Hosts usually ask the same question before writing anything: what to include in an Airbnb guidebook so guests stop messaging? The answer is short. Guests read a guidebook in the order of their own problems: how do I get in, what is the Wi-Fi password, what am I allowed to do, where should I eat, and how do I leave.

1. A short welcome and one contact route

Two or three sentences, your first name, one phone number and the hours you usually answer. Guests who know someone is reachable message far less.

2. Arrival and self check-in

  • Exact address plus a visual landmark ("blue door, left of the bakery").
  • Building code first, then the door code, in the order they are used.
  • A photo of the lockbox or keypad — one image replaces a paragraph.
  • What to do if a code fails, with the number to call.

3. Wi-Fi and the devices people struggle with

Network name and password exactly as typed, case sensitive. Then the three devices that generate messages: the TV input, the thermostat, and the washer or dishwasher.

4. House rules, written as facts

Quiet hours, parties, smoking, pets, occupancy and anything guests must not use. One line per rule, no legal tone. If you need wording, use our Airbnb house rules template.

5. Local recommendations you would actually give a friend

Three to six places with a walking time and one reason each. A long directory is skipped; a curated shortlist gets used and mentioned in reviews.

6. Check-out

  • Check-out time and where the keys go.
  • Bins, recycling and which day.
  • A short list: windows closed, heating off, dishwasher started.

What to leave out

Long house history, rules repeated three times, restaurants 40 minutes away, and anything that changes weekly if you cannot edit it instantly. That last point is the real limit of a printed booklet or a PDF.

Turn the list into a page guests actually open

Start from our Airbnb welcome book template — downloadable in PDF and Word — then publish the same content as a digital guidebook with a QR poster, so a new Wi-Fi password reaches every guest immediately.