RueBaRue

Vacation Rental Welcome Letter: 8 Ways to Impress Your Guest

They say you only get one chance at a great first impression, and this is especially true when it comes to welcoming guests to your vacation rental.

As a property manager, you want to:

  • Give your guests all the basic info they need (Wi-Fi codes, etc.).
  • Impress them with your hospitality, so they have a stress-free, happy stay—and leave you a five-star vacation rental review .
  • Improve their experience consistently—without any extra work or admin.

An excellent way to do this is to craft the perfect guest welcome letter. But fear not—you don’t have to be the world’s best writer, or pen an essay every time a new guest books.

It’s actually easier than you think to write the perfect vacation rental welcome letter only once, and use the same template for every new guest.

You can even automate the process—saving you even more time.

How? Read on to find out:

✔ Exactly what a vacation rental welcome letter is, and when to send it.

✔ What the perfect vacation rental welcome letter should include and why.

✔ How to use a digital platform such as RueBaRue to create your letter using pre-written vacation rental email templates .

✔ How to schedule it so it sends automatically.

We’ve also included answers to the most common vacation rental welcome letter questions, and even given you a fill-in-the-blanks template, so you can start implementing this strategy today.

RueBaRue lets you send your welcome letter as an automated email or text message. You can also include it in your digital guidebook! Book a demo personalized to your rentals to see the platform in action.

What is a vacation rental welcome letter?

A vacation rental welcome letter is one of the best ways to make an excellent first impression on your guests, even if (especially if) you or your property management team aren’t there to welcome them in person.

Put simply, it’s the first thing your guests will see and read when they enter your property, so it sets the tone for their entire stay and beyond. It’s a letter that is given to the guest before or immediately upon check-in. It includes a personalized and warm greeting, important information about the property and their stay, and your contact information.

When should you send it?

The best time to send the welcome letter is just before your guests arrive, either the day before or the morning of check-in.

You can either:

  1. Send the welcome letter as a separate email before guests arrive, and/or…
  2. Include it as an introduction to your digital vacation rental welcome book , which will also be sent by email ahead of check-in.

You can do both of these in RueBaRue, with no extra effort (see below for step-by-step instructions). You can even send guests a link to the welcome book by SMS. This means they are much more likely to read it than if it was sent to an overflowing email inbox.

It’s especially important to send a great welcome letter when doing contactless check-in for vacation rentals . It helps guests to feel cared for even when they don’t see anybody in person during check-in.

It also opens up the channel of communication with you and your team and makes it clear that the guest can contact you if need be, giving them extra peace of mind.

What should a vacation rental welcome letter include?

Each part of your vacation rental welcome letter is another chance to impress your guest, give them added peace of mind, and a great guest experience, and convey essential information that they need to enjoy your short-term rental to the full.

Here are our top 8 ways to impress your guest in your vacation rental welcome letter.

1. A personalized welcome message, a friendly note about their trip or travel, and a thank you for staying

Using a vacation rental welcome letter template via a tool such as RueBaRue doesn’t mean you can’t personalize it. In fact, a digital letter actually makes this easier, as you can connect your platforms to your PMS and pull guest data to tailor it automatically.

Addressing guests by name makes them feel cared for personally, and adding a friendly note reminds them that they’re dealing with a real human being, which is great to establish rapport amid all the tech, and encourage adherence to guest rules too.

It also makes them feel as though they’re being welcomed warmly, even if no one is there in person.

2. A note about what they’ll find in the welcome guestbook

The letter is intended as an introduction to the welcome guestbook, so it’s useful to include a quick nod to what’s included there. This might include a mention of the most important vacation rental house rules , such as no smoking, or when the quiet hours are.

It might also include important details that guests will likely want to know up-front, such as the Wi-Fi password, and check-out process for the end of their stay.

3. Address

This is crucial information so guests can plan their travel and arrival. Be sure to let guests know if their Sat Nav or Google Maps will have trouble finding the exact place, or if it shows up easily. Then, explain what to do when they arrive at the address if it’s not immediately obvious.

Including the address is also useful even after guests arrive, as they can save it to come back to after exploring the neighborhood.

4. Directions

Again, this is especially useful for guests to help plan their trip, but it could also help guests to return to your rental after a day exploring an unfamiliar city. It could also help if they take a taxi or car service to your space.

5. Parking information

Including essential (if slightly boring) details such as this enables guests to check they have all the information they need before they arrive, so they can plan their journey with ease.

6. Check-in instructions

This is one of the first things guests will ask for after they book, and immediately before arrival. Laying these out clearly will give them peace of mind and enable them to plan their journey in advance, so their arrival is stress-free.

You can also include the check-out instructions here too (if you haven’t already in an earlier section) to make sure guests know how to get in and get out, with zero fuss.

7. In-room details

Here, you can add any important, need-to-know in-room items or instructions, even if they are in the Welcome book too. You might draw guests’ attention to how your smart thermostats or noise monitoring systems work, how to use the coffee machine, where they can find extra tea or coffee, or where extra towels and blankets are if they need it.

This will help your guest to feel at home and comfortable immediately.

8. Property manager contact details

This finishes the welcome letter off nicely; it shows that you’re available for them if they have any questions, and keeps that line of communication and rapport open. It shows friendliness, hospitality, and professionalism to let them know they can always contact you if they have any questions, needs, or concerns—now or throughout their stay.

Depending on your preferred way to communicate, you might leave them your email address or phone number, and explain whether they can write, text, or WhatsApp you.

How to create a vacation rental welcome letter template in RueBaRue

It’s easy to create personalized vacation rental welcome letters in RueBaRue. Here’s how.

  1. Firstly, head to the message templates section, and hit the red button that says “+ADD A MESSAGE TEMPLATE”.
Screenshot of Message Template
  1. Fill in the form spaces. Try to make your subject line friendly and inviting, but to the point. You can also file your message template in a folder to help you organize your space.
Screenshot of Adding a Message Template
  1. In your message text area, you can add “Macros” that will change with each guest. Click “View Macros”. This is how you personalize your message to the guest, and to your different rental spaces. Macros can include anything from your guest’s first name to their email address, their reservation door code, link to their welcome guide, their link to check-out, and more. When you’re done, hit Save.

Screenshot of personalized macros
  1. To schedule the message in advance, head to Automate → Scheduler → “+SCHEDULE A MESSAGE”. Then choose the template you just made from the drop-down menu and schedule it for when you’d like it to send, such as 2 days before check-in, Day of check-in...whenever works. When you’re done, hit Save.
Screenshot of scheduler
  1. To add your vacation rental welcome letter to your Master Property Guide, hit Guide, and choose Master Property Guide from the dropdown.

When the page opens, make sure you’re in the Arrival section at the top. When you are, hit the red button that says “ADD AN ITEM”.

Screenshot of adding Item to Welcome Book
  1. Enter your welcome letter details, just as you did for the message template, including Macros, and when you’re done, hit Save. This will include the message in your Master Property Guide for all guests. You can customize the symbol next to your letter, and drag and drop it so it’s in the right place (usually at the top so it’s the first thing guests see).
Screenshot of adding new icon emoji

How to make your vacation rental welcome letter stand out

Just because you’re conveying important details to your guest, it doesn’t have to be too serious or devoid of personality. Write your letter as if you were speaking to a friend. You can include humor and personal details as well as more mundane reminders, to ensure it’s as memorable as possible. Make it easy to read and keep it short and snappy. Split it into sections or paragraphs to make it approachable. No one wants to wade through too much text.

This might sound daunting, but with tools such as RueBaRue, you can write your letter once, add Macros to personalize it, keep it updated every so often, automate it, and you’re done.

It’s a set-and-almost-forget, guaranteed to make guests happy and feel cared for, so they’ll have a great stay and be more likely to leave a great 5-star review for your vacation rental business, with no extra work from you.

A vacation rental welcome letter template for you to customize

Need a welcome letter sample to copy and paste? Try this.

Hi [First Name],

Thank you so much for booking with us. We’re so glad you chose to stay at our place. We wish you safe travels and hope you’ll be really happy at our property, [PROPERTY NAME].

Be sure to take a look at our digital welcome book that we’ve provided for a list of our favorite eats around town, the house rules, check-out times and details, and some other important information to help you get your holiday started.

Just to remind you, here are some handy details:

  • The address of the property is: [ADDRESS]
  • You can find it easily by following [this road / this landmarketc].
  • Your check-in access code is [code], and you can enter the property using it. To leave, [exit instructions].

If you have a car or a vehicle, feel free to park it in [parking details and arrival information if applicable].

Please allow us to remind/explain/let you know that when you are in the property, you can [important in-room details such as the coffee machine, smart thermostat, quiet hours, where extra pillows are, etc]. You can find more information on this in the Welcome Guide [delete if not true!].

Our past guests have enjoyed [major bonus of your area and/or vacation rental], and we really hope that you’ll feel the same.

If you need to reach us, my [email/phone number / Whatsapp] is [DETAILS HERE] in case of an emergency or if you have any questions or concerns.

Your check-out details are [check-out details such as time and process], but let’s not worry about that just yet - you’ve only just booked!

We hope you have a good journey, enjoy your stay and we hope that you will want to join us again in the future.

Thanks again, it’s an honor to host you. Safe travels,

[YOUR NAME]

Now you’ve written your perfect vacation rental welcome letter, it’s time for you to send it to your happy guests, and give them the super-warm welcome they didn’t even know they wanted.

RueBaRue lets you send your welcome letter as an automated email or text message. You can also include it in your digital guidebook! Book a demo personalized to your rentals to see the platform in action.

Frequently asked questions about vacation rental welcome letters

How do you write a vacation welcome letter?

Remember that the letter is intended to give a good first impression, and make your guest feel cared for and warmly welcomed as soon as they book. Keep your letter short and sweet, but welcoming, and include all the details your guest might need without going into too much detail (that’s what the welcome guide is for).

What should a vacation rental welcome letter include?

All the key details, such as information on check-in, check-out, parking, address, and anything else that’s important in the rental. But the clue to the most important part of a vacation rental welcome letter is in the title; it should include a warm welcome that makes guests feel cared for, even if you’re not there in person.

How can I send a vacation rental welcome letter to every guest without writing a new one every single time?

You can use what RueBaRue calls “Macros” in the text, which pulls data from your PMS and allows you to personalize what is otherwise a standard letter. Macros can include your guest’s first name, last name, email address, property name, reservation ID, unique access code, unique check-out link…

Long story short, using automation and template tools such as RueBaRue means you can write a template message once, insert macros into the right bits, and send what looks like a tailored, personalized message to each guest automatically every time, with no extra work from you.

How can I send a vacation rental welcome letter and make sure the guest actually reads it?

Keep it short, snappy, to the point, and add sections and paragraphs to break up too much text. Add personality and humor, and personalize it with Macros to make sure it’s tailored to every different guest and/or each vacation rental.

What’s the difference between a vacation rental welcome letter and a vacation rental welcome guidebook?

A welcome letter is a short welcome text that is the first thing guests will read when booking your vacation rental. It might reference elements of your welcome guidebook, but it won’t go into anywhere near as much detail. A welcome letter says hello to guests, makes them feel cared for, explains any key rules or need-to-knows, and then directs them to the welcome book.

You can even include the letter in the welcome book template as an introduction. RueBaRue enables you to send the letter in advance and include it in your welcome guidebook automatically.

RueBaRue lets you send your welcome letter as an automated email or text message. You can also include it in your digital guidebook! Book a demo personalized to your rentals to see the platform in action.

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