Airbnb Guest Book Ideas: What to Include and How to Get Guests to Write in It

Airbnb Guest Book Ideas: What to Include and How to Get Guests to Write in It

A guest book on the coffee table does three jobs for a short-term rental host. It gives guests a warm moment, it collects honest feedback that never makes it into a public review, and it hands you free local tips you can reuse in your listing. The trick is making it easy and inviting to write in. Here is how to do that.

1. Separate the "welcome book" from the "guest book"

Hosts often mix these up. A welcome book (or house manual) is written by you: Wi-Fi, check-in steps, appliances, rules and local recommendations. A guest book is written by your guests: names, memories, tips and thanks. Keep them as two objects. The welcome book answers questions, and the guest book builds a connection. Disclosure: I make both as paperbacks and printables, and links are below.

2. Add a short host note on the first page

Guests write more when you go first. Use the first page for three lines: a thank-you, your favourite thing about the home and one local tip. A blank first page is intimidating; a handwritten example gives permission to be casual.

3. Use prompts instead of a blank page

Most guests will not write a paragraph from nothing, but they will answer a question. Good prompts:

  • Where are you visiting from?
  • Who did you travel with?
  • Our favourite memory of the stay was...
  • The best place we found nearby was...
  • One tip for the next guests is...
  • A message for your hosts...

A star rating line is also popular because it takes two seconds and kids love filling it in.

4. Offer a quick-sign option

Guests checking out in a hurry will skip a full-page entry. Add a page with four small boxes (name, hometown, date and one line). A book with only long forms ends up half empty, and a half-empty guest book makes the next guest feel less like writing.

5. Give kids and creative guests a space

A sketch-or-stick page where children can draw, tape a ticket or press a leaf turns the book into a keepsake. Families often photograph those pages, and they are the ones that get shared.

6. Put it where guests will see it

The best spots are the coffee table, the kitchen island or next to the front door with a pen on a string or in a cup. Mention it in your welcome message and your check-out instructions: "We would love it if you left a note in the guest book on the table." Do not put it in a drawer.

7. Use what guests write

This is where most hosts leave value on the table. Once a month, read the new entries and:

  • Copy repeated tips (a great bakery, a closed trail) into your welcome book and listing description
  • Fix recurring small complaints, such as a hard-to-find light switch
  • Pick two kind quotes to mention in your listing, only with the guest's permission
  • Note the months with the most guests and adjust your pricing and supplies

8. Keep a habit of updating it

A full guest book is a good sign. Start a new one each year, keep the old ones on a shelf and, if you wish, put a "visitors from" world map or pin board next to it. Guests love seeing how far others travelled.

What to look for in a printed guest book

  • 8.5 x 11 inch pages so there is room for handwriting, or a smaller size if you want it to look like a keepsake
  • A host welcome page and a place to write the Wi-Fi and check-out time
  • More than one entry layout (full, quick-sign, favourites, doodle)
  • A page to collect tips for yourself
  • Paper and binding that will survive a year of use

Related tools from me

These are my own products, so I benefit if you buy them.

A guest book is a small, inexpensive touch that makes a stay feel personal. Start with a clear host note, simple prompts and a visible spot, and read what your guests write.