6 Ways to Improve Communication With Your Short Term Rental Guests

Sometimes I can’t believe it’s already been four years since we started our vacation rental.

And in those four years, we’ve learned a lot.

When we first started hosting, I was surprisingly passive about guest communication. I assumed people would know how to take care of our home. I assumed they would know where to find things. And, above all else, I assumed they would know how to leave things.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Our first year of renting our vacation home brought plenty of unnecessary challenges. Guests would reach out with questions we felt like we had already answered, and occasionally our housekeepers would arrive after checkout to find things left in complete disarray.

The frustrating part? Our property managers were already sending guests an email with all the important information.

Eventually, I realized the problem:

Guests weren’t necessarily lacking information. They just weren’t reading it.

And really, can you blame them?

When people are on vacation, the last thing they want to do is hunt through their email inbox for a long list of instructions about WiFi passwords, recycling bins and checkout procedures.

Once I stopped expecting guests to find the information and started putting the right information in front of them at exactly the right time, everything changed.

Over the years, I developed a simple vacation rental guest communication system based on the questions and problems that came up repeatedly.

The result?

We’ve reduced guest questions and issues by roughly 80%.

Whether you’re starting a vacation rental or trying to make an existing property easier to manage, these are the strategies I wish I’d implemented from day one.

1. Send Guests a Personal Text Before Arrival

This has been, by far, the biggest game changer in our vacation rental communication strategy.

Originally, I assumed guests were reading the emails sent by our property manager before their arrival.

They weren’t.

So instead of remaining a passive bystander, I decided to introduce myself as the actual owner of the home.

That one small change accomplished several things.

It reminds guests that they’re staying in someone’s home

We’re not a giant hotel or faceless corporation. We’re a couple sharing our vacation home with other people.

Making that personal connection has changed the way guests interact with our property. In my experience, when guests recognize that there’s a real person behind the home, they tend to treat it with more care.

We now rarely have guests who are truly disrespectful of the property.

We offer early check-in whenever possible

If the house is ready, we let them know.

Even on a same-day turnover, if our housekeepers finish 45 minutes before the official check-in time, we’ll send the guest a quick text telling them they’re welcome to arrive early.

It’s such a small thing, but people are genuinely excited and grateful when you give them a little extra.

I’ve found that these little moments of generosity can set the tone for the entire stay.

Guests have direct access to us

Our guests also know that if they need something, my husband or I are only a text or phone call away.

Sometimes it’s a question about the house. Other times they want a recommendation for a great restaurant, coffee shop or something to do nearby.

It essentially gives them a little vacation rental concierge on speed dial.

We tell them another message is coming

Our arrival text also lets guests know we’ll send them our “most commonly asked housekeeping questions” before checkout.

That’s intentional.

Technically, some of these are requests for guests to do a few small things before our housekeepers arrive. But instead of presenting guests with a giant list of checkout chores, we frame the information around the questions guests typically have when they’re getting ready to leave.

It feels helpful rather than demanding.

Our Vacation Rental Arrival Text

Here’s the basic text we send:

Hello ____________,

This is Monica and Greg, owners of the home you’re renting this weekend in Port Angeles.

Just wanted to let you know that the home is ready for you, so if you arrive early, feel free to check in.

Towards the end of your stay, we’ll send some housekeeping information — basically the answers to our most commonly asked questions at checkout.

If you need anything from us this weekend, we’re only a phone call away!

Enjoy your vacation,
Monica & Greg

It’s friendly, short and — most importantly — actually gets read.

2. Send a Simple Checkout Text the Morning Before Guests Leave

Our second important message comes toward the end of the stay.

Again, I don’t want guests feeling like they’re being handed a giant chore list after paying to stay in our home.

Instead, we answer the questions people commonly have:

• What should we do with the bedding?
• Where do the towels go?
• What should we do with dirty dishes?
• Where does the garbage go?
• What about recycling?

Here’s an example:

Good morning ____________,

We hope you’re enjoying Port Angeles and that your visit has gone smoothly! As guests get ready to leave, we like to share the answers to some of our most commonly asked questions regarding housekeeping and departure.

Upon leaving, feel free to leave all the bedding unmade and our cleaning crew will strip the beds. We would, however, be so grateful if you could start a load of the teal bath and hot tub towels in the washer.

Any dishes that still require cleaning can be placed in the dishwasher and we’ll run it during house cleaning.

Garbage and recycling can be taken to the outside bins located in the alleyway of our property. Unfortunately, our city doesn’t recycle glass, but we have a labeled gray bin under the garage overhang where you can dispose of glass.

If there’s anything you need, we’re only a phone call away. Thanks again for visiting. We hope you had a great vacation!

This message answers the questions before guests need to ask them, while also making turnover easier for our housekeeping team.

And that’s really the secret to reducing vacation rental guest questions: anticipate the question before the guest has to ask it.

3. Don’t Be Afraid of Signs in Your Vacation Rental

This one took me a while.

I love a clean aesthetic, so the idea of little instruction cards hanging around the house wasn’t exactly my dream design feature.

Eventually, I had to accept something:

Sometimes function is more important than beauty.

We kept receiving the same questions:

“What’s the WiFi password?”

“Where is the recycling?”

“Where do you keep the coffee?”

Rather than forcing guests to search through messages or cabinets, we created small laminated 3×5 cards and strategically placed them throughout the house.

You don’t need a sign for everything. But if guests repeatedly ask the same question, that’s probably a sign that the answer needs to be more obvious.

Literally.

4. Overstock Guest Consumables — and Make the Extras Visible

This is another strategy that has made a surprising difference.

We intentionally overstock consumables such as:

• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Dish sponges
• Hand soap
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Laundry supplies

But there’s another important part:

Guests need to see the abundance.

For example, we always start with a brand-new roll of toilet paper on the holder and place another full roll somewhere clearly visible — usually on top of the holder or on the back of the toilet.

It’s a tiny detail, but it immediately communicates:

You’re taken care of. You’re not going to run out.

Those little opportunities to create a feeling of abundance allow guests to relax instead of wondering whether they’re supposed to ration everything in the house.

I’ve written an entire post about my Abundance Mindset for Vacation Rental Owners and why I believe it has been such a game changer for our rental.

[READ NEXT: How an Abundance Mindset Changed the Way I Run Our Vacation Rental]

5. Put Checkout Instructions Somewhere Guests Will Actually See Them

Texts are wonderful, but technology isn’t foolproof.

Maybe we have the wrong phone number. Maybe the guest has their phone turned off. Maybe they’re intentionally ignoring texts while they’re on vacation.

So I created a backup.

Just above our kitchen sink, I have a small, tasteful 5×7 framed list with answers to our most commonly asked housekeeping and checkout questions.

Guests naturally see it while they’re using the kitchen.

This means they don’t have to remember where an email went, search through their phone or dig through a giant house manual.

The information is simply there when they need it.

6. Respond Quickly and Kindly — Even to the Random Questions

I’ll admit this one can occasionally test my patience.

Guests can come up with some very specific requests.

Recently, one guest asked whether we had a jumbo pot they could use to boil crab.

Another wanted a griddle.

Neither question had ever been asked before.

And no, we weren’t going to go buy a giant shellfish pot.

But we still responded quickly and kindly.

You don’t have to say yes to every guest request. You don’t have to purchase something every time someone asks for it.

But a quick response communicates something important:

Your guest matters.

Even when the answer is no, being responsive can make the interaction feel completely different.

The Real Secret: Be Proactive Instead of Reactive

The biggest lesson I’ve learned about vacation rental guest communication is surprisingly simple:

Don’t wait for your guests to ask the question.

If one guest asks something, that’s a question.

If five guests ask it, that’s information that probably needs to be added somewhere.

Over time, we’ve essentially built our communication system around the real-life behavior of our guests.

And yes, being proactive required a little more work in the beginning.

But it has dramatically reduced the work we have to do during and after each stay.

Our housekeeping team appreciates guests knowing what to do before checkout.

Our guests appreciate having clear information and direct access to us.

And we appreciate fewer questions, smoother turnovers and happier guests.

Sometimes guests even send us photos of the adventures they had while visiting.

After four years of hosting, I’ve realized that great vacation rental communication isn’t about sending guests more information.

It’s about giving them the right information, in the right place, at the right time.

And that has made all the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I reduce guest questions at my vacation rental?

Start by keeping track of questions guests repeatedly ask. Then make those answers easier to find through pre-arrival texts, simple signs, checkout instructions and strategically placed information throughout the property.

Should vacation rental owners text their guests?

We have found personalized texting incredibly effective. A short welcome text creates a personal connection, gives guests an easy way to reach us and ensures important information isn’t buried in an email.

What information should I send guests before check-in?

We keep our message simple: introduce ourselves, let guests know whether early check-in is available, tell them how to reach us and explain that we’ll send additional checkout information later.

Should I leave signs around my vacation rental?

Strategic signs can significantly improve the guest experience. Rather than covering the house with instructions, we use small signs for information guests frequently need, such as WiFi details, recycling instructions and where commonly used items are located.

How can I make vacation rental checkout instructions feel less demanding?

Keep the requests minimal and explain them as helpful answers to common checkout questions rather than presenting guests with a long chore list. We also make it clear what guests don’t have to do, such as stripping the beds.

More Vacation Rental Hosting Tips

If you’re trying to create a vacation rental that guests love — without making hosting harder than it needs to be — these small systems can make a huge difference.

READ NEXT: The Abundance Mindset: Why Giving Guests More Can Actually Make Hosting Easier

Because the best hosting systems don’t just create happier guests.

They make life easier for the host, too.