Building an Interactive Vacation Rental Guest Book

Discover the importance of interactive vacation rental guest books as we offer tips and examples for creating engaging, personalized experiences.

The traditional visitor guest book has transformed into a powerful tool that does more than collect feedback; it elevates the guest experience and fosters meaningful relationships between homeowners and their guests. With specialized physical guest books or digital platforms like Touch Stay, RueBaRue, Folio, etc., property managers can offer guests an intuitive, secure space to engage, share experiences, and access vital information like Wi-Fi passwords, house rules, and local area insights.

Are you ready to revolutionize your Airbnb or VRBO guest experience? Dive into this guide to discover how to craft an interactive welcome book that collects star reviews and builds a vibrant community around your vacation rental property. It's about more than feedback; it's about enhancing guest experiences every single stay.

The Importance of Having a Guest Book

A guest book might seem like a small detail in the grand scheme of vacation rental property management, but its value is significant. It is one of the ways you can encourage your guests to have real interaction with the property owners and other guests. Here's why every property owner should consider incorporating one:

1. Feedback and Insights: A guest book is a direct line to your guests. Through their comments and reviews, you gain insight into what they loved about their stay and what areas might need improvement. This real-time feedback can be a goldmine, allowing property owners to enhance the guest experience continually.
2. Builds a Personal Connection: While guests choose vacation homes for various reasons, one common desire is to feel a personal touch during their stay. A guest book, whether digital or physical, offers a space where both guests and homeowners can share and connect, fostering a sense of community and warmth.
3. Enhances the Guest Experience: Information is power. By providing a comprehensive guidebook—covering everything from house rules to the Wi-Fi password to tips on local area attractions—guests feel more at home. They're equipped with all they need to navigate their stay and the surrounding area.
4. Encourages Repeat Business: A thoughtful guest book often translates to a memorable guest experience. And when guests have an unforgettable stay, they're more likely to return or recommend your property to friends and family. By prioritizing the guest experience through tools like a guest book, property owners can position themselves for more repeat business.
5. Showcases Attention to Detail: A well-maintained guest book reflects a property owner's dedication and commitment. It shows guests that every effort has been made to ensure their comfort and satisfaction. This level of care can set a property apart in a competitive market.

Physical vs. Digital Guest Books: A Comparative Analysis

The drive to digitize services in the vacation rental sector is stronger than ever, adding a new dimension to the discussion about vacation home guest book formats. Digital guest books offer real-time engagement and data analytics, yet there's an irreplaceable charm to physical books that capture handwritten sentiments. Let's unpack the unique advantages and disadvantages of each.

Digital Guest Books:

Pros:

1. Instant Access and Updates: Digital guest books offer immediate access to information, and updates or changes can be made in real-time, ensuring guests always have the most recent update to the door code, Wi-Fi password, and other timely information.
2. Interactivity and Instant Feedback: With digital platforms, guests can interact by leaving comments, ratings, and feedback instantly. Unlike a physical book, a digital book allows questions to be asked and answered in a conversational format. This allows for a more dynamic guest-owner relationship. With a digital guest book, you can also schedule a customized digital thank you note to appear within hours of the guest's check-out.
3. Streamline Communication: Some guest book tools have a chat function. Having a single source of communication for your guests can make sure your guest knows they are in good hands, and it can reduce unwanted phone calls from a confused customer.
4. Reduced Environmental Footprint: Opting for a digital guest book means no paper waste, contributing to eco-friendly and sustainable practices.

Cons:

1. Requires Digital Literacy and Access to Devices: Not all guests might be comfortable with digital tools, and some might not have the necessary devices or connectivity. Unless the digital guest book includes printable templates for information like emergency services and thermostat instructions, some guests may never see those vital details.
2. Potential Technical Glitches: As with any digital platform, there's a possibility of running into technical issues, which could temporarily hinder access.

Physical Guest Books:

Pros:

1. Tangibility and Personal Touch: There's something inherently intimate about thumbing through a leather guest book or sitting in a sunny nook while penning down your experiences. Guests can leave handwritten notes, sketches, or even mementos, creating a personal connection. When purchasing a guest book for your property, consider spending a little extra to get something that showcases your property. Looking for a customized book on Etsy can really set the tone for your guest’s stay.
2. Acts as a Keepsake for Homeowners: Over time, a physical guest book becomes a treasured keepsake, capturing the history of the vacation rental property and the memories shared there.

Cons

1. Limited Space: Physical books have a finite number of pages, which can run out, especially if the property is frequently rented out.
2. Not Easily Editable: Once something is written down, changes or corrections are challenging, if not impossible, to make without marring the book's aesthetics.
3. Wear and Tear over Time: Physical books, especially those frequently handled, are susceptible to wear, tear, and potential damage from spills or mishandling.
4. Reduced Two-Way Communication: While a physical book can provide useful information to your guests, there is no way to use a physical book for two-way communication. Owners and managers can directly respond to customer notes in the book, but the response is generally not seen by the person who left the comment, only by those who visit the property later.

Ultimately, the choice between physical and digital guest books boils down to personal preferences, the nature of your guests, and the kind of experience you aim to offer. Some property owners opt for a hybrid approach, offering both to cater to a broader range of guest needs.

Navigating the Essentials of Your Digital Guest Book

In the digital age, having a comprehensive and user-friendly guest book is more important than ever. Here's a guide to ensure that your digital guest book is not just functional but also a delight for your guests to use:

1. Key Features Every Guest Book Should Have:
   1. Wi-Fi Password: Guests immediately look for internet access in a connected world. Clearly display the Wi-Fi password, making it one of the first things they see upon check-in.
   2. Welcome Guide/House Manual: Outline essential house rules, operational instructions for appliances, and any quirks your vacation rental home might have.
   3. Thermostat Settings: Simplify the heating and cooling process for your guests. Provide clear instructions on using the thermostat, and perhaps offer optimal setting suggestions for different seasons.
   4. Emergency Contact Information: Prioritize your guests' safety. Always list local emergency numbers and a contact point (perhaps you or the property management team) in case of issues during the stay.
2. Guidebook Essentials:
   1. Local Highlights: Give your guests an authentic experience by sharing your favorite local restaurants, cafes, and hidden gems.
   2. Nearby Attractions: List must-visit sites, museums, parks, and other attractions, especially those that might not be widely known.
   3. Surrounding Area Recommendations: Sometimes, the best experiences lie just outside the immediate vicinity. Provide tips on nearby towns, scenic routes, or unique regional events.
3. Design and Aesthetics:
   1. The Power of Visuals: A visually appealing guest book is more engaging. Use platforms like Canva, which offers user-friendly design tools, to craft an aesthetic that aligns with your property's vibe. Remember, the guest book also reflects your brand and style.
   2. Consistency is Key: Maintain a consistent font, color scheme, and layout throughout. This consistency ensures that your guest book isn't just beautiful and easy to navigate.
   3. High-Quality Images: Incorporate photos of the vacation house, the local area, or even past guests enjoying their stay (with permission, of course). These images can add a personal touch and make the guest book feel more inviting.

Crafting the perfect digital guest book is a blend of offering essential information and adding personalized touches. When done right, it can significantly enhance the guest experience, making their stay both memorable and hassle-free.

Hospitality at the Heart

Hospitality is about making people feel welcome and valued. The guest book symbolizes this core principle in the short-term rental space, offering a channel for guest interaction and acknowledgment.

Whether it's a digital platform on Airbnb or VRBO or a hardback book in a cozy lake house, the guest book serves multiple purposes. It captures guest impressions, offers vital property information, and engagingly showcases your brand. It can even make the mundane check-in process more enjoyable.

What makes a guest book truly exceptional is its ability to add personal touches—like a handwritten welcome note from your host or a specialized local recommendation, like a gift idea—that create a memorable guest experience.

Your Digital Guidebook Options With OwnerRez

Here at OwnerRez, we have created relationships with many different Digital Guidebook companies so you can choose the one that works best for your business. These partnerships allow you to seamlessly integrate your OwnerRez data with the third-party Digital Guestbook. This ensures your property details, door codes, Wi-Fi credentials, etc., are all kept up to date without you having to do anything. Also, many of these Digital Guidebook companies push the unique URL for each booking directly into OwnerRez, so you can include it inside your existing messaging.

Below are companies we work with and have an official integrated connection to.

• Touch Stay
  • Touch Stay digital guest welcome books help holiday and short-term rental hosts and managers put a smile on their guests’ faces. Because happy guests leave great reviews. And happy guests remember, refer, and book again. Place everything your guests will ever need to know before and during their stay just a click away in your Touch Stay app. Completely customized to your brand, including your snazzy colors and slick logo. Share insider tips and supply practical information with easy and intuitive navigation. With Touch Stay, guests get a smooth, secure, and straightforward experience. From the moment they receive a booking confirmation email, they can dive into the digital guest book, leave comments, rate their stay, and find all the info they need to make their visit great. In hospitality, it is the little things that count. And with Touch Stay's easy-to-use design, all those little things are right there.
• RueBaRue
  • RueBaRue Guest Communication Platform helps property managers use smart messaging to communicate with guests, schedule automated text and email delivery of guestbooks and area guides, and respond quickly to guest questions using the property manager app. Reduce the high volume of communication between guests and the property management team. Schedule automated delivery of guestbooks by text or email of door codes, welcome letters, surveys, and more. Help guests report problems to the team for faster resolution, good word of mouth, and 5-star reviews. Send emergency alerts by text about road closures, power outages, and a pending storm. With the integration, guestbooks will be created in seconds, and you will have RueBaRue up and running within a few hours.
• Folio
  • Folio lets you create stylish digital guidebooks that proactively answer your guests' questions, saving you time and money. Use your guidebook to share property information (including photos and videos), recommend local activities, and promote your brand to drive repeat bookings. Share with guests before they even arrive by including your guide's link in pre-arrival messages - no app downloads are needed! Our integration with Folio allows you to sync your OwnerRez listing data into Folio, where it will then be used to generate digital guidebooks quickly and easily. Once the guidebooks are ready to go, Folio will automatically sync the guidebook links to OwnerRez, where you can input them as a field code into your already existing messaging templates.
• Duve
  • Duve (formerly known as Wishbox) is an end-to-end guest management system helping hosts digitize their vacation rental business, increase profitability, improve performance, and offer an elevated guest experience. Duve allows hosts to achieve a contactless guest experience, upsell services and personalize their communication with guests, without compromising their personal touch.
• Orana Stay
  • At Orana Software, they prioritize providing exceptional guest experiences for your valued guests. They recognize the value of your time, which is why they developed a remarkable solution by integrating with OwnerRez. Their solution seamlessly and efficiently integrates the existing information you possess into your digital welcome books, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free process.