Guest information folder for the holiday rental
What belongs in the perfect guest folder?
What do travellers usually do first after checking into a holiday rental? They look into the guest folder to get details about the accommodation and the local area.
The guest folder, also known as an info folder, is one of the most useful things you can provide to your guests. With a well-prepared guest folder, you ensure as a host that new holidaymakers immediately feel at home in your holiday rental.
But what contents should be included in the guest folder, and how do you make it attractive and easy to navigate? We’ll answer these and other questions in this article.
What shouldn’t be missing from the guest folder
To prevent the info folder from turning into a lengthy tome, the main focus is to provide your holiday guests with interesting, useful, and practical information about your holiday property and the region.
Therefore, the guest folder should be divided into separate, helpful sections. This keeps the folder organised and the information easily accessible for your guests. What should definitely not be missing in a perfect guest folder:
1. Welcome your guests
Use the introduction of the guest folder to greet your holiday guests and welcome them to your holiday let. Especially if you can’t personally greet your guests upon arrival, a welcome message is a good way to still establish a personal connection with your holiday guests.
2. Information about the holiday accommodation
Even if your holiday guests have often spent their holidays in a holiday rental: Every accommodation is unique, has different facilities, and is therefore something completely new for your guests.
In this section, you should list the rules and peculiarities of your accommodation that need to be observed. This includes especially the house rules and regulations, rental policies, and clear instructions on how certain things in your holiday accommodation work.
- Are there specific rules to be followed in the accommodation?
- Is there anything special to consider in the kitchen or bathroom?
- When and where should the rubbish be disposed of, and where is the nearest glass recycling container?
- Are pets allowed in the accommodation?
- Is smoking allowed in the accommodation?
3. Use of WLAN, television, washing machine & more
Wireless internet access is one of the most important things for holiday guests. Therefore, explain briefly and simply in your guest folder how to connect to the WLAN of your accommodation.
Also, explain how the television and remote control work. This also includes an overview of the available TV channels.
Other important information in this section includes instructions and information on:
- Access codes
- Netflix connection
- Safe codes
- Internet connection
- Heating and thermostats
- Use of kitchen appliances, washing machine, dryer…
- Use of barbecue, fireplace, swimming pool, hot tub, sauna…
If you also have “smart home” facilities in your holiday property, you should also provide helpful information about them in the guest folder, or give your guests a personal explanation upon arrival.
4. Restaurants, bars and shopping in the area
Usually, holiday rental guests cater for themselves. In addition to an overview of restaurants & bars, a list of nearby shopping options is therefore also helpful – e.g. supermarkets, bakeries, organic shops, delivery services, weekly markets or shopping centres.
Also valuable are details on where the nearest petrol station, electric vehicle charging point or cash machine is located.
5. Activities & leisure ideas
Some guests research what activities and places they want to visit in the region before their holiday. Other guests go with the flow and decide spontaneously on-site what they feel like doing.
However, especially families with children appreciate useful tips – and as a landlord or landlady, you surely know your own region best. For example, you could write a top 10 list of your personal favourite activities. Or you could create a small catalogue with the most popular hiking and cycling routes, viewpoints and beaches in the region of your holiday let.
So use this section of the guest folder for an overview of leisure ideas. These can be tips for a day trip to nearby cities, sports activities, animal and leisure parks, as well as other suitable destinations for children.
Perhaps you also have some leaflets or guidebooks that you can include in the guest folder. And maybe you even cooperate with some local companies whose leisure activities you can offer to your holiday guests.
6. Special events in the region
A highlight for holiday guests are special events that are repeated annually – and some guests even travel specifically for them. Surely there are also special events in the region of your holiday accommodation for festivals or public holidays. Therefore, you can add to your guest folder a kind of event calendar with information about the most popular events.
7. Map of the area
To give your holiday guests a rough orientation of the place and the surroundings, a general map with a section of the region and your marked accommodation is helpful.
8. Emergency phone numbers & contacts
Holiday guests do not have all the resources they usually have at home during their holidays. That’s why guests will feel especially secure with you as a host if they know that you are thinking about their safety.
At this point in the guest folder, in addition to your personal contact details, you should also include a list of important emergency numbers, such as for pharmacies, doctors and hospitals, as well as veterinarians if your holiday guests are arriving with pets.
9. Public transport
Help your guests explore the area. In this section of the guest folder, you can provide bus timetables, contacts and other useful information, such as:
- Bus routes and timetables
- Taxi and shuttle services
- Car rentals
- Train stations and airports
- Local area and city maps
10. Arrival & departure
If you want to send the guest folder as a PDF file by email to future guests before their arrival, be sure to include information about arrival and departure. This includes your full address with coordinates and directions from the nearest train station or airport.
Also, let your holiday guests know if and where parking is available if guests arrive by car.
Furthermore, you should mention the arrival and departure times again. Also, explain how the key handover will take place and if there are any specific rules for check-in and check-out.
The right tone is important
A guest folder not only serves to convey information but also evokes feelings. Therefore, always make sure to use a friendly tone – this is especially important in the area of house rules. So please avoid words like “should”, “must” or “prohibit”.
Visual design of the guest folder
The design of the guest folder also plays an important role and should always match the ambiance of your accommodation.
It’s up to you whether you opt for a bound folder or a binder. The binder has the advantage that you can quickly exchange individual sheets. However, the bound folder looks more elegant.
But whether it’s a folder or a binder: The condition of the guest folder is crucial. Therefore, check the guest folder regularly and replace worn-out and tattered pages.
Conclusion
Holiday guests appreciate finding information about the holiday accommodation and the region quickly and easily on-site. Therefore, a well-equipped guest folder is probably one of the most useful things you can provide to your guests.
In addition to the content of the guest folder, the design and approach are also crucial.
The most important thing is to organise the information in the guest folder clearly into different sections. With a table of contents after the cover or corresponding section markers, your guests can find the individual contents more quickly.
It is recommended to add some additional blank pages at the end of the guest folder. On these, your guests can leave praise, criticism, wishes and suggestions. With this valuable information, you can improve your holiday accommodation and thus increase the satisfaction of your holiday guests. This will result in more positive reviews, which in turn will increase the occupancy of your accommodation.