Welcome books are riveting and in-depth reading materials that introduce guests or clients to the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a vacation rental, hotel, or any other type of stay. Rather than simply getting insights from a brief property listing page, a welcome book brings the complete orientation, amenities walkthrough, contact details, step-by-step instructions, and answers to an abode’s frequently asked questions.
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Welcome Book Definition & Meaning
Welcome books answer what to expect and know about a property in a detailed and professionally written output, and this form of house manual is a welcoming introduction given to guests, readers, or newcomers to adjust easily to the rules and nitty-gritty of a property.
A welcome book serves as a type of guidebook that houses all the essential information guests should be aware of to have a pleasant stay.
What Is a Welcome Book?
A welcome book is basically an introductory reading material that tells you who to contact in case of queries, where to find specific amenities, what the special programs or features of a vacation rental are, and other details. Copies of a welcome book may either be prepared as a printed book on the rental property itself or emailed to a guest for reading online. Although welcome books are often associated with property rentals, they can also be used as basic manuals for other purposes, such as what clients must know about an event’s program or a company’s products and services.
10 Types of Welcome Books
Vacation Rental Welcome Book
Probably the most prolific type of welcome book is the vacation rental welcome book. It is through vacation rental welcome books that guests learn more about their stay rather than what was advertised in an online listing. This book would not only contain answers to the frequently asked questions about a vacation property rental but also the unique book cover, creative photos of amenities, real customer reviews, and other relevant media.
Airbnb Welcome Book
Founded in 2008, Airbnb is a popular site for booking a cabin, vacation property, summer getaway house, apartment, and so much more. And every property eligible for a temporary stay should have its own set of an Airbnb welcome book. That way, clients learn about everything there is to know about an Airbnb listing before and even after booking their stay.
Hotel Welcome Book
From a one-star hotel to a five-star hotel, a hotel welcome book is paramount to feature your hotel in the best light possible. Take this opportunity to showcase your hotel’s amenities, local attractions, and other major highlights. Besides introducing guests to your hotel, the welcome book can even guide them until their departure to have an accommodating and convenient experience.
Guest Welcome Book
Whether it is spring break, Halloween, or the Christmas season, your guest house may soon be fully booked so be sure to display a well-documented guest welcome book for your future tenants. Don’t forget to greet your guests politely and enthusiastically right after the welcome book’s cover page to delight these clients as soon as they read the rest of the pages. Then, transition the message smoothly by mentioning the serious terms and conditions.
Vrbo Welcome Book
Vacation Rentals by Owner (Vrbo) is a competing platform for renting vacation houses and similar rentals to Airbnb. If your property accepts bookings from this online marketplace, then set a custom Vrbo welcome book as well. Guests can refer to the Vrbo welcome book for quick answers and easy access to a property rental.
Wedding Welcome Book
Wedding events and party companies may also plug in their prices, services, and programs in a compelling welcome book. Using a wedding welcome book, manifest your wedding service’s theme or personality that would make your company special. Of course, you still can’t forget about the FAQs such as what your wedding coordinating services has to offer.
Property Welcome Book
Plug your property rental info using an easy-to-read property welcome book. Treat a welcome book as the pilot episode of what guests should watch to fully comprehend a property rental except it is done in a written version. Then, realize that it’s a good sign if guests have fewer questions regarding your property rental if you have proposed a property welcome book ahead.
Interior Design Welcome Book
Interior designers may promote their works through an interior design welcome book. In this case, live up to your reputation in terms of design by embellishing the interior design welcome book creatively. You might want to insert cute clip art, high-resolution wallpaper, promotional comics, stamped elements, or letter typography in the welcome book.
Beach Home Welcome Book
A beach home welcome book‘s best asset is when you paint a picture of just how cozy, sunny, or a sight to behold your beach house or resort is. Rather than simply showing one beach home scenery to a flyer, banner, or any one-page publisher, a welcome book is more engaging because you have more pages to display your beach home’s amenities, services, and awesome sceneries. Make your welcome book appear as inviting as possible while also having loads of information about the beach home.
Client Welcome Book
Optimize a client welcome book as an editable or custom welcome book that you can use to draw clients and keep them informed about your business, firm, or brand. From the name itself, you can tell that client welcome books are more client-focused so be sure to state facts and information that clients would want to know about your rental, company, or any industry. You may even think outside the box such as inserting your company’s official flag or logo, setting images in PDF versions, spelling the alphabet artistically,
Welcome Book Uses, Purpose, Importance
Welcome books are made to ensure a pleasant experience for upcoming and ongoing guests of a property rental or any other purpose. The best part is that there are still plenty of interesting facts, functions, and reasons to incorporate welcome books in business.
Professional Communication at Its Finest
Guests often have top-tier expectations about the accommodations they receive from a rental and proper communication is the first thing that can depict how professional and well-prepared a business is. Thanks to a welcome book, guests receive the 411 about the necessary questions and answers regarding their stay. You’ll impress them even further with excellent art designs and personalized statements inside the welcome book.
Easy Navigation to Rentals and Its Amenities
Treat guests accordingly, especially on how to turn on/off a room’s air conditioning system, what the WiFi password is, and other instructions that keep clients comfortable and pleased during their stay. The welcome book itself works like a manual so guests can navigate important matters seamlessly. Also, clients easily get to know what amenities are available in a house and how to access them if these details are discussed in the book.
Guide to Local Attractions and Special Highlights
Don’t expect guests to stay locked inside their rooms forever because they would likely want to explore outside as well. Prep their vacation in the best way possible by instructing them how far a beach or specific tourist spot is, recommending the best restaurants or food shops nearby, and basically helping them familiarize any other establishment in the area may it be a school, museum, hospital, library, funeral, adoption care, carnival, etc. Clear and in-depth instructions would be highly appreciated.
An Informative Book in General
Even without a tour guide, host, or personal interaction, a welcome book is a useful tool for information regarding a rental. Make the most out of the data needed to discuss inside a welcome book such as the landlord’s contact numbers, tourist information, policies, to-do list, transportation details, etc. Just make sure only valuable and relevant data are incorporated in the welcome book to meet this reading material’s purpose.
Convenience and Thoughtfulness May Lead to Promising Reviews
The fact that you’re able to bring what guests need to understand and know about their stay in a welcome book, you are actually doing the right job to make their experience easier and more convenient. A guest would have lesser questions about the rental and it may reward your business with positive reviews if you keep up with the great work in writing and designing a welcome book. Hence, bring enough effort and thought into a welcome book to keep your rental business thriving.
What’s in a Welcome Book? Parts?
Welcome Message
Open a welcome book with the welcome message such as the obligatory greetings for the guest. It works best to personalize the welcome message or introduction, such as inserting a client’s name on a blank space of the book, so guests would feel much more appreciated that the book is made for them.
Contact Information
Identify the names of the manager, employees, or anyone who is part of the rental or business including their contact numbers. The contact info will be useful for guests in case they have questions or concerns and are unsure regarding who to contact for details.
Rules and Policies
A welcome book isn’t all fun and games because serious matters such as the rules or policies must be spelled out. This part should be clarified meticulously because failing to follow the stipulations could lead to disputes.
How-To Instructions
Be helpful to guests by instructing them about how to use the lockbox, thermostat, washer, TV, internet access, appliances, and other amenities. This element is crucial so that guests won’t have to keep calling for help on how to deal with the examples given earlier.
Recommendations and To-Do Lists
Besides instructions, you may offer a to-do list or recommendations to guests so they know how to spend their vacation productively and know where the best places near the area to visit are. You never know guests may want to go to a party, beach club, drinking bar, or gym and this section of the welcome book can accommodate them.
Travel Information
Denote a segment called travel information in a welcome book regarding how to get around the area. Give out directions and instructions on how to reach out for a taxi cab, car rental, airport, or any other transportation service in this part.
How to Design a Welcome Book
1. Set an appropriate Welcome Book Size
2. Figure out the purpose or what the welcome book is for
3. Personalize a Welcome Book Template
4. Input the basic parts of a welcome book
5. Apply the desired format, layout, and design
6. Save your progress and publish it
Welcome Book vs. Card
A welcome book functions like any book, which has a series of pages, and it is often used in rentals or professional businesses to introduce clients about products, services, or amenities.
A card is a thick piece of paper or board that is either folded or just one small document; it is used for professional or personal use.
What’s the Difference between a Welcome Book, Booklet, and Catalog?
A welcome book is a document with lots of pages and it serves as a manual or introduction to what a rental or any business has to offer to new guests.
A booklet is a smaller version of a standard book that contains pieces of information depending on the subject.
A catalog refers to a systematized list of items that are itemized according to specific categories.
Welcome Book Sizes
Data sharing and presentation matter a lot in a welcome book and you have to consider those two aspects carefully when it comes to deciding your preferred welcome book sizes. There might be slight differences in dimensions per type of welcome book and you can copy according to the standard welcome book sizes or set custom sizes yourself.
Format | Inches | Millimeters |
| Small Welcome Book | 5.5” × 8.5” | 139.7mm × 215.9mm |
| Average Welcome Book | 7” × 10” | 177.8mm x 177.8mm |
| Small Square Welcome Book | 8” × 8” | 203.2mm × 203.2mm |
| Letter Welcome Book | 8.5” × 11” | 215.9mm × 279.4mm |
| A4 Welcome Book | 8.3” × 11.7” | 210mm × 297mm |
| Large Square Welcome Book | 12” × 12” | 304.8mm × 304.8mm |
Welcome Book Ideas & Examples
Considering that there are tons of properties for rent and different types of businesses that could use a welcome book, it is crucial to specify the title, content, and overall design of your welcome book accordingly. Getting to know about some of the best welcome book ideas and examples may help you find inspiration on what excellently made welcome books look like.
- 2 Pages Quick Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Holiday Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Lake House Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Digital Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Landscape Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Farmhouse Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Host Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Rental Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- Modern Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
- House Welcome Book Ideas and Examples
FAQs
What to include in a welcome book?
A welcome book must have a welcome message, contact information, rules and policies, how-to instructions, recommendations and to-do lists, and travel information.
What is the point of a wedding guest book?
Wedding guest books help identify who is present or not during a wedding as well as allow guests to write their precious wedding wishes to the couple being celebrated.
Why make a welcome book?
A welcome book saves time in answering frequently asked questions about a rental, informs guests about what’s allowed and disallowed during their stay, and enables guests to make the most out of the amenities available.
What do you write in a welcome book?
Write the title, welcome note, emergency contact details, table of contents, check-in/check-out instructions, terms and conditions, amenities manual, additional instructions, local hotspots, and travel details.
How do you make a guest welcome book?
Simply use a blank editable template, edit the design and details, complete the parts of a welcome book, finalize the format and size, and publish the welcome book.
Why do we need a welcome book?
A welcome book keeps guests informed and well aware of the 5Ws and 1H of a property rental rather than having too many questions that are left unanswered during their stay.
What should be inside short-term rental books?
Simply follow the basic parts of a welcome book except your details are focused on a short-term rental.
How do I go beyond welcoming guests?
Create a riveting welcome book, observe optimum customer service, offer small tokens of appreciation in welcoming guests, submit a personalized handwritten note once guests check out, and promote some of your company’s local products.
How much does Touch Stay cost?
It starts at $99 annually.
What should I avoid doing on an Airbnb welcome book?
Never lie about your property rental’s details, don’t put too many edits on the rental’s photo listings, and avoid inputting incomplete details in the welcome such as not completing the main parts of a welcome book or failing to answer the rental’s FAQs.