The welcome booklet is a small printed leaflet that you can leave in a visible place within your property. The idea is to provide guests with information such as the chalet’s amenities and its surroundings. It should contain all the information they need for a good holiday and will answer any questions they might have, so it’s an important part of your holiday rental business!
The booklet contains your personal guide to the area, its food and the activities available, as well as a way to demonstrate the level of care you have for your guests.
What should your welcome booklet contain?
Here are some of the most important things to include…
1. Instructions for how things work at the property
Every holiday home is different, so it’s useful to include the house rules and instructions for using the facilities at your chalet. We recommend including…
- A welcome message which creates a great first impression, if you can personalise it for each guest, even better!
- The instructions for using amenities such as the air conditioning, the heating, the swimming pool/hot tub, the sauna, etc
- The Wifi code
- The access codes for entering the property
- A map of how to get from the accommodation to the pistes, to local walks or other nearby activities
- The house rules – for example, whether pets are allowed, or if smoking is permitted
- What they should do before they leave – where to leave the keys, any cleaning that needs to be done, etc
2. Useful contacts
Your guests may not be familiar with the place they’ll be staying in, so it’s helpful to give them some useful information about the area and who they can contact in case of an emergency.
Here are some things you could include:
- The number of someone they can contact in your absence, who lives near your chalet and can get there quickly if there’s a problem (for example the caretaker or management team)
- Contact details for the hospital, doctors, dentists, vets and pharmacies
- A reminder of the emergency numbers for the fire service, police, doctor on call and ambulance
- Details of a maintenance service in case there’s a problem in the property
3. Local activities
Guests will be pleased to find your recommendations of places to visit in the area, as well as local businesses that could be useful during their stay. Here are some ideas:
- Hiking trails
- Bakeries and local shops
- Museums
- Sporting activities (skiing, snowshoeing, sledging, horse-riding, adventure parks, swimming pools etc)
- Activities for young children
- Restaurants, bars and cafés
- Local transport (buses, car hire, railway station)
Guests are also happy to find recommendations for supermarkets as well as sports shops and places they can buy gifts and souvenirs.
Tips for your welcome booklet
- In this digital age, you can also create an electronic version of your welcome booklet, which can be read on any device or smartphone
- Consider making versions of the welcome booklet in other languages, for guests who do not speak English
- Here’s a list of just some of the software you can use to help you put together your booklet:
- It’s worth knowing that you can also get your welcome booklet professionally made – it will save you time and it will look even better!
As you have seen, the welcome booklet is an important part of your guests’ arrival at your property. It’s important, therefore, to make sure it’s easy to read, comprehensive and reflects your image. We hope this article will help you create the perfect one! To find out more, and to get expert advice, don’t hesitate to contact us, and share your experience with us on our social media!
