How to write a great house manual

What would an Airbnb property be without a house manual? An Airbnb house manual is a great way to give your guests some peace of mind. This manual should be the go-to thing guests look at when it comes to learning how your property runs and also what is worth visiting in the local area. This will also stop guests from reaching out to you multiple times a day wondering how your Netflix runs or where the detergent is. So what should you include in this manual?

A welcome note

Begin your house manual by welcoming your guests into your home. The note should be brief and inviting because let’s be honest, your guest doesn’t want to read an essay on their holiday. Stick to a few short paragraphs and be sure to include your house name ie. ‘Kauri cavin,’ and a few highlights of your property eg. there’s Netflix, you live next to the beach, you can see the sky tower from the balcony.

Contact details

This is essential! Your guests must be able to contact you at all times for their safety, and the safety if your property. So make it easy for them. This should be the first thing that goes after the welcome note. Good things come in threes so make sure you leave around 3 contacts- possibly 2 phone numbers and an email or a number, a Facebook/Whatsapp contact and an email.

The WIFI login details

Yes, you knew this one was coming! WIFI is one of those things that is important to almost every guest, and if this isn’t important to on of your guests, then we’re jealous of how care-free they are.) To please your guests, (and avoid those WIFI-crazed phone calls and texts) make sure your WIFI login and password is somewhere very prominent and obvious in the manual. I would recommend putting it on the front page or the second page on the manual with a heading and in large font and bold writing.

Rules/check-out details

For your Airbnb property to run as smoothly as possible it is important for guests to know when they need to check out. Even though this is probably already noted in the booking process, it is important to give a second reminder as people might have forgotten, or not even noticed the initial details. You could also include with these rules about what to do before leaving, or other rules to follow while staying in your Airbnb property.

The best places to eat

A great way to show your guests that you appreciate them is to share some of your expert knowledge of the local dining scene. Be sure to include plenty of different options and cuisines too! 

Attractions! Attractions! Attractions!

This may be one of the reasons why your guests have visited your area in the first place so be a pal and help them out! As well as your expert knowledge, you can also Google attractions in the area and find some well-known and less well-known attractions to knock your guest’s socks off!

Transportation

Auckland is a large place and as we all know public transport is confusing and generally does not run on time. To ensure your guest have their best possible visit being able to navigate their way around the area, make sure to include bus and train details. You can make it easy for your guests by including bus and train timetables and highlighting where to get on/off for certain locations. Or if you’d prefer, written instructions would also be a welcome thought.

Emergency details

Hopefully, you never have a guest who has to use these numbers but it’s good to have them just in case! Make sure to include the contact details and address to the nearest hospital and doctors/A&E as well as local pharmacies. These details should be obvious to your guests so put in someplace that is easy to see.

Extras!

As well as these important things some other additional that your guests might be thankful for are instructions for where to park in the area, local shopping areas, and even extras that your house has such as instructions for Netflix/air conditioning/the TV.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the house manual is an important part of your Airbnb property. This is because it puts your guests at ease, and the more effort and thought you put into this, means better guest experiences and better reviews. You can present this booklet in any way that you want but A4 or A5 with standard 12pt typing is probably preferable. A bit of humour will also make your manual more enjoyable for guests too. For Airbnb house manual templates, click here.

Written by Lauren Middleton