Lay My Hat

Hello, I have my first guest arriving next week and am looking to write Guest Information
Does anyone possibly please have a document they can send to me to see what I need to be including as completely new to this!

Guest information? Isn't that particular to your property and your area? Surely you must have an idea of what you want to tell your guests?

If not then the basics would be house rules, how things work, what to do in an emergency, how to contact you etc etc. Then you'll want to tell them about the location; transport, places to visit, dining options etc. I'm sure you must visit places, do stuff, eat out when you're there?

'Other' Mousie
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Is your website still in development, Mousey, or is it ready for viewing? It's just that you don't show a link to it yet.

Sort of what Mouse said. Guest information is very individual to your property and you.

Mouse's list of the sort of things to include is the sort of thing we provide but you tailor it to your house, area and anything specific you want guests to do/not do. Write it to reflect your personality, style etc. whether that is friendly, chatty, professional etc.

website ongoing!!
Just didn't have a clue what to include so need some idea of what info other owners put and layout, if anyone can help me with this I would appreciate seeing other owners guest info then I can adjust to my own house

Hello Mousey,
We have a folder in our cottage (and I am slowly producing a PDF version to email to guests in advance of their holiday).
I ask guests to take a few minutes to look at the folder when they arrive, as it will help them enjoy their stay and make the most out of the facilities at the cottage.

I include in the folder a separate page for each subject. So for example, our main tv has feesat, free view, there is a 5 point surround sound system, DVD player and ability to connect MP3 players to the surround sound. It would be cruel to expect guests to struggle with user manuals so I have photos of 2 handsets labelled to show what each is for and and a couple of bullet points about how to access the facilities.


I do the same for our aga type cooker, showing a picture of how the heat permeates through the cooker (as it can stay hot for a long time afterwards and is potentially a hazard.)
We give guests full control of the central heating, so again, some basic information about how to switch on and off and regulate the system.

It is written in a friendly way and gives opportunity to remind guests about things like no smoking. What you include really depends upon your property. If you allow pets, a reminder of any "rules" or of your no pet policy. Do your guests recycle? Put bins out? Etc etc. Contact details and a request to let you know if something appears wrong (to avoid a complaint afterwards) contact details for doctor, dentist, vet etc etc you may even include nearest cash point if you haven't told them in some other way.

I suggest you put the information most important to you at the beginning in case they get distracted.......

Imagine you have never been to your area before and first time in your property. What information could you need (and think like the least practical person on the planet !)

Ask your early guests for feedback on your folder and add to it accordingly.
Good luck.

When I started the thought of putting together "Guest Information" wasn't easy. It isn't easy either initially if you haven't done it before.

Over the first 12 months I rehashed mine just about every few weeks and had to print and reprint it many times as I thought of something to add or amend or an unforeseen need for information arose.

Guest info is unique to your property and no two are the same. I'm happy to send you a PDF copy of mine if you send me your email address in a private message to get you started.

Your guest info will develop and change a lot over the first year until you satisfy yourself that it's complete, then out of the blue something will happen and you'll make changes.