What to Include in an Airbnb Welcome Book (2026 Checklist)

A good welcome book answers your guests’ questions before they have to ask. Hosts who use a clear digital guidebook report noticeably fewer messages during each stay — one widely-cited figure from guidebook provider Touch Stay puts it at up to 61% fewer questions. Fewer questions means less stress for you and a smoother stay for them, which tends to show up in your reviews.

But a welcome book only works if it actually contains the right things. Below is the full checklist, section by section. Copy it, fill it in, and you’ll have covered everything a guest realistically needs.

The essentials (never skip these)

These four items cause the most last-minute messages when they’re missing or unclear:

• Check-in instructions — the exact steps to get inside. Door code or lockbox location, which door to use, what to do if the code fails, and check-in time. Be specific: “The lockbox is on the black railing to the right of the front door” beats “the key is out front.”
• Wi-Fi network and password — the single most-requested piece of information. Put it here and on a small sign near the router or entry. (You can make one with our free Wi-Fi Sign Generator.)
• Check-out instructions and time — what you’d like guests to do before they leave, and by when. Keep the list short and reasonable.
• How to reach you — the best way to contact you, and what counts as an emergency versus a normal question.

The space: how things work

Guests can’t relax if they can’t figure out the thermostat. Cover the quirks of your specific place:

• Heating and air conditioning — where the controls are and how to set them.
• Kitchen — how the stove/oven works, where to find coffee, the dishwasher, trash and recycling.
• Appliances with a learning curve — washer/dryer, smart TV, sound system, fireplace, hot tub. A one-line note prevents a three-message exchange.
• Anything unusual — a tricky lock, a door that sticks, a light switch in an odd place, water that takes a minute to heat up.

House rules

Set expectations clearly and kindly. The most common rules to state:

• Quiet hours and noise expectations
• Smoking policy
• Pets policy
• Maximum occupancy and whether visitors are allowed
• Shoes on or off
• Parking — exactly where guests should (and shouldn’t) park

Keep the tone friendly and explain the “why” for anything unusual. If you need a starting point, our free House Rules Generator builds a clean, guest-friendly list you can paste straight in.

Local recommendations

This is the section guests love most and the one that makes your place feel personal. You don’t need a novel — a short, curated list beats an overwhelming one:

• 3–5 restaurants or cafés you’d actually send a friend to
• The nearest grocery store and pharmacy
• One or two things to do nearby (a walk, a viewpoint, a market)
• How to get around — parking, transit, or the local rideshare situation

Safety and practical info

Easy to forget, genuinely important:

• Location of the fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, and circuit breaker
• What to do if the power or water goes out
• Emergency numbers for the area
• Any building-specific safety notes (gate codes, elevator quirks)

Check-out checklist

Reiterate the departure steps in one tidy list so nothing gets missed:

• Check-out time
• Trash and dishes
• Windows and doors locked
• Where to leave the keys
• Thermostat setting on the way out

A quick word on format

You can put all of this in a printed binder, a Canva PDF, or a digital guidebook — and many hosts do a bit of both. The trade-off is maintenance: a printed PDF looks nice but is a pain to update every time your Wi-Fi password changes or a new restaurant opens. A digital welcome book you share as a link stays current, works on every guest’s phone, and can include a QR code you print and stick by the door.

That’s exactly what we built Welcomebookly to do: fill in these sections once, share one link (or QR code) with every guest, and update it anytime without reprinting anything. It’s free while in beta.

The one-page checklist

• ✅ Check-in steps + time
• ✅ Wi-Fi name and password
• ✅ How to reach you (and what’s an emergency)
• ✅ Heating/AC, kitchen, appliances, quirks
• ✅ House rules (quiet hours, smoking, pets, parking, occupancy)
• ✅ 3–5 local recommendations + grocery/pharmacy
• ✅ Safety info (extinguisher, breaker, emergency numbers)
• ✅ Check-out checklist + time

Fill in each line and you’ve got a welcome book that does its job: answering the questions before they’re asked.