What should a holiday home welcome book include?
A good welcome book includes: a welcome message and contacts, arrival and access instructions, Wi‑Fi, how the appliances and heating work, waste sorting, house rules, useful numbers (112), tips about the area and check-out instructions. A few clear details beat a long folder nobody reads.
Is a printed or a digital welcome book better?
A printed book is nice to leaf through, but it has to be reprinted at every change and is usually in one or two languages. The digital version opens from a QR code, updates in real time and can be translated automatically. You can use both: a QR code printed in the book that opens the digital guide.
Welcome book template to copy, for free
The template is below, free and with no email to leave. There is no file to download: you copy the text. There is an Italian and an English version, with the same sections. Paste it into a document, replace the parts in square brackets with your home’s details and remove what you do not need.
Besides the usual sections it has waste sorting, useful numbers with 112, parking and the ZTL (limited traffic zone), and a line for the CIN, the Italian national identification code. Bin days and colours change from one town to the next: copy your town’s instructions. The CIN line is only a placeholder: whether and how to display the code is for the official sources to say, not this template.
LIBRO DI BENVENUTO · [Nome della casa] BENVENUTI Ciao e benvenuti a [nome della casa]! In queste pagine trovate tutto quello che serve per il soggiorno. Per qualsiasi cosa contattateci: Host: [nome] Telefono / WhatsApp: [numero] (rispondiamo dalle [ora] alle [ora]) Email: [indirizzo email] ARRIVO E ACCESSO Indirizzo: [via, numero civico, CAP, Comune] Check-in: dalle [ora] alle [ora] Chiavi: [dove sono e come si apre la porta] Parcheggio: [dove lasciare l’auto] ZTL: [se la via è in una zona a traffico limitato, e come evitarla] WIFI Rete: [nome della rete] Password: [password] Router: [dove si trova]. Se la connessione non va, spegnetelo e riaccendetelo dopo 30 secondi. LA CASA Riscaldamento: [dove sono i comandi, come si regola] Aria condizionata: [telecomando, come si usa] Acqua calda: [caldaia o boiler, quanto aspettare] Cucina: [piano cottura, forno, lavastoviglie] Lavatrice: [programma consigliato, dove sono i detersivi] Interruttore generale: [dove si trova] RACCOLTA DIFFERENZIATA Organico: [contenitore e colore] Plastica e metalli: [contenitore e colore] Carta e cartone: [contenitore e colore] Vetro: [contenitore e colore] Indifferenziato: [contenitore e colore] Quando e dove portare i sacchi: [giorni e orari indicati dal Comune] REGOLE DELLA CASA Silenzio: dalle [ora] alle [ora] Fumo: [consentito o no, e dove] Animali: [ammessi o no] Ospiti in più: [regola] Feste ed eventi: [regola] CONSIGLI SULLA ZONA Dove mangiare: [nome, distanza, cosa ordinare] Supermercato: [nome, orari] Farmacia: [nome, indirizzo] Da vedere: [luoghi, come arrivarci] NUMERI UTILI Emergenze: 112 Host: [numero] Guardia medica: [numero] Taxi: [numero] CHECK-OUT Entro le [ora]. Prima di partire: [chiavi, finestre, luci, aria condizionata, rifiuti, stoviglie] Grazie per aver scelto [nome della casa]. Buon viaggio! CIN: [codice identificativo nazionale]
WELCOME BOOK · [House name] WELCOME Hello and welcome to [house name]! These pages have everything you need for your stay. For anything at all, get in touch: Host: [name] Phone / WhatsApp: [number] (we reply from [time] to [time]) Email: [email address] ARRIVAL AND ACCESS Address: [street, number, postcode, town] Check-in: from [time] to [time] Keys: [where they are and how to open the door] Parking: [where to leave the car] ZTL (limited traffic zone): [whether the street is in one, and how to avoid it] WI-FI Network: [network name] Password: [password] Router: [where it is]. If the connection drops, switch it off and back on after 30 seconds. THE HOUSE Heating: [where the controls are, how to set it] Air conditioning: [remote, how to use it] Hot water: [boiler, how long to wait] Kitchen: [hob, oven, dishwasher] Washing machine: [suggested programme, where the detergent is] Main switch: [where it is] WASTE SORTING Food waste: [bin and colour] Plastic and metal: [bin and colour] Paper and cardboard: [bin and colour] Glass: [bin and colour] General waste: [bin and colour] When and where bags go out: [days and times from the town’s rules] HOUSE RULES Quiet hours: from [time] to [time] Smoking: [allowed or not, and where] Pets: [allowed or not] Extra guests: [rule] Parties and events: [rule] LOCAL TIPS Where to eat: [name, distance, what to order] Supermarket: [name, opening hours] Pharmacy: [name, address] What to see: [places, how to get there] USEFUL NUMBERS Emergencies: 112 Host: [number] Out-of-hours doctor (guardia medica): [number] Taxi: [number] CHECK-OUT By [time]. Before you leave: [keys, windows, lights, air conditioning, rubbish, dishes] Thank you for choosing [house name]. Safe travels! CIN: [national identification code]
What to write in the welcome book: the essential sections
These are the template’s nine sections, in the order guests look for them. For each one, what to write and an example sentence to adapt.
Welcome
Two lines of greeting, your name and how to reach you, with the hours you reply. Example: “Welcome! I am Giulia: for anything at all, message me on WhatsApp at the number below, from 8am to 9pm.”
Arrival and access
Full address, check-in time, where the keys are, where to park. If the house is in a ZTL, say whether guests can drive in and where to leave the car. The key-box or door code does not belong in the book or the guide, which anyone who scans the QR code can read: send it privately. Example: “The keys are in the box to the right of the front door. We will send you the code on WhatsApp on the day you arrive.”
Wi‑Fi
Network name and password, written as they appear on the phone, and where the router is. Example: “Network: CasaGiulia. Password: mare2026. If it will not connect, switch the router off for 30 seconds and back on.”
The house: appliances and heating
Only what is not obvious: the oven with its symbols, the washing machine, the boiler, the air conditioning, the main switch. Example: “The air conditioning turns on with the white remote on the nightstand. Keep it off while the windows are open.” A complete example of step-by-step instructions, in Italian and English, is in Airbnb house manual.
Waste sorting
Which bin for what, where the bins are and when to put them out. Days and colours change from one town to the next: copy your town’s instructions. Example: “Food waste in the brown bin, plastic and cans in the yellow one. The plastic bag goes out on Tuesday evening.”
House rules
A few rules, written kindly: quiet hours, smoking, pets, extra guests, parties. The full template, in Italian and English, is in Holiday rental house rules to print. Example: “Please keep quiet from 10pm to 8am: the neighbours get up early.”
Tips about the area
The places you would go: where to eat, the nearest supermarket, the pharmacy, a walk. Five real tips beat a long list. Example: “For pizza, go to Gino’s, five minutes on foot. Book ahead on Saturdays.”
Useful numbers
112 for emergencies, your number, and the ones that matter locally, such as the out-of-hours doctor and a taxi. Example: “Emergencies: 112. For anything else, call me, Giulia, at the number above.”
Check-out
The time and what you ask before departure, without turning it into a cleaning list. Example: “Check-out is by 10am. Leave the keys on the table and close the windows. Thank you, and safe travels!”
Example texts to copy, in Italian and English
Short ready-made texts, with the English version under the Italian one. They work in the book, in the digital guide or in the message you send before arrival.
Benvenuti a [nome della casa]! Siamo felici di avervi qui. In questa guida trovate tutto per il soggiorno. Per qualsiasi cosa scriveteci: [numero]. Welcome to [house name]! We are glad to have you here. This guide has everything for your stay. For anything at all, message us: [number].
WiFi Rete: [nome della rete] Password: [password] Wi-Fi Network: [network name] Password: [password]
Qui facciamo la raccolta differenziata. Grazie per l’aiuto! Organico: [colore] · Plastica e metalli: [colore] · Carta: [colore] · Vetro: [colore] · Indifferenziato: [colore] I sacchi vanno fuori: [giorni e orari] We sort our waste here. Thank you for helping! Food waste: [colour] · Plastic and metal: [colour] · Paper: [colour] · Glass: [colour] · General waste: [colour] Bags go out: [days and times]
Check-out entro le [ora]. Prima di partire: chiudete le finestre, spegnete luci e aria condizionata, lasciate le chiavi [dove]. Grazie per aver scelto [nome della casa]. Buon viaggio! Check-out by [time]. Before you leave: close the windows, switch off the lights and air conditioning, leave the keys [where]. Thank you for choosing [house name]. Safe travels!
Printed or digital?
A printed book has its strengths: you leaf through it on the sofa, it needs no phone and it makes guests feel welcome. The limit comes when something changes.
| Printed | Digital with LOQY | |
|---|---|---|
| Updating | Printed: You correct, reprint and replace the pages. | Digital with LOQY: You edit it in your private area. The printed QR code stays the same. |
| Languages | Printed: One copy per language, to keep in line. | Digital with LOQY: On the Pro plan the guide is translated into the languages you turn on. |
| Before arrival | Printed: Guests see it only when they walk in. | Digital with LOQY: You send the link in the welcome message. |
| Without a phone | Printed: It can always be read. | Digital with LOQY: It needs a phone and a connection. |
| Cost | Printed: Printing, and every reprint. | Digital with LOQY: Free for one property. Pro at €10 a month, excl. VAT. |
A simple setup keeps both: a short book with what does not change and, on the first page, a QR code that opens the digital guide. Times, Wi‑Fi and tips live in the guide, where you update them without reprinting.
Where to put the QR code, spot by spot, is in Where to put the guest QR code. The full comparison between printed sheets and a digital guide is LOQY vs printed sheets.
From template to digital guide with LOQY
A digital guest guide is a web page guests open from the QR code, with no app. The template’s sections already have a place on the property page in LOQY: you copy the texts you wrote and paste them into the right field.
| Template section | Where it goes in LOQY | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome and contacts | Where it goes in LOQY: Useful information, the first text on the page, and contacts | Plan: Free |
| Arrival and access | Where it goes in LOQY: Address, check-in time and instructions | Plan: Free |
| Wi‑Fi | Where it goes in LOQY: Network name and password | Plan: Free |
| The house | Where it goes in LOQY: Useful information; on Pro also a PDF and additional information | Plan: Free; PDF and additional information on Pro |
| Waste sorting | Where it goes in LOQY: Useful information or house rules | Plan: Free |
| House rules | Where it goes in LOQY: House rules | Plan: Free |
| Tips about the area | Where it goes in LOQY: Local tips, with the Google Maps link | Plan: Pro |
| Useful numbers | Where it goes in LOQY: Emergency numbers, 112 included, turned on with a switch | Plan: Free |
| Check-out | Where it goes in LOQY: Check-out time and instructions | Plan: Free |
- Create your account and the property page. The Free plan covers one property, with no credit card.
- Paste the template texts into the fields in the table, section by section.
- Open the page on your phone and read it as the guest will see it.
- Download the QR code as a PDF and print it on the first page of the book or by the entrance.
- When something changes, you edit the text in LOQY: the QR code stays the same.
The Free plan includes one property, basic information and the QR code. Pro costs €10 a month or €90 a year, excl. VAT, with a 7-day trial and no card: if you do not add a card, you return to Free. It adds unlimited properties, translations, local tips, the gallery, PDFs and additional information. If you run several units or a hotel and need dedicated onboarding, write to support@loqy.info and ask for a custom quote.
Frequently asked questions
- Where can I find a free welcome book template?
- On this page: the full template is above, in Italian and English, and you copy it without leaving an email. Paste it into a document, replace the parts in square brackets and print it, or paste the texts into a LOQY digital guide, free for one property.
- Should the welcome book also be in English?
- If you host guests who do not speak Italian, yes. The template on this page already comes in Italian and English. On paper every language is one more copy to keep up to date. On LOQY’s Pro plan you write once and the guide is translated into the languages you turn on.
- How many pages should it have?
- There is no right number. What matters is that guests find the Wi‑Fi, arrival and check-out quickly. A few clear details beat a long folder nobody reads: put the sections needed on arrival first, and the longer ones, such as appliances, at the end.
- Can I send it to guests before they arrive?
- Guests see a printed book only when they walk in. A PDF can be attached to a message, but it goes out of date at the first change. The digital guide’s link goes into the welcome message, on Airbnb or on Booking, and opens the same page as the QR code in the house. LOQY does not connect to the portals: you paste the link yourself.
- How do I update it when something changes?
- A printed book has to be corrected, reprinted and replaced; a PDF has to be redone and sent again. With LOQY you edit the text in your private area and the page updates straight away: the printed QR code stays the same and the next scan shows the new version.
Try LOQY for free
One property and the QR code, with no credit card. For several units or a hotel with dedicated onboarding, write to support@loqy.info.
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