Essentials for a Great Guest Information Folder
A good well written informative and helpful guest information folder will help your guests have a wonderful time and trouble free stay. Your thoughtfulness, consideration, recommendations and ideas will be remembered and leave a lasting impression. See how to create a great guest information folder and reap the rewards.
This information folder should be clearly visible for your guests upon arrival. It should be well presented and a good idea to laminate your pages for longevity. It is a good idea to put it alongside your ‘Guest Welcome Pack‘ to help ensure it is read upon arrival.
For ideas on how to delight your guests see ‘How to Make Up a Great Guest Welcome Pack for Holiday Cottages‘.
Your Guest Information Folder should include:
- Welcome Note – Warm and welcoming note being friendly & polite. Include a short ‘bio’ about you & your house. Guest enjoyment is really important to you, the more you show how much you care about them the more they are likely to take care of your house.
- WiFi Code – No 1 on the list as always asked for first, provide login details.
- Emergency & Useful Local Telephone Numbers – emergency services, local doctors, vets, taxi companies, etc.
- ‘How To’ – Clear guidance to your household appliances, show pictures were applicable.
- House Rules – A chance to re-iterate the ground rules, guidance and instructions to help avoid misunderstanding and complaints. Be clear polite and friendly with your house rules.
- See & Do – Where to go both locally & further afield. Include best beaches, viewpoints, landmarks and places to visit that must be missed.
- Local Activities – Great local walks, bike hire & trails, watersports, golf courses, adventure parks. ‘Top 10 Local Activities’ as loved by previous guests is a good idea.
- Eat & Drink – Your recommendations & good selection of pubs, restaurants, cafes, tea rooms & take-aways (provide any discount offers you may have arranged for guests).
- Shopping & Deliveries – Local convenience stores, supermarkets, garden shops, best locations for shopping and who offers grocery deliveries.
- Special Offers Available & Local Discount Vouchers – Money saving options, any discounts you may have arranged with local suppliers, restaurants and activities that will benefit your guests.
- Recycling & Rubbish Collection – Mention ‘Bin Day’, where to leave the bins and how to separate and bag up recycling
- On Departure & Checking Out Procedure – Time to vacate the property by. This is a good opportunity to ask for rubbish to bagged, linen stripped, that the house is reasonably clean and any remaining washing up in the dishwasher.
- How to leave ‘Guest Reviews & Feedback’ – Ask your guests to complete a short form asking for their comments and any suggestions (some great ideas often come up).
With such a great welcome and start to their holiday your guests are already fans of you and your cottage. Their happy holiday spirit has been well and truly heightened.
Say ‘Thank You’ & Follow Up with a Guest Review Request
Last year we stayed in a lovely holiday cottage in The Loire region of France. On the day of departure we had a lovely hand written note to say thank you and wishing us good journey home along. We were also given a lovely bottle of the local red wine.
Within a few days of arriving home with fond memories of our stay still fresh in our minds we received a lovely follow up email from the owners. They mentioned that they would like to see us back sometime soon and thank you for leaving the house so clean. In addition, would we mind please leaving a review (with a review link).
We were also given a ‘Friends & Family’ discount that we could share and also pop on Facebook. Consequently we shared our great holiday experience with our friends and family and left a 5* review too.
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