Airbnb Welcome Book: Paper vs Digital (and What to Put in It)
The welcome book is the heart of good hosting — but paper versions go stale and unread. Here's what belongs in yours and why hosts are switching to digital welcome books.
HIOZ Editorial14 August 2026Updated 23 August 20262 min read
Should an Airbnb welcome book be paper or digital?
Digital wins for almost every host. A digital welcome book reaches guests before arrival, stays up to date without reprinting, translates into guests' languages, protects sensitive codes and can include video demonstrations. Paper still has a place as a one-page QR sheet that points to the digital guide.
Key takeaways
- Guests need welcome book information before they arrive — paper can't reach them.
- A digital welcome book updates once for every future guest; paper is out of date at the first change.
- Keep a single printed page with the Wi-Fi details and a QR code to the digital guide.
- Video walkthroughs make the best welcome books because guests watch instead of reading.
The welcome book is where hospitality actually happens: it's the difference between a guest who settles in immediately and one who spends the first evening messaging you. The question isn't whether to have one — it's what format actually gets used.
The honest comparison
| Paper welcome book | Digital welcome book | |
|---|---|---|
| Reaches guests before arrival | No | Yes — from your first message |
| Stays up to date | Reprint every change | Edit once, done |
| Languages | One | Many, automatically |
| Video demonstrations | No | Yes |
| Protects door codes | No — it's on the table | PIN + expiry per stay |
| Findable at 11pm in the dark | If they find the shelf | It's on their phone |
| Shows you what guests read | Never | Analytics |
Paper's one real advantage: it doesn't need charge or signal. That's why the right amount of paper is one page — Wi-Fi details and a QR code to the full guide.
What belongs inside (checklist)
- Before arrival: directions, parking, transport options, check-in time and access instructions.
- First hour: Wi-Fi, heating, hot water, lights, TV.
- Daily life: appliances one by one, bins and recycling, quirks worth knowing.
- Rules and safety: noise, smoking, pets, emergency numbers, first aid, fire equipment, water and power shut-offs.
- Your area: the restaurants and spots you actually recommend, not tourist-board filler.
- Leaving: checkout time and the short list of what you'd like done.
The recording shortcut
The hardest part of a welcome book has always been writing it — which is why so many are half-finished. The video-first approach removes that step: walk around your property once, explaining things naturally, and let AI turn the recording into structured sections.
That's exactly what HIOZ does. Your walkthrough becomes a complete digital welcome book: sections drafted automatically, each linked to the video moment where you explain it, translated into up to nine languages, with an AI concierge that answers questions from your content. The result is a welcome book that guests genuinely use — because it answers their exact question in seconds.
Related: What is a digital guest guide for Airbnb? →
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