The Only Airbnb House Manual Template You’ll Ever Need

airbnb_house_manual

Are you looking for an Airbnb house manual template? You’ve come to the right place.

An Airbnb house manual template is essential for automating your Airbnb business. It can save you lots of time because you won’t have to keep reiterating information and answering the same questions over and over again. Every short-term rental host needs one!

In this blog post, we cover what an Airbnb house manual is, what it should contain, and give you a full template that you can customize to your needs.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today! 

What is an Airbnb House Manual?

An Airbnb house manual is a set of instructions explaining how to use your rental’s appliances, where to find certain amenities, and how guests can make the most of their stay.

The Airbnb house manual is not the same as Airbnb house rules. First of all, the content and the purpose is different: while the former is a collection of helpful instructions to make sure everything goes smoothly during your guest’s stay, the latter is a set of rules that you expect guests to follow.

Secondly, while your Airbnb house rules appear on the listing page so guests can review them before they request a reservation, your Airbnb house manual does not show up on the listing page. It gets sent to guests in a message once the reservation has been confirmed.

How to Add a House Manual to Your Listing

Adding a house manual to your Airbnb listing is quick and easy. Just follow these steps:

  1. Go to ‘Your Listings’ on the Airbnb website.
  2. Choose the listing you want to add the house manual to and click ‘Manage listing’.
  3. Once there, click ‘Listing details’.
  4. Here you’ll find a line that says ‘Guest resources’. Click ‘Edit’.
  5. Enter instructions, features you want to highlight, and recommendations for guests under ‘House Manual’.
  6. Click ‘Save’.

Once you do this, Airbnb will have all the information they need to send guests your house manual. However, guests sometimes forget about the messages they receive from Airbnb. If you want to avoid answering the same questions over and over again, it’s a good idea to leave a physical copy of your house manual in your Airbnb rental, or provide guests with access to a digital version. Here’s how:

How to Make an Airbnb House Manual

When it comes to making an Airbnb home manual, you have several options to choose from.

For example, you can use a free, easy-to-use tool like Canva to create your own design. If you search among Canva’s many design templates, you’ll find a few different ones that you can use as an Airbnb welcome book template and adapt to your needs.

Once you’re done with the design, you can save your welcome book as a PDF and print it out, or send it to your guests in an email.

Alternatively, you can skip the design process and add your house manual to an app like TouchStay or YourWelcome.

These digital welcome books have beautifully-designed built-in templates: all you need to do is fill in your information. TouchStay lets you send a link to your guests so they can access your house manual, and YourWelcome comes with a tablet to keep in your rental.

What Should be Included in an Airbnb House Manual?

1. A short welcome message

Every Airbnb house manual should start with a personal welcome message. It’s a great opportunity to establish a connection with your guests – which is especially important if you’re not doing in-person check-ins.

Guests are more likely to leave 5-star reviews if they can feel that there’s a human behind the rental they’re staying at. So let your personality shine through – but don’t go on forever. Remember, this is just the first page of your house manual!

2. Check-in and check-out times

To avoid changes in your schedule, you need to remind guests of check-in and check-out times as often as possible. Your Airbnb house manual is a great chance to do just that. If you want, you can offer your guests a late check-out for free (if your schedule allows), or look at it as an upselling opportunity and charge extra for it.

3. Parking instructions

Unless your Airbnb rental is located on a remote island, it’s likely that a portion of your guests will arrive by car. Be sure to give them parking instructions in your Airbnb welcome letter – and repeat them in your house manual, too.

4. Wifi details

This probably won’t surprise you, but the first thing guests ask when they step into your rental is: “What’s the wifi password?” To make things easy for them, include the Wifi details toward the beginning of your Airbnb house manual.

5. House rules

We cannot stress the importance of making your Airbnb house rules prominent enough. Setting clear Airbnb house rules can save you from unruly guests and angry neighbors. It can also help you hold your guests accountable if they break any of your rules.

Be sure to include a list of your house rules in your house manual and use design as a way of stressing their importance. Don’t shy away from putting a red frame around your house rules, for example.

Related: How to Take Refundable Security Deposits Through the Resolution Center on Airbnb 

6. How to use appliances

The purpose of your Airbnb house manual is to provide guests with useful information about their stay. If they’ve chosen an Airbnb over a hotel, you can assume that they’ll want to use appliances like the coffeemaker or the washing machine. Make sure they understand how to operate everything – this way, you’ll avoid things breaking and guests getting confused.

7. Local transport information

While this is something that your guests could definitely look up themselves, giving them some insider tips on local transport is a nice gesture. You don’t have to cover everything, but it’s good to mention at least nearby subway stations or bus stops.

8. Sights to see and things to do

While you don’t need to provide a full city or area guide, your Airbnb guests will appreciate a short intro to the destination and its sights. Plus, it’s another great chance to get a bit more personal. Include recommendations for your favorite things to do and restaurant to eat at. You can also add some useful information like directions to nearby grocery stores.

9. Emergency information

While it’s unlikely that your guests will need to contact emergency services during their stay, things can go wrong anytime. So just to be safe, list a few top emergency contact numbers toward the end of your Airbnb home manual.

10. Contact information

Last but not least, be sure to tell your guests where they can reach you if they can’t find answers to their questions in your house manual.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar, messaging, and more for short-term rental hosts. Start your free trial today!

Airbnb House Manual Template

Below, you’ll find a full Airbnb house manual template to use at your own discretion.

Of course, you can go into a lot more detail when putting together your unique Airbnb home manual – this is just an example to follow. We hope it helps!

WELCOME MESSAGE

Dear Guest,

Welcome to Cozy Seattle Loft. We’re beyond excited to have you!

This place is very special to us. Believe it or not, it was our first home when we moved in together in Seattle!

In the past few years, we’ve really enjoyed renting it out to travelers like yourself. It’s a great spot to discover the city from. And isn’t the neighborhood just lovely? We have so many great memories attached to it, and we’re convinced that you will, too.

In this manual, you’ll find lots of useful information that we’ve compiled over the years to help our guests make the most of their stay. From instructions on how to use the appliances to recommendations for nearby restaurants and shopping areas, we’ve got it all covered.

We hope that you enjoy the place as much as we did.

Have a great stay!

Sincerely,

Jeff & Lindsey

CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT TIMES

Check-in is from 2:00 pm and check-out is until 10:00 am. We’d really appreciate it if you could stick to these times.

If you’d like to request a late check-out, please contact us through Airbnb or any of the contact details provided at the end of this manual. However, please be informed that we may not be able to grant your request if we have a same-day check-in.

PARKING INSTRUCTIONS

There’s no private parking but you can park your car in a free spot on the street.

South Main Street tends to fill up quickly in the evenings, so be sure to check Jackson Street or the narrower streets surrounding the park.

WIFI DETAILS

The wifi network is CozySeattleLoft and the password is WelcomeToSeattle.

HOUSE RULES

We kindly ask you to read our house rules carefully and keep them in mind during your stay.

1. No parties or events allowed.

2. No smoking allowed.

3. No pets allowed.

4. Suitable for toddlers and children under 12.

5. No unregistered guests allowed.

6. Please don’t eat or drink in the bedrooms.

7. Please respect the noise curfew.

8. Please turn off the AC when you go out.

9. Please respect check-in and check-out times.

10. Please take extra care of your keys. Lost keys incur a replacement fee of $50.

11. Please take care of the furnishings. You have to pay for damages that exceed the security deposit.

12. Please don’t rearrange the furniture.

13. Please do your dishes.

14. Please take the trash out before you leave.

15. No illegal substances allowed on the premises.

HOW TO USE APPLIANCES

Air conditioning:

You can adjust the temperature using the thermostat on the living room wall or the remote control on the kitchen table. However, please try to keep it between 70 and 78 degrees, and don’t leave the A/C running when you leave the apartment.

Washer and dryer:

The washer and dryer are in the kitchen. You’ll find the user manual in the bottom drawer.

Coffee machine:

The coffee machine is easier to use than it looks: just follow the instructions on the side. Capsules are in the cupboard above.

Dishwasher:

Please make sure the dishwasher is full before turning it on. You’ll find the dishwasher tablets in a basket on the kitchen counter. The most efficient program to use is the one labeled ‘Eco’ with the 1-hour setting.

LOCAL TRANSPORT INFORMATION

The loft is located very close to downtown Seattle and its main attractions – for example, the Seattle Art Museum, the Pike Place Fish Market, and Waterfront Park are all within 15 minutes’ walk.

However, if you’d like to venture a bit farther and climb the Space Needle or go for a stroll in Lake Union Park, we recommend using the local public transport system instead of driving.

Buses 3 and 4 stop at James Street, and you can also catch the D-Line or the E-Line on Yesler Way. You can pay your fare in cash to the driver or download the Transit GO Ticket app on your smartphone and pay with your credit or debit card.

SIGHTS TO SEE AND THINGS TO DO

Seattle has many well-known tourist attractions – from the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit to the Olympic Sculpture Park and The Gum Wall – but it also has a surprising variety of hidden gems.

If you want to discover the neighborhood that encircles the loft, we recommend taking a walk in Occidental Park, signing up for a wine tasting in The Wine Room, and going restaurant-hopping in Chinatown.

Our favorite restaurants in Downtown Seattle are The Pink Door for Italian meals and Matt’s in the Market for seafood.

If shopping is your jam, we recommend checking out the Westlake Center and Pacific Place shopping malls. The University District has a wide array of quirky shops and cozy restaurants and cafés, too.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Should you encounter any sort of emergency during your stay, please contact the local authorities immediately.

Emergency telephone number: 911

Washington State Department of Health: 1-877-539-4344

The fire extinguisher is right next to the front door.

CONTACT DETAILS

We hope you enjoy your stay. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us through Airbnb, at contact@cozyseattleloft.com or 206-510-7485.

House manuals are essential for providing guests with the information they need for a smooth and enjoyable stay. Using this guide, you will have all the necessary tips to create a comprehensive house manual that covers check-in and check-out times, parking instructions, WiFi details, emergency contacts, local transport information, and much more. With a comprehensive house manual, hosts can provide a smooth and hassle-free experience for themselves and their guests. Ultimately, this will lead to higher satisfaction rates, positive reviews, and repeat business.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!

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