First impressions count – especially in the hospitality business. The experience your guests have from the moment they check in can set the tone for their entire stay – so it’s crucial you get off on the right foot.
Luckily, a perfectly written Airbnb welcome letter can go a long way when it comes to impressing your guests. It may even prompt them to leave rave reviews, which can go a long way to helping you grow your business.
So, in this article we’ll explain how you can write a perfect guest welcome note that’s guaranteed to make your guests smile, while keeping your business thriving too.
If you’re looking for something specific, jump to:
- Why write an Airbnb welcome letter for your guests?
- The importance of writing your letter from the heart
- How to make your guests feel special
- The format of your welcome note
- What to include in your Airbnb welcome letter
- Combining your welcome letter with a digital guidebook
- Sample welcome notes
Want to start making your guests feel more welcome today? With a Touch Stay digital guidebook you can share property info and local recommendations with guests before they even arrive, so they know you’re thinking of them from the get go.
Why write an Airbnb welcome letter for your guests?
Guests love personal touches – and letters and notes of any kind are extremely personal. That’s why writing a welcome letter for your guests is the ideal way to create a human connection with them from the moment they arrive.
Airbnb welcome letters help your guests feel important and that you’re invested in making their time in your home special. When done well, your welcome letter can also:
- Create a sense of excitement around the guest experience and make your vacation home feel inspiring and unique
- Create a personal connection between you and your guest, even if you’re unable to meet-and-greet them in person
- Make your guests feel special, thought about and looked after – especially if the letter is personal
- Point guests in the direction of information they need to know to prevent any sense of confusion or miscommunication and limit repeat questions
The good news is that writing a winning welcome letter is not hard to do. Just follow these simple steps, and get ready to enjoy those positive guest interactions.
Plus, if you’re looking for a tool to help you make your guests feel special throughout their stay, then check out our digital guidebooks. With pre-arrival access to your curated property info and personal local recommendations, a digital guest book shows guests that you’re considering them before they even step through the door.
Write your welcome letter from the heart
Your guest welcome letter serves two practical purposes: to inform and to connect. But it doesn’t have to be written in a formal way, nor should it follow a very bland, out-of-the-box script. You want it to really make your guests’ day – so put your heart in it.
Ditch the business speak and focus on how you want your guests to feel when they read it. Think about how you want to feel when you go on holiday:
- relaxed
- welcome
- at ease
- excited
- informed
- relieved
- special
To help make your guests feel this way, focus on writing something warm and conversational. Remember – personal doesn’t mean invasive or over the top (we’re not trying to overshare here!) However, writing in a friendly, human way will go a long way.
This is also a really good opportunity to stay true to your brand’s personality. If you have a certain tone of voice that you project across other marketing outlets, or in your digital guidebook, try to mimic this in your welcome letter too. This will join up the experience for your guests and make the stay a more immersive yet personal experience.
DISCOVER: how a digital guest book keeps your brand at the top of guests’ minds
Share personal insights about your property
Sharing unique insights and things you love about your property will make your guests feel like they’re being let in on a secret, adding to the exclusive feel of their stay. These can be things you wouldn’t necessarily think about on a day-to-day basis, but might make your guests appreciate your home even more, such as:
- your favourite spot to have a coffee on the patio
- which windows the sun sets and rises in
- where you buy the coffee from
- what plants/flowers are in season in the garden at the moment
- where certain artworks came from
You could even recall a favourite memory from your (or a past guest’s) time at your rental property. This is a great way to keep your welcome letter relevant, personal and unique.
You can begin to build guests’ sense that you’re sharing personal property insights through a digital guest welcome book. A digital guestbook contains your personal local area recommendations, which helps guests to feel that they’ve really formed a personal connection to you and your space.
Tailor your welcome note to your individual guests
Crafting a brand new letter every time a guest makes a booking would require a huge amount of time and effort – something that’s not sustainable or realistic. However, bland and formal letters read as impersonal – and guests can immediately tell they’re not bespoke to them.
Luckily there is an in-between! Crafting a welcome letter template can help you find the perfect balance between the bland one-for-all letter and the unmanageable essay for each guest.
How to make your welcome note personal and still manageable
- Start by writing a standard guest welcome letter. This should include all the little things you think will make your letter seem personal, written in your friendly and warm tone of voice, as outlined above.
- Once you have the body text, leave room for a few sentences that speak directly to the guest you’re writing to.
- Once you have your template perfected, use what you learn in booking communications to customise each letter for individual guests. Depending on how much information you get from your guests ahead of arrival, you can be very specific – and this is where the magic happens.
For example, you can:
- wish your guest and their family a great reunion
- wish the guest of honor a happy birthday
- express excitement for bachelorette/bachelor groups
- wish honeymooners a lovely and romantic getaway
- wish them a good time playing golf/going surfing/anything else they’ve said they’ll be doing
This combination approach allows you to craft the perfect welcome letter while leaving room for you to make it even more personal to your guest – all without taking a huge amount of your time.
A Touch Stay digital guidebook accomplishes the same goal. It actually saves you time (you’ll answer fewer repetitive questions!) whilst making your guests feel that their stay is truly personal. All the info they need is at their fingertips, and you can use deep links to direct them towards parts of the guide which are particularly useful for them.
Consider your welcome note’s format
While a handwritten note adds an undeniable personal touch, it can be hard to maintain these as your bookings increase. If things start to get busy, or you have more than one property, writing each letter by hand is simply not practical.
Instead, many hosts opt to type and print their guest welcome letters. While this might take the edge off the personalisation, you can still project the same sort of dedicated attention with a short handwritten closing and signature.
For those who are hosting remotely, this also allows you to craft your customised letter ahead of time and ask your changeover crew to print it and leave it in a designated spot. This is a really effective way to show your guests that just because you’re a remote host, you’re still very invested in your guests’ stay.
Use your Airbnb welcome letter as a starting point
Welcome letters should be used as a gesture of welcome – not as a house manual! So don’t try to tackle every detail in this letter alone.
Instead, aim to write a guest welcome letter that covers the following points:
-
- introduces yourself and your home
- highlights where your guests can find extra information
- provides basic information for easy and urgent reference such as:
- contact phone number for you or your property manager
- WiFi / internet access information
- nearest 24-hour store
- local food delivery service
Keeping this information snappy means you can leave your top ten restaurant recommendations and nitty gritty details about how to operate the hot tub for your guestbook.
Combine your welcome letter with a digital guidebook
Some hosts choose to include their welcome letter at the beginning of a guest welcome book.
At Touch Stay, we’re seeing the reverse trend. Nowadays, guests are getting used to receiving an analogue personal welcome note, which then directs them to a digital welcome book platform just like ours.
This makes for a great guest experience as it pairs the personal touch of an analogue letter with the functionality and practicality of digital.
Our guidebooks are really easy to share too. Hosts just need to provide a short link or QR code in the letter (using QR monkey) and the guest has instant access to a beautifully laid out digital guidebook. The guidebook contains all the information your guests need to know about your property and the local area – meaning fewer questions for you, and an amazing experience for your guests.
Remember – just a little bit of thought goes a really long way when it comes to putting a smile on guests’ faces.
DISCOVER: exactly how a digital guidebook app enhances your guest experience offering
Sample welcome note for guest
Now that we’ve covered how to write a winning welcome letter, it’s time to look at one in action. Below is an example of a guest welcome letter that would make every holiday-maker smile.
Feel free to use our example below to model your own letter.
Welcome to the Beach Retreat, *GUEST NAME*!
We’re so glad you’ve made it all the way from Pennsylvania. Now let’s get down to business: kick off your shoes, grab a cold drink from the fridge and relax. (We’ve stocked some waters, juice for the kids and beers for you.)
The Beach Retreat has been in our family for three generations – and it’s been through a lot. Countless board game nights, seafood feasts on the picnic table, s’mores at the fire pit, barefoot walks along the beach, and firefly chases have happened here.
We love to see all of the folks from around the world calling this house “home,” even if only for a few nights. We hope you and your extended family have a wonderful reunion.
And don’t forget to look at our digital welcome book, created by Touch Stay. Use the QR link below to access the digital guidebook – you won’t have to download anything and you’ll have access right away. Inside you’ll find:
- latest information about the nearest grocery stores and other facilities
- a list of our favourite restaurants and bars
- activities to do locally
- up-to-date information about the local area
- our general house rules
- instructions for the hot tub/TV/air conditioning/pool
- info about the check out process (not that you want to think about that yet!)
And, of course, feel free to reach out to us by cell at (555) 234-5678 if you have questions or concerns.
Most importantly, enjoy your stay!
Jane Cartwright
Want a glossy version of this welcome note to edit for your own holiday rental property? Fill in the form below and we’ll send you your own copy. We’ve already made it pretty – just tweak the details and you’re good to go!
Use this welcome letter to direct guests to your Touch Stay digital guidebook, where you’ve provided all your practical info and holiday tips. They know that they can get in touch with you if they need to, but it’s much easier and more efficient for them to open the digital guidebook. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Welcome letter sample for repeat guests
One of the best things about being a host is when your guests return. There’s no better validation than someone who decides to come back for more! So, how can you evolve your returning guest’s journey without sending them the same letter they received when they first stayed with you?
The answer’s simple: By crafting an Airbnb welcome letter for returning guests. Check out our template below.
Welcome back to The Beach Retreat, *GUEST NAME*!
We’re delighted to welcome you back!You know the drill – kick off your shoes, grab a cold drink from the fridge and relax. (Like before, we’ve stocked some waters, juice for the kids and beers for you.)
Although you’re already familiar with The Beach Retreat, we want to make sure you enjoy it as much as last time. We hope you feel at home here.
Remember, we have a digital welcome book, hosted by Touch Stay. Use the QR link below to access the digital guidebook – you won’t have to download anything and you’ll have access right away. Inside you’ll find:
- latest information about the nearest grocery stores and other facilities
- a list of our favourite restaurants and bars
- activities to do locally
- up-to-date information about the local area
- our general house rules
- instructions for the hot tub/TV/air conditioning/pool
- info about the check out process (not that you want to think about that yet!
And, of course, feel free to reach out to us by cell at (555) 234-5678 if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks for coming back – I hope you have another wonderful stay.Jane Cartwright
Make your guests happier with Touch Stay
At Touch Stay, we’re all about making guests smile. That’s why we designed our digital guidebooks – to help you make your guests happier. After all, happy guests equal five star reviews – and five star reviews equal more business for you!
Our digital welcome book is designed to help you meet all your guests’ needs, answering frequently asked questions and providing all the information they need in one, easy to access place. It does all this while being easy to personalise to your brand and guests.
Unlike other digital guidebooks on the market, Touch Stay stores all your content in one single online location, meaning once you share the link with your guests, they’ll have access straight away – no sign in or downloads needed.
Try it free today! Start your 14-day free trial and see how it makes your guests smile.