What do you include in your welcome message?

[Elisa]

 

Hello everyone, and wishing you a great week! 😊

Today, I’d like to talk about the welcome message. It’s that first little moment when guests start to feel they’re in good hands.

Some hosts keep it short and sweet—check-in time, Wi-Fi, house rules. Others add a personal touch, like a nearby bakery they love or a kind note to say, “I’m glad you’re here.” 

There’s no right way to do it, just your way.

What do you like to include in your welcome message?

I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts!

Warm Regards,

Elisa 🌻

[Elegant-Homes-Retreat0]

Hi @Elisa,

Thank you for starting this conversation — the welcome message really does set the tone for a guest's entire stay!

In our welcome message, we aim to strike a balance between being informative and warm. Here’s what we usually include:

A warm greeting – We always start by welcoming them by name and expressing our excitement to host them.

Check-in details – We reconfirm the check-in time, key instructions, and any access codes they’ll need.

Wi-Fi info – Clearly shared with network name and password.

A quick guide – A short note about important things like parking, house rules, and how to reach us.

A personal touch – We love recommending a favorite nearby café, a walking path, or something unique to the neighborhood.

Encouragement to reach out – We let guests know we're available if they need anything and that their comfort is our priority.

We’ve found that guests really appreciate the mix of clarity and friendliness. It helps them feel at ease and welcomed right from the start.

Looking forward to learning from others here too — always great ideas in this community!

[Elisa]

Hi @Elegant-Homes-Retreat0 😊, 

Thank you for sharing this amazing comment here.

It’s a really thoughtful message! Did you come up with it yourself, or were you inspired by something else?

Warm regards 🌻,

[Bec3748]

Here's my exact template... including emoji's. It's an Australian hills property (5 star reviews) that is still a young Airbnb.  After booking I send this straight away and it sets the rules and opens a good dialogue with the incoming guest and prompts good communication from then on. 

Dear [enter name], thankyou for booking [property name], a short walk from the beautiful John Forrest National Park. We look forward to welcoming you during your stay.

🦘When you are enroute, once you turn into Throssell Road, please drive with caution as Kangaroos often cross the road and surprise drivers. This is especially important if you are arriving around dusk.

🔑Checkin on [day] is from 2pm. If you're travelling by car and you'd like to park next to the cabin, please come down the driveway, to the right, and park in front of the white wall. The cabin is directly to your right.

🚙We can accomodate one guest vehicle on the property and this car space is for your sole use while you are here. Please note the cabin has a maximum occupancy of two people and no extra guests are permitted.

☕️ The cabin door will be left unlocked and you will find your keys on the office desk. There is complimentary bottled water and milks in the fridge, plus a selection of teas & coffees next to the Nespresso machine. Should you wish to cook during your stay, there is olive oil, vinegars and S&P in the cupboard. In the bottom of the dresser in the walk in robe you will find extra bath towels.

🤿 If you'd like to enjoy the pool deck or a swim it's a short walk in front of the main residence but I can show you if you'd like some assistance. Sunset is around 6pm this time of year and is particularly pretty from that vantage point. I'll leave pool towels on the tallboy in your walk-in robe. The patio lights are turned on after dark to give guests enough light to swim by without interfering with the lights of Perth City.

🧴In the bathroom cupboard you'll find Sukin shampoo, conditioner & body wash for personal use while you are here. 

🔑When departing on [day], checkout is before 10am. Please leave the cabin unlocked and the keys on the office desk, and please don't hesitate to message me if you have any concerns or there is anything we can help with during your time with us. 

All the best and enjoy your stay.

Bec

🏡

[Elisa]

Hi @Bec3748 😊,

Thank you for sharing this here!

This is such a lovely welcome message, well done. 😍

What do your guests usually reply to you?

Warm regards 🌻

[Bec3748]

thanks @Elisa, they usually respond with gratitude and say how much they are looking forward to coming. Over the summer period here the temps hover anywhere between 35 and 45 degrees, so Guests always always appreciate being given immediate reference to the pool. 

[John5097]

@Elisa 

Warm greeting in a few brief sentences that includes booking confirmation, and including something they wrote so they know it's a personal message from me. 

All their check in info, custom door code, check in check out date and times. 

That there is a Home Guide at the listing with info on places to eat, wifi code, how to operate heating and AC, getting around, popular things to do.  

Usually guest are concise so I also try to keep it that way. 

The Airbnb hosting dashboard does provide ratings on how a host is performing, and can compare how they are doing against similar listings.  

This is all that really matters. 

I also never try and coach guest to leave reviews. That's totally up to them. 

I also never send a message during their stay. Once I did muster up the courage to send one of my first guest a message during their stay, they didn't respond so never did it again. I thought I would get 1 star reviews but as it turns out guest only care about getting all their check in information. (I have 100% for each category except location that has 98% as two guest in the past year gave it a 4) 




* the data only goes back one year. But for communication and check in I've only gotten one 4 star review in the past 5 years. (464 reviews) 

[Muhammad-Agus0]

fungsi ini apakah bisa memudahkan dalam penelusuran toko ?

[Google Translation]

Can this function make it easier to search the store? @John5097 

[Elisa]

Hi @John5097 😊, 

Thank you for sharing this here!

I love welcome books for guests. Do you have yours in digital format or on paper?

Warm regards 🌻

[John5097]

@Elisa 

It's in a binder at the listing. 

There is also a digital copy that I uploaded to blog page. I used to include a link to it in the first message. That way guest could click on the link, go to the Guest Guide, as most guest like to plan their trips. 

However about a year ago if guest or host click on any external link in the messages, they get a warning pop up notification, that they are leaving the Airbnb site and to be cautious. So I don't include any links anymore.

I've also tried explaining that they will get a warning pop up if they click on any link, and some guest just suddenly halt any more communication.

So it would be nice if Airbnb would get rid of that pop up warning.

Just to be clear the warning pops up for every link even for major airline, a local theater box office, etc.

* One of the many little things that makes it challenging to host, as host can't even be trusted to send a link about anything the guest might ask about? 
 

[John5097]

@Elisa 

Forgot to add the advantage of a digital copy of the Guest Guide is I include links to everything: each restaurant so guest can click on it to look at the menu, when its open; the main attractions, where to buy tickets, for example there is only one place to buy tickets to the Ft Sumpter tour that uses a ferry which is all operated by the US federal parks.

So all my links are trusted and safe. 

I also use the Airbnb Guides such as places of interest, but guest often prefer my own Guest Guide as I prioritize what's relevant, and add important information, tips, and suggestions. And guest often mention how helpful my Guest Guide in their review. 

It's no wonder guest are conditioned not to trust Airbnb when they send guest notifications like that. Even if I send a link to the local museum or any art gallery they get a warning that the host is potentially a scammer.

All of my bookings have been through Airbnb so it's not like I'm trying to get them to book somewhere else.   


* In summery, I tend to keep my first message, the confirmation message, very concise focusing on their check in. As each listing is different. Where to park, their door code, etc.

I have hand written greeting card for them when they check in.

So I think too much information in the very first message would be overwhelming for a lot of them. And after they check in all that extra information in the first confirmation is just junk, and potentially frustrating if their check in info is buried and lost. 

Then the Guest Guide has more detailed information, thats indexed and organized.