How to write arrival instructions guests can actually follow

Good holiday rental arrival instructions answer the next question at the moment it comes up. Where do I turn? Where can I park? Is this the right door? What do I do with this key?

Write them in the order guests will use them: street, parking, entrance, access, then the first few things inside. Get them through the door before introducing the local walking tracks.

Start with the approach

Give the correct address and check that your map link leads to the intended entrance. A pin at the back fence is accurate in a fairly unhelpful way.

Explain any detail a first-time visitor could reasonably miss: a shared driveway, a unit behind the main house, or an entrance on a different street. Use fixed features that will still be there next month. The neighbour’s white ute is not a permanent landmark.

Show the right place to stop

Say exactly where guests may park and how to reach their entrance from there. Explain any relevant shared spaces or areas to leave clear. Make the direction of travel explicit: “Facing the house from the driveway, take the path on your left.”

A recent photograph of the correct entrance can help. Check it still matches the property, and give a written description as well.

Explain access in small steps

Describe the actual lock, key collection or check-in arrangement at your property. Separate each action. Avoid assuming guests know which door you mean or that every keypad works the same way.

Send sensitive access details privately to the confirmed guest through your agreed booking channel. Keep door codes and key locations out of public articles, listing photos and social posts. Check that the details sent are current for that booking.

Then help them settle in

Once they are through the door, point guests to the house manual, Wi-Fi details and anything they need immediately. Keep this first message short enough to scan on a phone. Appliance instructions and the full departure routine can have their own place in the manual.

Walk it through before sending

Follow the instructions from the street with your phone in hand. Better still, ask someone unfamiliar with the house to try. Check the route after dark if guests may arrive then, and make sure the entrance can be identified.

Include a monitored contact and a realistic backup arrangement for access problems. Say when help is available; don’t promise round-the-clock support unless you provide it. Update saved messages when locks, parking arrangements or contact details change.

The free holiday rental setup checklist includes an arrival walk-through. For editable guest messages and a house manual you can adapt together, see what’s inside the Self-Host Pack.