So you want to create an Airbnb Welcome Book, but you don’t even know where to start...
Correct?
Well if that’s the case, you’re in for a treat!
In this post you’ll learn:
All of that, and lots, lots more.
Lets go!
Why you need a Welcome Book for your Airbnb?
Question: Do you really need a Welcome Book?
I’d argue yes, and here’s why.
You see, a Welcome Book is more than just a ring-binder full of local information - much, much more.
Instead it’s a vehicle for influencing your guests behaviour in a positive way.
Just think about it.
On the one hand you’re able to share the very best things to do in your area, and that’s great. Guests that enjoy their stay at your place as a whole, will likely recommend their friends and leave glowing reviews.
But there’s more to it than that.
It can be used in such a way to remove friction points within a guests journey.
Things like easily locating the WIFI code, or knowing where heater switches are, or how the cooker works, etc.
These things seem trivial I know, but if your goal is to create a frictionless guest nurture system for your Airbnb, then it’s things like this that need to be addressed. Otherwise, these turn into guest questions that YOU need to answer.
Which isn’t great for your guests, and it certainly isn’t good for you.
What a well constructed Welcome Book should accomplish.
A well constructed Welcome Book should primarily accomplish these four things:
If you can nail all four of these points, then you’re onto a winner!
What to include in your Airbnb Welcome Book?
You’re probably now wondering what to write in your Welcome Book, so lets take a closer look.
So, for it to ‘hammer-home’ on all four of the points above, here’s what you need to include:
Essential information - Wifi, parking instructions, address, emergency contact numbers, your email address. What to do in an emergency.
Table of contents - It should have a table of contents with numbered pages so that guests can easily find the information they need.
FAQ’s - Provide answers to any/all commonly asked questions. Things like check-out time, location of switches, etc.
House rules - A copy of your house rules should be included.
Places to eat - Your top picks in your area.
Bars - Your favorites.
Local walks - provide maps, and recommendations.
Must see local attractions - Things your guests absolutely must do before they leave.
Wet weather options - Give your list
Other activities - You’ll likely know better than anyone what the best things to do in your area are.
Bonus tip: If you do a little looking around you’ll often find that businesses will offer you money or freebies in exchange for recommendations. So don’t be afraid to ask around, as you never know, this could be a nice little additional revenue stream you never even thought of.
How to design your Welcome Book
If you can remember earlier in the post, one of the main things is to make it informative and engaging.
The informative part of the equation should be pretty straight forward. The engaging part however, takes a little more thought.
That’s where design, and well written copy come in.
Now I’m not going to give you a lecture on design principles and copy writing best practices in this post, but I will just give you a couple of tips to guide you in the right direction.
Writing
Design
Airbnb Welcome Book ideas
If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few Airbnb Welcome Book examples to get you started:
Example 1.
Example 2.
Example 3.
How to build a beautiful Welcome Book - Easily (with this free tool)
Alright, now that you know what should be included (and why), it’s now time to learn how to build it.
Luckily, it’s actually pretty easy using this free tool - Canva.
I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with Canva, but if you’re not, you’re going to love it.
It’s basically a free drag and drop design tool that’s so easy to use it’s silly.
So, here’s what you need to do.
Head to https://www.canva.com/ and go get set up with a free account.
Once your account is set up, click on Create a design.
And in the search box, search for “Magazine Cover”.
Scroll through each of the magazine templates until you find a one that suits your property, and the look and feel you’re after.
Click it to select it, and then go ahead and edit and manipulate until your hearts content.
*A word of warning for the non designers among us… don’t go crazy trying to change anything and everything, instead try not to deviate too far from the original design. Not only will it save you a tonne of time, but the end result will be far better I promise.
How about a DIGITAL Welcome Book too?
Did you know that it’s possible to create a digital Welcome Book for Airbnb?
Pretty cool right?
I think they’re a great idea and in my opinion should be in every hosts arsenal of tools.
Not that it should replace the physical hard copy (because that’s important too), but in addition to it for all of the reasons we mentioned earlier in this post - to remove friction points, and create an enhanced guest experience.
Best digital Welcome Book tools for Airbnb
If you’re interested in digging a little deeper and finding out a bit more about which digital welcome book is best for you, here’s a few you should check out:
My top pick
My favourite right now is Touch Stay. I use it because I think the interface is the prettiest, it’s the easiest to use, and, it’s probably the best value for money.
More info: https://touchstay.com/
Conclusion
As you can see, a Welcome Book is more than just a pretty coffee table decoration.
Instead it can be used strategically as a tool to not only enhance the guest experience, but also streamline your operations in the process.
Allowing you to do more, with less.
Chat soon.
Rowan.
Great post. I’m going to up date my welcome book with these new ideas.
My guests frequently comment how useful it is, so this is going to make even more helpful.
Thanks!
Gloria
That’s awesome to hear Gloria.
Let me know how you get on!