If you host on Airbnb, you already know the drill — guests message asking for the Wi-Fi password five minutes after check-in, then the door code, then where to park. A digital welcome guide answers all of it before they ask. Here's how to build one that guests actually open.
Why a digital guide beats a printed one
The laminated sheet on the kitchen counter worked fine in 2015. Today, guests arrive with their phone in their hand — not looking for paper. A digital welcome guide meets them where they already are.
- ✓Updates instantly — change the Wi-Fi password once, it's live everywhere
- ✓Guests access it before arrival, not just after they're already confused
- ✓No printing, no re-laminating, no "where did I put that sheet"
- ✓One QR code on the door handles every question — even at 2am
What to include in your Airbnb welcome guide
Keep it focused. Guests don't need your whole life story — they need the answers to the five questions every guest has. Cover those first, then add the extras.
The essentials (always include these)
- ✓Door code or key location — even if it's obvious, write it down
- ✓Wi-Fi name and password — tap-to-copy saves everyone time
- ✓Check-in and check-out times
- ✓Heating, hot water, and anything with a quirk ("the shower needs 30 seconds")
- ✓Emergency contact — yours, and local emergency services
The extras that make a good host great
- ✓House rules — written warmly, not like a legal document
- ✓Parking instructions if it's not obvious
- ✓3–5 local spot recommendations (coffee, grocery, dinner) — guests love these
- ✓Checkout notes — what to do, what not to do, what to leave behind
How to make it look good without a design tool
Most hosts who try to build a welcome guide in Canva give up halfway through. Aligning boxes, picking fonts, making it look right on a phone — that's a part-time job. The better approach is a tool built specifically for welcome guides, where the design is handled for you.
With Beeguide, you fill in plain fields — no layout decisions, no font picking. Choose from several pre-built layouts and a palette of curated themes. The whole thing takes about ten minutes and looks like you hired a designer.
Sharing your guide with guests
Once your guide is live, you get two things: a shareable link and a printable QR code. The QR code is the important one — print it, frame it, and put it somewhere guests will see it within the first minute of arriving.
You can also paste the link directly into your Airbnb welcome message so guests have it before they arrive. Some hosts do both — link in the message, QR at the property — and that combination practically eliminates "where is the Wi-Fi?" messages entirely.
Keeping your guide up to date
This is where digital wins decisively. When something changes — the Wi-Fi password, a new parking rule, a restaurant that's closed down — you update it once in your dashboard and every guest who scans the QR code from that moment sees the new version. No reprinting. No messaging every upcoming guest. Just edit and save.
Ready to build yours?
First guide is free. No Canva, no design skills — ready in ten minutes.
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