Many aspects of the guest experience happen in writing. Whether you are marketing a rental in your listing description, or clearly conveying house rules, your words make a difference.
Running your short-term rental property as a true professional means happy guests + great reviews
No guest wants to feel like they've paid hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars to stay with an amateur! And, when it comes to professionalism, your words matter.
Airbnb identified the 7 key moments of guest communication:
Inquiry stage: guests are looking to book with you. How do you respond to their initial requests?
At the time of booking: the guests have given you their hard-earned money. Now, how do you get them excited and set the right expectations?
Pre-arrival: how do you make sure your guests have all of the right information for a smooth arrival?
At check-in: did the guests easily get inside? Are they happy?
After the first night’s stay: a quick, friendly message confirms everything meets the guests' expectations.
Before checkout: set the stage for building an ongoing guest relationship.
Pro Hosts and Superhosts offer a fantastic guest experience—and, yep, that includes communicating effectively with guests through all 7 Key Moments listed above!
Not to mention the moments not listed, like enticing potential guests in the first place with your written property description, outlining your house rules in a way that makes sense, ensuring the property's cleanliness exceeds the expectations of even your pickiest guests...
It's... a lot. You really do have to earn those five stars! But that doesn't mean you can't take a few shortcuts here and there.
That's where we come in.
House Rules
Welcome Letter
Checkout Instructions
Emergency Contact Information
Door Signage
Safety Checklist
Cleaning Checklist
Rate Your Stay Reminder
Top 5 Restaurants & Top 5 Things To Do Guides
The Top 5 Things to Do QR Code Version
Wifi Password Tent Card
Wifi Password QR Code
Property Description Listing Workbook (Value: $100)
Since 2015, Guest Hook has helped hundreds of short-term rental hosts create property descriptions that set them apart. Our Property Description Listing Workbook is great for those who prefer a lighter investment than hiring our pro copywriters, yet don't want to go it alone. Let us help you create a listing that shines, using your own words! This part of the template pack alone is worth $100. But wait, there's more!
Welcome Letter (Value: $49)
Greet your guests with a well-written welcome letter that shows you appreciate them. This is especially important if you are not able to meet your guests in person upon arrival! It's one of those small things that makes a big difference.
House Rules (Value: $49)
When it comes to your house rules, the most important part is clearly communicating them! With our House Rules template, we cover all of the most important bases to protect your investment and keep everyone happy (including the neighbors).
Checkout Instructions (Value: $49)
Don't bury your checkout instructions in an email or your guidebook! Print a copy, too, and leave them in a visible spot to ensure a seamless, stress-free checkout process.
Emergency Contact Information (Value: $29)
To keep your guests safe, print and display emergency contact info in a highly visible spot (like on your fridge). Simply fill in the template with info on nearby urgent care facilities, hospitals, and more.
Door Signage (Value: $49)
Use this template and place it on the back of your rental’s door to provide your contact information and to remind your guests to book direct next time! This is also a great place to offer a discount code for returning guests.
Safety Checklist (Value: $49)
The Pro Host Template Pack also includes non guest-facing checklists that are vital to running a professional rental. We created this Safety Checklist for you (or your property management team) to complete thorough, routine safety checks of the property that ensure guests are protected... and so are you.
Cleaning Checklist (Value: $100)
Some of the worst reviews in the short-term rental industry are the result of sub-par cleaning. Use this Cleaning Checklist (and pass along to your cleaning crew!) to organize your changeovers and make sure nothing is missed.
Rate Your Stay (Value: $29)
Our Rate Your Stay template is a great way to nudge guests into reviewing their stay and providing you with essential feedback. Print these and leave them in your rental so guests can fill them out—or email it for them to complete when they get home.
The "Top 5" (Value: $29)
Detailed, multi-page guidebooks for guests are great, but sometimes it's also helpful to keep it short, sweet and to-the-point for busy guests. Summarize your favorites with our "Top 5" templates, which point to your five most-recommended restaurants and top five activities. QR code version available, too!
WiFi (Value: $29)
Drastically decrease the numbers of texts and calls you receive asking for your WiFi info by using this template, which can be prominently displayed in your rental for those who want to get connected ASAP. QR code version available, too!
You could re-create all of these templates on your own time... or hire a designer and copywriter to create them for you. But why do either of those, when you can save hours of your life and hundreds of dollars with our ready-made templates?
Conrad O'Connell is the founder of BuildUp Bookings and Director of Guest Hook. Since 2014, Conrad has worked with over 65 vacation rental companies to improve their digital marketing. Conrad has managed millions in Google, Facebook and Bing Ads spend with companies earning tens of millions per year in bookings for their STR/vacation rental operations.
Alessandra Colandrea is the lead Account Exective at Guest Hook and a professional host with her vacation rental on the island of Aruba. With a 4.9/5 rating on Airbnb, Alessandra knows what it takes to deliver the best experience for guests. Across hundreds of bookings, Alessandra learned what nearly every guest asks and has leveraged that knowledge into The Pro Host Template Pack.
Working with vacation rental owners and property managers daily, we know what it takes for owners to make the guest experience both memorable and exceptional. With these templates, we are sharing all of our knowledge with you!
Simply open the templates, update with the relevant info for your rental(s), customize to fit your brand (optional), print, and get them in front of guests' eyes! Don’t forget about the property description listing workbook to help you market effectively, too.
Create the best guest experience and stand out from the rest.
Download The Pro Host Template Pack today and try it for yourself. If you don’t see an immediate value in using these templates and communication scripts for your STR/vacation rental or Airbnb business, let us know. We'll refund your money!