5 Things Guests Wish You Told Them Before Check-In

You have spent hours perfecting your listing photos, writing the perfect description, and staging your property to look its best. But once a guest books, the experience is shaped by something far less glamorous: communication.

The gap between what hosts think guests need to know and what guests actually want to know is surprisingly wide. And it is in that gap where 4-star reviews live.

Here are five things guests consistently wish hosts had told them before check-in.

1. Exactly How to Get In

This sounds obvious, but "the key is in the lockbox" is not enough information. Guests arriving at an unfamiliar property, often tired from travelling, need specific, step-by-step instructions.

What guests actually want:

• Which door to use (front, side, garage?)
• Where exactly the lockbox or keypad is located (include a photo)
• The exact code or combination
• Whether they need to turn the handle up, down, or push after entering the code
• What to do if it does not work on the first try

Many hosts underestimate how stressful arrival can be. Your guest might be arriving after midnight, in the rain, with kids asleep in the car. "The lockbox is on the left" becomes meaningless when there are three doors and two potential "lefts."

A digital guidebook with photos of the exact lockbox location, step-by-step instructions, and a fallback contact number eliminates this anxiety entirely.

2. Where to Park

Parking seems trivial until your guest is circling the block at 10pm with a car full of luggage. Urban properties, apartment complexes, and shared driveways all create confusion.

Tell your guests:

• Whether parking is available and where exactly
• If there is a designated spot, which number
• Whether they need a permit or fob
• Time restrictions or visitor parking rules
• The nearest alternative if your property does not have parking (include cost estimates)

If your property has a tricky driveway, a narrow garage, or any other parking quirk, mention it. "The driveway is steep, take it slow" is the kind of detail that prevents a guest scraping their bumper and starting their stay frustrated.

3. How to Work the Non-Obvious Things

Every property has at least one appliance, system, or feature that is not immediately intuitive. For you it is second nature. For a guest encountering it for the first time, it is a mystery.

Common culprits:

• The hot water system: Does it take a few minutes to warm up? Is there a switch that needs to be turned on?
• The aircon or heating: Which remote? Which buttons? What temperature range works best?
• The TV: Multiple remotes, streaming services, HDMI inputs. This confuses everyone.
• The oven or stovetop: Induction cooktops in particular trip people up if they have never used one.
• The washing machine: Front-loader quirks, which drawer for detergent, how to start a cycle.
• Smart home devices: If you have smart locks, smart lights, or a smart thermostat, guests need clear instructions.

You do not need to write a user manual for every appliance. A sentence or two covering the non-obvious bit is usually enough. "The aircon remote is in the top kitchen drawer. Press the power button, then use the arrows to set temperature. Fan mode works great at night."

Photos or short labels help enormously here. A small sticker on the dishwasher saying "Pull handle up to open" saves a guest from messaging you at dinner time.

4. Your Actual Local Recommendations

Every Airbnb listing has a "Local area" section, but most are generic and unhelpful. Guests want your personal picks, not a list of every restaurant within a 5km radius.

What makes a recommendation useful:

• Be specific: "The fish tacos at Bondi Taqueria are incredible" is better than "There are restaurants on the main street."
• Include context: Is it good for families? Date night? Quick lunch? Budget-friendly?
• Mention walking distance: "5-minute walk" or "You will need to drive, about 10 minutes" helps guests plan.
• Cover the basics first: Nearest supermarket, pharmacy, petrol station, ATM. These are not exciting, but they are the first things guests look for.
• Share hidden gems: The beach that locals go to, the bakery that sells out by 10am, the lookout point that is not on Google Maps. This is the stuff that turns a good stay into a memorable one.

An interactive map showing your recommendations is worth a thousand words. Guests can see at a glance what is nearby and plan their day without asking you.

5. What to Do If Something Goes Wrong

Guests worry about things going wrong and not knowing what to do. A short section covering common scenarios gives them confidence.

Include:

• Your contact details and response time: "Text me any time. I usually respond within 30 minutes during the day."
• Emergency numbers: Police, fire, ambulance, and the local hospital or medical centre.
• Building manager or neighbour contact: If you are not nearby, who can help in person?
• Common issues: "If the power trips, the switchboard is in the hallway cupboard. Flip the switch marked 'Main' back up."
• What NOT to worry about: "The floorboards creak a bit upstairs, that is normal" or "The hot water heater makes a clicking sound when it starts up."

This section is not about covering every possible disaster. It is about giving guests the confidence that if something small goes wrong, they know what to do and who to call.

The Communication Gap Is Your Opportunity

Here is the thing most hosts miss: guests do not leave 4-star reviews because your property was bad. They leave 4-star reviews because something was slightly confusing, slightly inconvenient, or slightly unclear.

The fix is rarely about upgrading your property. It is about upgrading your communication.

A digital guidebook lets you deliver all of this information in a clean, organised, mobile-friendly format. Guests access it before they arrive and can refer back to it throughout their stay. No digging through Airbnb messages, no hunting for a binder, no texting you at midnight.

Putting It Into Practice

You do not need to write a novel. Start with these five areas and keep each one to a few clear sentences. Use photos where they help. Update based on the questions you actually get from guests.

If you find yourself answering the same question more than twice, add it to your guidebook. Over time, your guidebook becomes the ultimate FAQ for your property, and your inbox gets quieter.

Want to create a guidebook that covers all of this? Start your free 7-day trial with Guest Loop. Set up your first guidebook in under 15 minutes, complete with interactive maps, QR code access, and beautiful mobile-friendly themes.