As the host of a villa or an Airbnb, the goal of providing your guests with an unforgettable stay is undeniable, at least for most owners. Among all the amenities and services you offer your guests, you should not overlook the guest guide, or welcome book.
A welcome book contains all the important information and instructions regarding the rental property. For example, check-in and check-out times, the Wi-Fi password, house rules, and many other useful details. This way, all questions your guests may have are answered immediately and in one place. Besides being a great help to your guests, the guest guide will save you from countless phone calls—often in the middle of the night—for very simple information, such as whether the tap water is drinkable or which kiosk is open late at night.
Paper or digital guestbook?
The guest welcome guide represents your property. If you choose to use a paper version, you must ensure that it is in excellent condition and that the information it contains is the most recent and up-to-date. It goes without saying that it should not be dirty or wrinkled, and the quality of the materials you use should be the best possible. The problem with printed guest books is that they are limited in terms of the amount of information and ease of updating. They cannot include more than one language, and their overall capabilities are limited.
On the other hand, a digital guest guide has several advantages over a paper one in many aspects:
- Easily updated
- Contains much more information than a paper version
- It is interactive
- It contains maps and other useful links
- It can be multilingual
- It can include automations that make things easier for you and your guests
What kind of information does a guest guide include?
A guest book includes all the information that our guest needs to know upon arrival, during their stay, and at the time of departure.
Check-in and check-out instructions
Provide detailed instructions for your guests’ arrival and departure, and inform them of the alternatives available if they are unable to follow the scheduled times.
House manual
Introduce your guests to your home. Include instructions for the household appliances. If you can perfect this section, you will save a lot of time for yourself and your team! Your guests won’t need to ask how to operate the kitchen or the espresso machine, as they will have access to your instructions through the app. You can include guidelines for the air conditioning, television, sound system, jacuzzi, use of the books in your library, and anything else you consider useful based on your experience so far.
Rules
Clarify the rental rules for your property. Inform your guests whether they are allowed to invite visitors, whether smoking is permitted inside, the quiet hours, safety rules concerning the pool, the use of the barbecue or fireplace, your property’s insurance policy during absences, and any other rules you have established to ensure the smooth operation of your rental.
Local guide
Create a local guide for your guests. Inform them about stores where they can do their daily shopping, places to order breakfast, nearby gas stations, tobacco shops, or nearby playgrounds and parks for young children. Even simple tips, such as local driving habits or whether they can pay by card everywhere, can prove to be very useful information for someone coming from the other side of the world.
Sightseeing
List for your guests the top attractions in your area that they shouldn’t miss. Include archaeological sites, museums, beaches, picturesque villages, and natural landscapes. Create an easy-to-follow and detailed travel guide focused on your area and its highlights. General tourist guides available online can be overwhelming and, in some cases, incomplete.
Food and entertainment recommendations
Recommend to your guests the best restaurants, beach bars, and cafés in the area, helping them feel like locals. Provide options for delivery or even places where they can buy the best souvenirs. Include Google Maps links for added convenience.
Services and activities
Don’t forget to recommend services that are usually useful to your guests. Massage, beauty services, excursions, guided tours, cruises, and even birthday party organization are just a few of the services they might request. Create a list of services with your partners. Besides enhancing your guests’ experience, you can also increase your revenue through cross-selling these services.
Emergency phone numbers
It is important to provide your guests with contact numbers for emergencies, such as the police, fire department, hospitals, etc.
Departure checklist
Highlight all the points your guest should check upon departure, such as turning off the stove, locking doors, and the key handover procedure. Inform them about your policy regarding any damages that may have occurred during their stay and the process for addressing them.
How can I create a digital guest guide for my property?
With the MENUFI Guest App, you can create a complete and multilingual guest guide by yourself. By downloading the management program, you can enter all the information you want on your own, using the app’s built-in translation tool.
Alternatively, we can create it for you:
- We will send you a questionnaire to guide you on the information that should be included in the guide.
- You provide us with brief, summarized answers.
- We create the content in the languages you select, including information about local attractions.
We deliver your digital guest guide to you.
How can I provide the digital guest guide to my guests?
The simplest way is via a QR code placed within the property. The MENUFI Guest App does not need to be downloaded; it opens easily in the mobile browser with a single scan.
Can I send the guest guide via email or SMS before my guests arrive?
Of course! You can even include the link to the guide in the confirmation email your guests receive after booking.
Can guests book a massage through the MENUFI Guest App?
Yes, they can. You can use either our booking system or that of your partners (in this case, the masseurs).
Surely you have also traveled to a foreign country, and if you didn’t have a friend living there to guide you, you would have appreciated having such a detailed guest guide. Even more so if it were in your own language.
Digital guest guides are capturing an increasingly larger share of the global market. The growth of global tourism, along with the ever-increasing demands of travelers seeking enhanced and personalized stay experiences, are factors driving the majority of hoteliers worldwide to adopt innovative technologies that save time, improve the guest experience, and increase revenue.