Most hosts have a welcome book — a printed binder in the property or a PDF emailed to guests. Most of those welcome books are barely read. Hosts spend hours building them; guests skim the first page, look up the WiFi password, and ignore the rest. The discipline to fix this is mostly about ruthless editing — what to cut is more important than what to add.
This article covers the digital welcome book format that genuinely gets read, the content categories worth investing in, and the things to remove that are quietly working against you.
The Behaviour You Are Designing For
Before deciding what goes in the welcome book, understand how guests actually use it:
- They look up WiFi password (often within 5 minutes of arrival)
- They look up check-out instructions (the day before departure)
- They search for parking information (usually within the first hour, often before arrival)
- They look for restaurant recommendations (mid-stay)
- They reference appliance instructions when they hit a problem (washer-dryer, smart TV, heating)
What they do NOT do: read it cover to cover. They scan, search, and jump. Your welcome book design must support this behaviour.
Digital vs Physical
The format choice. Both have merit:
Digital (web link, app, PDF): Easy to update, multilingual, searchable, can include videos. Doesn't get lost. Carries the brand. Increasingly preferred by guests under 40.
Physical (printed binder in property): No phone required, useful for older guests, can be photographed for keeps. Higher production cost per update; gets damaged or lost over time.
The pragmatic answer: digital as primary, with a single laminated A4 sheet in the property covering the essentials (WiFi, check-out, host emergency number). The full welcome book lives digital; the laminated card handles the emergency path when phones die.
The Format That Gets Read
The structure that consistently performs:
Page 1: The Practical Card
The first thing the guest sees. Single screen, no scrolling. Contains:
- WiFi network name and password (in large readable font)
- Check-out time and key handover instructions
- Host phone number and the hours you are reachable
- Emergency contact (out of hours)
This page is read by every guest. Treat it as the most valuable real estate.
Page 2: The Property Walkthrough
Section headers for: kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedrooms. Under each, the items that need explanation — the unusual coffee machine, the bathroom shower temperature trick, the smart TV setup, the washing machine cycle. Skip anything self-evident; explain only what is not obvious.
Format as bullet points with photos. Walls of text get skipped.
Page 3: The Local Guide
This is what makes guests recommend you. Five sections:
- Restaurants we love — 4-6 places, each with a one-line description ("brunch spot, 3 minutes walk, busy on weekends")
- Coffee — 2-3 places (separate category because coffee is its own decision)
- Things to do nearby — 4-6 specific recommendations, not generic ("the gallery on Main St" not "lots of culture nearby")
- Transport — to the airport, to the station, to the city centre, with realistic times and recommended apps
- Practical errands — nearest supermarket, pharmacy, ATM, hospital
The local guide is the section that wins reviews. Generic "explore the city" descriptions add nothing. Specific named places with one-line context drive guest delight.
Page 4: House Rules and Practicalities
The rules section. Keep it short. Cover only what needs covering:
- Quiet hours (always specify the times)
- No smoking / no parties (if applicable)
- Maximum guests
- Recycling / waste disposal (if specific to the property)
- Heating / cooling expectations (if there are local considerations like high energy costs)
Page 5: Check-Out
What you want the guest to do before leaving. Be concrete:
- Strip the bed (or don't — be specific)
- Run the dishwasher if used
- Take out rubbish to [location]
- Close all windows
- Leave keys [location]
- Lock the door
A 6-item checklist guests can tick off mentally. Easier than a paragraph.
What to Cut
The categories that look like they belong but actively undermine the welcome book:
1. Marketing copy about your property
"Welcome to our beautiful home. We hope you have a wonderful stay." Guests skip this. Cut it.
2. Your personal story
"My husband and I bought this property in 2018 after retiring..." Save it for the About page on your direct booking website. Welcome book guests don't care.
3. Generic tourism content
"The city is famous for its museums and culture." Guests can Google this. Specific recommendations only.
4. Repeated information
If the WiFi password is on Page 1, do not repeat it on Page 4. Single source of truth per item.
5. Long appliance manuals
The full Bosch dishwasher instructions are a download from Bosch's website. You don't need them in your welcome book — link out instead. Cover only the specific quirks of your appliance.
The Tools That Work
Building a digital welcome book doesn't require a separate app. The tools commonly used:
- Your own platform's guest portal — if your property management platform includes a guest portal, the welcome book lives there alongside check-in flow, PIN codes, and messaging.
- Dedicated welcome book apps — products like Touch Stay, Hostfully Guidebooks, YourWelcome. £10-£30/month per property. Useful if your main platform doesn't have a guest portal.
- Notion or Google Docs page — free, simple, mobile-friendly. Acceptable for hosts with 1-3 properties.
- PDF emailed pre-arrival — old-school but still works for older demographics.
The Multilingual Question
Should the welcome book be translated? For properties hosting meaningful international traffic, yes — but only for the markets you discovered manual translation pays off in your listing description. The welcome book is part of the same translation stack.
For the practical card (Page 1), include the essentials in English plus the most-common booker language alongside. WiFi password is universal; check-out instructions translate easily.
The Quarterly Review Habit
Welcome books drift faster than listing descriptions. Restaurants close, transport changes, your local recommendations age out, your house rules evolve. Quarterly review (30 minutes) keeps the welcome book sharp:
- Validate restaurant recommendations are still operating
- Refresh transport instructions if local services have changed
- Add any new recommendations from things guests have asked about
- Update appliance instructions if you have replaced anything
- Review house rules in light of any incidents over the quarter
Bottom Line
The best welcome book is the shortest one that answers the questions guests actually ask. The first page (WiFi, check-out, host phone, emergency contact) is the most-read; the local guide drives reviews; everything else needs aggressive editing to stay useful.
For broader work on the arrival experience, see our check-in experience guide. The guest portal in our platform includes a built-in welcome book module that ties to the same reservation context as messaging and door codes.