The Airbnb House Manual Template Guests Actually Read

The short version: guests don't read manuals cover to cover. They look something up when they're stuck. So organize yours by moment (arriving, staying, leaving), keep each answer to a few lines, and put the most-used answers on the things themselves.

Airbnb's own advice is to include practical details like how to use the internet and appliances, and to leave a printed copy where guests can find it. That's right as far as it goes. The problem hosts report is that a thorough manual becomes a long manual, and a long manual gets skipped.

The template

Page 1: The first ten minutes

Wifi name and password, in large type
Where the light switches are for the entry, porch and kitchen
Thermostat: where it is and how to change it
Your contact details, and what counts as urgent

Page 2: Using the house

TV and streaming: which remote, which button
Kitchen: coffee maker, dishwasher, anything unusual
The "special" things: hot tub, fireplace, grill, sauna. Three steps each, with a link or QR code to a short video
Laundry, extra linens, trash and recycling

Page 3: House rules, briefly

Quiet hours, smoking, pets, parties, maximum guests
Anything with a reason behind it (septic system, steep driveway, bears) gets one line of explanation. People follow rules they understand.

Page 4: Around town

Your three favorite places to eat, with what to order
Groceries, pharmacy, and somewhere open late
One great thing to do, and one for a rainy day

Page 5: Leaving

Checkout time and the four or five things you actually need guests to do
Where the keys go, and a thank-you

Formats that get used

Put answers on the things themselves.A small card on the hot tub, the thermostat or the safe, with a QR code to a 30-second video, gets read because it's there when the question comes up. Hosts on forums recommend exactly this for complicated equipment.

Send the manual close to check-in, not at booking.Months before arrival, nobody needs to know how the dishwasher works. Airbnb shows check-in instructions in the guest's trip 48 hours before check-in (24 hours with a flexible cancellation policy), which is a good moment for the rest, too.

Think about language.If you host international guests, a manual only in English means more messages. Short sentences and photos help, and a digital version can be translated on the guest's phone.

Keep it current.Outdated details are the most common way a manual (or an automated reply) goes wrong: a changed wifi password, a restaurant that closed. Check it every few months.

Sources: Airbnb Resource Center: welcome your first guests; Airbnb Hosts Forum: check-in instructions and house manual.

Quick answers

What should be in an Airbnb house manual?

Wifi, how to get in, the thermostat, how to use anything unusual like a hot tub or fireplace, house rules with brief reasons, local recommendations, and checkout steps. Keep each section to a few lines.

When should I send guests the house manual?

Close to check-in. Airbnb shows check-in instructions 48 hours before arrival, or 24 hours with a flexible cancellation policy, and that is when guests start looking for details.

Rather not do it yourself?

A house manual that answers back.

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