Ok…let’s get started
Airbnb is an experience-driven platform, and as a host, your job is to provide your guest with an enjoyable, unique, and local trip.
Hosting can be extremely rewarding and gives you the ability to act as the expert on the city you inhabit and love.
Your home is an intimate part of who you are and is at the heart of the entire Airbnb experience.
So why are you confined to a boring text-based house manual that presents the ins and outs of your listing?
It’s no wonder why most guests do not give house manuals and rule the attention they deserve.
Issues with Airbnb House Manuals and Rules
We’ve spoken with hosts from all over the world, and in some cases, this seemingly innocent part of hosting can turn into a lineup of inconveniences.
Here are a few examples of inefficiencies and headaches occurring from poor Airbnb host manuals:
Locked out of the bathroom
A host in Chicago who has multiple listings told us the struggles of maintaining his home manuals. He has a multiple page manual and has to print out a new copy for his guests when he has any updates or they get some wear and tear.
One of his many incidents occurs as follows…
He has a lovely guest staying in his swanky downtown apartment, and he decides to go to the movies with his girlfriend.
Halfway through the movie, he gets a text from his guest…and another…a few minutes later he gets another…WHAT THE HECK?!
His guest got locked out of the bathroom! Nature calls and the host struggles to help his guest find the key to getting into the restroom.
Frustrated, he and his girlfriend must leave the theatre to help his guest get inside and use the bathroom…total bummer!
Cutting into family time
A husband and wife in San Francisco rent out the empty bedroom in their home quite frequently. They pride themselves on the amenities they have in their home; i.e. flat screen TV, with cable and Apple TV fitted with Netflix and Youtube, to mention a few.
One evening their young family decided to take a trip to the beach to catch the sunset. A few emails later…their guest is having trouble turning the TV on and getting on the right input setting.
Long story short, the husband must leave his family and the sunset to help his guest get situated! Happy wife, happy life? That’s not how this one ends.
Locked out in his PJ’s
A guest who was staying at an Airbnb in Connecticut on a business trip goes out for drinks late into the night after his meeting.
Upon his arrival back to the listing, he goes on the porch to smoke a cigarette before getting into his pajamas and calling it a night. To his displeasure, he gets locked out on the porch in the middle of the night!
Cold and embittered he continuously calls his host to help remedy the situation. He finally gets a hold of his host.
The said host must now drive 3 hours to his listing to help the guest find the spare key and get to bed.
Had he read the home manual, to begin with, or had access to it on his smartphone, this would have never been an issue.
Solutions to this problem
Now we know you do not want to be one of the hosts we just discussed, so let’s go over a few options.
Plain old-PDF
You could email your house manual to the guests, but then you run the risk of them deleting it or not being able to find it in their bottomless inbox. So…not the best option.
Go mobile, be happy
Your home is as unique as you are, so rest assured that you can take your home sharing experience to the next level.
Whether you just dabble in Airbnb hosting or are a full-time, professional host, it’s time to go digital.
When you empower your listing with a digital guidebook, you can manage, update, and share the important home and local information with your guests effortlessly on any device, anywhere.
In turn, they can access what they need to know, when they need to know it…this means fewer disturbances in your daily life as a host.
How digital guidebooks work
Typically, digital guidebooks should include useful information in all four of these categories.
Home – Give your guest a warm greeting and welcome them to your home, accompanied by the WiFi credentials
Essentials – Showcase all the basics including your local recommendations and the important info about your home in one place
Rooms – As your guest(s) step inside the various rooms in your home, provide them with all the pointers they need for each specific area.
Amenities & Tech – Help your guests get the most out their stay without having to spend much time pestering you how to use all the devices, items, appliances, and gadgets you own
Alleviate headaches, save time, and live happier. Help your guests get settled and acquainted effortlessly, and allow them to focus on their trip.
Current recommended digital guidebooks
These are some of the favorite options we’ve to keep hearing great things from hosts. But see for yourself by scheduling free demos or checking out their free sample guidebooks to see which is the right fit for you.
✔ How to avoid the BIG mistakes that most hosts make
✔ The secret weapon of all Top 1% Hosts
✔ The pricing strategy used by professionals
✔ How to consistently get gleaming 5-Star reviews
✔ How to free up your time without becoming a "robotic host"
This free training is brought to you by James Svetec an Airbnb Expert who has managed over $1M in bookings & Symon He, the founder of LearnBNB, the #1 Airbnb hosting education blog.
Learn about all of the secrets that professional hosts don't want you to know
I have created a Coral Guidebook.
Now how to I get it linked to my airbnb site so my confirmed guests can access it?
hi, is coral template free for the house manual for airbnb?
I have created a Coral Guidebook.
Now how to I get it linked to my airbnb site so my confirmed guests can access it?
Hey Georgi, Thanks for the message. For questions about Coral, I would contact them directly at https://coral.life Thanks!
How long should a guidebook/manual be, ideally?
Coral.life appears to be useless and unsupported. I reached to them through the chat feature and NOTHING. They site is uneditable on many pages and the print function does not work as of May 2018.
At the time of the original publishing, Coral.life was one of the best options for guidebooks. But they have since changed directions. We’ve removed them as a recommended resource going forward.
I have just 1 unit and don’t want to spend a lot of money on a house manual. Is there a free or low-cost alternative?
Yes, just create one using Google Docs for free and then share that with your guests before they check-in. It’ll also be easy to update.
Great post. I’m experiencing a few of these issues as well..
Nice response in return of this matter with firm arguments and explaining everything concerning that.