Airbnb Welcome Letter Templates Your Guests Will Open

A good Airbnb welcome letter does something a check-in code never will. It makes a guest feel like a person walked into the room to greet them, not a lockbox. It sets the tone for the whole stay, answers the questions guests are too polite to ask, and, done right, quietly nudges them toward the five-star review you're hoping for.

The problem is that most welcome letters read like a warranty card. They're either a wall of house rules or three lines of "Hi, enjoy your stay!" that leave guests texting you at 9 p.m. asking where the trash goes.

Below are three complete, copy-and-paste welcome letter templates (casual, professional, and luxury) plus the eight elements that separate a letter guests actually read from one they skim and forget. No email sign-up, no gate. Take what you need.

In this article we'll cover: 

• What an Airbnb welcome letter is (and when to send one)

• 8 elements every Airbnb welcome letter needs

• 3 Airbnb welcome letter templates (casual, professional, luxury)

• Common welcome letter mistakes (and how to fix them)

• From one-time letter to living guidebook welcome page

• Frequently asked questions

What an Airbnb welcome letter is (and when to send one)

An Airbnb welcome letter is a short, warm note that greets your guest and orients them to your space. It's the hospitality layer on top of the logistics, the message that says "we're glad you're here" before it says "here's how the thermostat works."

It's easy to tangle up three things that sound similar, so let's separate them:

• The welcome message is the quick note you send through the Airbnb app, often automated, around booking or the day before arrival. It's logistics-first: check-in time, address, door code. Short and functional.
• The welcome letter is the warmer, slightly longer greeting a guest reads when they arrive, either printed on the counter or as the opening page of your guidebook. It's tone-setting and personal.
• The welcome book (or guidebook) is the full reference: WiFi, appliance instructions, house rules, local recommendations, emergency info. The letter is the front door to the welcome book. (We break the full welcome book down in our guide to the Airbnb welcome book.)

On timing: send a version of the welcome letter just before or right at arrival, when the guest is standing in your space and forming their first impression. Many hosts print it and leave it on the kitchen counter, and mirror the same content as the opening screen of a digital guidebook so it's readable from a phone the moment guests walk in, and any time after.

8 elements every Airbnb welcome letter needs

The best welcome letters are short but complete. Hit these eight elements and you'll answer the questions that otherwise become mid-stay texts.

1. A warm, personal greeting. Use their first name. "Hi Sarah and family" beats "Dear Guest" every time. This one line does more for your review score than any other sentence in the letter.

2. A one-line "so glad you're here." Say you're happy to host them and hope they have a great stay. It's small, but its absence is felt.

3. The essentials, up front. WiFi network and password, and how to get in (or confirmation they're already in). Put these near the top. It's the first thing every guest looks for, and burying it in paragraph six guarantees a text message.

4. A quick orientation to the space. Where to find the important stuff: extra towels, coffee, the thermostat, spare blankets, the fuse box. Two or three lines, not an inventory.

5. The few rules that actually matter. Not all fifteen house rules, just the two or three that protect the space and your neighbors: no smoking indoors, quiet hours, shoes off, whatever's non-negotiable. Frame them warmly, not as a threat.

6. A couple of local recommendations. Your favorite coffee shop, the taco place two blocks over, the trail everyone misses. This is the detail guests remember and mention in reviews. It signals a real host, not a management company.

7. Check-out basics (briefly). A one-line pointer to check-out time and where fuller instructions live. You don't need the whole routine here; just make sure they know where to find it. (Our Airbnb check-out instructions guide covers this in full.)

8. How to reach you. The single best way to get in touch and roughly how fast you respond. "Message me through the Airbnb app and I'll usually reply within an hour" prevents both panic and phone tag.

3 Airbnb welcome letter templates (casual, professional, luxury)

Copy any of these, swap in your details, and you're done. Each hits the eight elements above in a different voice. Pick the one that matches your property and your personality.

Template 1: Casual and friendly

Hi [Guest First Name]! Welcome to [Property Name] 👋

We're so happy you're here. Make yourself completely at home. Kick your shoes off, raid the coffee, and settle in.

The quick stuff:

• WiFi: [Network] / Password: [Password]
• You're all set to come and go with the code I sent, so no keys to keep track of.
• Thermostat's in the hallway, extra blankets are in the closet by the bathroom, and there's coffee and tea in the cupboard above the kettle.

Two small favors: no smoking inside (the porch is all yours), and please keep things quiet after 10 p.m. for our neighbors.

If you're hungry: [Café Name] two streets over does the best breakfast in town, and [Restaurant] is our go-to for dinner. Tell them we sent you.

Checking out around [time]? No stress. I've left a quick list by the door. And if anything comes up, just message me through the app; I'm usually quick to reply.

Have a wonderful stay, [Your Name]

Template 2: Professional and polished

Dear [Guest First Name],

Welcome to [Property Name]. Thank you for choosing to stay with us. We've done our best to make sure you have everything you need for a comfortable visit.

Getting connected and settled:

• WiFi network: [Network] | Password: [Password]
• Entry: [door code / key location details]
• The thermostat is located [location]; spare linens and towels are in [location].

A few house notes: This is a non-smoking property, and we observe quiet hours between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. out of respect for our neighbors. Full house information is available in your guidebook.

While you're in the area, we'd recommend [Local Recommendation 1] for coffee and [Local Recommendation 2] for dinner. Both are within walking distance.

Check-out is at [time]; you'll find a short list of check-out steps in your guidebook. Should you need anything during your stay, the fastest way to reach me is through the Airbnb app, and I typically respond within the hour.

Wishing you a restful and enjoyable stay, [Your Name] Host, [Property Name]

Template 3: Luxury and elevated

[Guest First Name], welcome to [Property Name].

It's our pleasure to host you. We hope the space feels like a retreat from the moment you arrive.

To help you settle in effortlessly:

• Wireless: Connect to [Network] using [Password].
• Arrival: [entry details]. Your keys are waiting on the entry console.
• Comfort: The climate control panel is [location]. You'll find plush robes in the primary suite, a selection of teas and locally roasted coffee in the kitchen, and additional linens in the hall closet.

We kindly ask that you enjoy the home as a smoke-free space and respect quiet hours after 10 p.m.

For your evenings, [Restaurant] offers an exceptional tasting menu, and we're happy to arrange a reservation. For a quieter afternoon, [Local Spot] is a favorite of ours.

Check-out is at [time], with a short guide provided for your convenience. For anything at all, whether a recommendation, a reservation, or a question, I'm reachable through the app and glad to help.

With warm regards, [Your Name]

Common welcome letter mistakes (and how to fix them)

Mistake 1: Leading with rules. Opening with "NO parties, NO smoking, checkout is STRICTLY 10 a.m." sets a hostile tone before the guest has taken their coat off. Fix: Lead with the greeting and essentials; fold the two or three rules that matter into the middle, warmly framed.

Mistake 2: Writing a novel. A three-page letter is a letter no one reads. Fix: Keep it to a single screen or page. Move the deep detail (appliance quirks, full local guide) into your guidebook and point to it.

Mistake 3: "Dear Guest." Generic salutations tell the guest they're one of many. Fix: Use their first name. It takes ten seconds and it's the single highest-return edit you can make.

Mistake 4: No local flavor. A letter with zero recommendations reads like it came from a corporate template. Fix: Add two genuine local picks. Specificity signals you're a real person who knows the area.

Mistake 5: Static and quickly outdated. A printed letter with last summer's WiFi password or a closed restaurant makes you look careless. Fix: Keep the canonical version somewhere you can edit in seconds (see below) so it's never stale.

From one-time letter to living guidebook welcome page

Here's the shift that makes the biggest difference: a welcome letter shouldn't be a one-time send that a guest glances at once and loses under a stack of mail.

When your welcome letter lives as the opening page of a digital guidebook, it becomes a page guests can re-read any time: from the airport, from the couch at 11 p.m., from the trailhead when they've forgotten your dinner recommendation.

The WiFi password is one tap away instead of buried in an app thread. When a restaurant closes or your check-out time changes, you update it once and every current and future guest sees the new version instantly. No reprinting, no re-sending, no stale info.

That's the difference between a letter and a living document. The warmth of the greeting stays; the logistics become something guests can actually rely on throughout the stay.

Touch Stay lets you build exactly this: a branded digital guidebook where your welcome letter is the first thing guests see, and everything else (house manual, local guide, check-out steps) is a tap away. If you're setting one up, start with our complete Airbnb guidebook guide, then the full Airbnb welcome book and house manual walkthroughs.

Want this living in your guidebook instead of a Google Doc? Start a free Touch Stay trial and turn your welcome letter into a page guests can open any time.

Frequently asked questions