most likely bring you to a website listing all of the local events in and around your Airbnb for the month or year in question. A calendar printout of these events would be a quick and easy addition to your house manual for your guests to review and decide whether they want to participate.
Concerts, art festivals, fundraisers, and municipal festivities are examples of events that might provide a unique experience for visitors.
- Shopping locations
While it is not required to include every possible retail location, including the major shopping malls and food stores is a must for your template.
Add some unusual boutiques, such as book stores, boutique apparel stores, antique and vintage stores, or souvenir shops, to spice things up.
- Attractions and amusements
Your visitors would most likely wish to see the local tourist sites and entertainment while on vacation. The listing of these attractions provides them with a convenient reference point to browse at their leisure.
To appeal to a wide range of travelers, including museums, historical landmarks, theatres, cinemas, theme parks, art exhibitions, and children’s playparks among the locations to visit.
- Spas, nail salons, and hair salons
Local salons and spas will be a nice delight for those who appreciate pampering themselves while on vacation.
These are usually the firms that could use all the help they can get, especially in this economy, and welcome the exposure. You might be able to get a discount for your visitors.
- Fitness centers, gyms, and hiking paths
While some visitors may want to forget about working out while on vacation, others may not want to disturb their workout schedule.
To satisfy exercise enthusiasts, provide information on a few local fitness centers or fresh air hiking paths in your house manual.
4. Bidding farewell
When it’s time to leave, including important check-out information in your house manual can guarantee that each guest has a happy departure.
- Check-out procedures
The option to walk your guests through the check-out process is right there in your house manual. It ensures that your Airbnb is left in the condition that you desire.
Remind your visitors to double-check that they haven’t forgotten anything. Ensure explicit directions on where to put the keys, which lights and appliances to turn on and off, and which windows and doors to shut.
How to Give Your Guests Your Airbnb House Manual
We recommend providing your Airbnb house handbook to your guests in various methods, both before and during their stay. Because different information may be valuable to visitors at different times, hosts choose to do so.
1. Include a copy of your house manual in your Airbnb listing.
It’s simple to upload your house manual to your Airbnb property. You don’t have to include your entire handbook if you don’t want to. Perhaps only the most critical portions, such as the rules and check-in information, should be included.
Follow these steps to add your manual to your Airbnb listing:
- Go to your listings and find the one corresponding to your house manual.
- Locate the Post-booking details section under the Info for Guests option.
- Select Edit from the Guidebooks menu.
- Here, you may add or change your Airbnb manual information. Once you’ve completed it, click Save.
2. Provide guests with a digital edition of your instruction ahead of time.
Sending the handbook ahead of time provides your guests a professional impression and demonstrates that you have thought ahead. Sending a digital version in the form of a pdf document that guests can download is beneficial to you and your guests.
This process can be automated using Lodgable software through email
3. Print a manual copy and leave it at your Airbnb.
You have both print and digital pdf versions of your house manual available to guests.
Guests can receive the pdf version to download and read on their smartphone or laptop. In the meantime, the print version can be kept on-site for guests to use during their stay.
It may cost a little more, but it’s well worth spending a little more to ensure that your printed edition is of high quality, laminated, and bound for long-term use.
How to Create a Standout Airbnb House Manual Template
Guests will be impressed and feel like they are receiving premium treatment if given an educational and interesting guidebook. It will also encourage them to read the entire document, reducing the chances of overlooking crucial information.
Here are a few pointers to help you stand out with your template:
1. Make a good first impression with a professional design.
Making the handbook visually appealing and eye-catching and incorporating a lot of photographs will result in a much more engaging design. Choose image illustrations as often as possible to keep the word count down.
Many commercial and free design software tools are available to help you take your design to the next level. Canva and Crello are two free programs that allow you to alter existing templates and download the pdf document, while Adobe Creative Cloud is a good premium option if you want to make your design. You can use Pinterest to get ideas for your manual house design and inspiration.
2. Take advantage of your house manual’s digital version.
The digital edition of your house handbook can be brought to a new level to amaze your guests.
You can update and distribute the pdf document, but you can also include connections to the websites of the restaurants and recreational activities you propose.
If video instructions for your home equipment are accessible online, you can also include a link.Â
3. Include something personal
Adding a personal touch to a guest’s experience is always a good idea and can make them feel especially special. This may include a coffee voucher for each visitor, a ‘host recommendations’ section with some of your own personal favorite hidden treasures to explore, or the greatest foods to order at the places listed in your house manual.
Give your customers the inside scoop on any ongoing offers and discounts at restaurants or tourist spots if you can. You might even try contacting a few local businesses to see if they’d be ready to provide you with a special discount in exchange for sending your customers to them.
Conclusion
A house manual is essential to deliver a professional hosting service to your guests. It can encourage guests to return and tell their friends about your establishment.
While this may necessitate some initial attention, the benefits it will bring to your company will make you pleased you took the time now.Â
Learn more about how Lodgable can help your business grow and increase your revenue.Â
