GUIDEBOOKS & GUEST EXPERIENCE for short-term rentaLs & BOUTIQUE hotels
 

Share local tips & property details automatically with a digital guidebook

Great guidance makes a five-star stay

✔ Questions Answered ✔ Easy Arrivals ✔ Stronger Reviews ✔ Local Recommendations ✔ Visible Reminders

A centralized digital guidebook keeps your property info, policies, and recommendations in one place — delivered automatically before every arrival and easy for guests to revisit. When guests have what they need, they arrive confident, ask fewer questions, and tend to leave better reviews.

 
WHAT GOES INSIDE YOUR GUIDEBOOK

Help guests feel welcome and informed

Essentials and recommendations guests need — stored in one place and delivered instantly at check-in.

 
 
Welcome Video
Optional · Personal touch · Any format
An optional welcome video sets the tone before guests arrive — a personal touch that makes a property feel attended to without requiring you to be there in person.
Entry, WiFi & Parking
Access details · Practical essentials
Entry instructions, WiFi credentials, and parking details — the first things guests look for when they arrive, delivered before they need to ask.
Check-In & Check-Out Steps
Step-by-step · No confusion · No calls
Clear check-in and check-out steps mean guests know exactly what to do at arrival and departure — fewer calls, fewer mistakes, smoother turnovers.
Appliance Guidance
Instructions · Short videos · Unit-specific
Appliance guidance and short how-to videos per unit — so guests aren't left guessing how the coffee machine works and you aren't fielding the same message every stay.
Local Recommendations
Restaurants · Experiences · Affiliate links
Local recommendations including affiliate links — restaurants, experiences, and services you trust, shared in context so guests get value and you earn commissions without managing anything.
Upsell Visibility
Second chance · Missed offers · More revenue
Links to upsells guests may have missed earlier — a second natural moment to offer early check-in, add-ons, or experiences without a separate sales push.

Monetize your guidebook with upsells or affiliate links

 

Happy Guest has three spaces for monetization — the check-in link, automated messages, and the digital guidebook.

When upsells and add-ons are clearly visible, comfortable guests are more likely to explore — and say yes to — upgrades they may have skipped earlier.

Guidebooks and messaging are the perfect pair

Automated Messaging 📱
Handles reminders, confirmations, and time-sensitive delivery. Messages go out when they're relevant — then can be left on read and essentially forgotten.
Digital Guidebooks 📓
Holds all the details guests need throughout their stay — arrival instructions, house rules, local recommendations — always accessible, not just when a message was sent.
★★★★★

"Easy to use and seamless upsell to guests! Happy with all the speedy customer service support."

Yolanda Yu · Rental Host
Rental Host / Operator
★★★★★

"Happy Guest got me started when I knew absolutely nothing about the business. The guest portal is far more robust than a protection plan."

Gregory · Rental Host
Rental Host / Operator
★★★★★

"Happy Guest has been amazing for our business. I would recommend them to every PM I could."

Rental Host / Operator
Rental Host / Operator
70%
Average time saved per week
90%
Of hosts are not fully STR compliant
85%
Of STRs are managed by independents
50+
Major US cities now regulate STRs

Frequently asked questions about guidebooks & guest experiences

  • No. Guidebooks are browser-based and mobile-friendly. Guests access their guidebook through the same link they used for check-in. No account creation or app download required.

  • Yes. Existing content can be migrated or adapted. If you've already built out an Airbnb guide, that content can be structured inside Happy Guest.

  • Yes. Photos, videos, and referral links can be included. The guidebook is a natural home for local recommendations tied to your affiliate partnerships.

  • Yes. Shared and property-specific content can be layered — so portfolio-wide information lives in one place while each listing has its own arrival instructions and property details.

  • Guidebooks are delivered after booking and remain accessible before and during the stay. They centralize arrival instructions, house rules, local recommendations, and add-ons — reducing repetitive messaging and keeping guests informed throughout their stay.

  • A digital guidebook is a centralized, browser-based guest guide delivered inside the check-in link. It replaces printed house manuals, PDFs, and scattered platform messages with one organized reference guests can return to any time during their stay. It holds arrival instructions, house details, WiFi, appliance guidance, and local recommendations — without requiring any app download.

  • Most guest questions are answered somewhere — in a welcome message, in an Airbnb thread, or in a PDF that got buried. A guidebook puts all of that in one place guests can actually find. When the door code, WiFi password, parking instructions, and checkout steps are all accessible in one organized link, guests stop asking because they don't need to.

  • No — they serve different functions and work better together. Automated messaging delivers the right information at the right moment — booking confirmation, check-in timing, departure reminder. The guidebook holds the reference material guests return to throughout their stay. Messages are time-sensitive. Guidebooks are always-on.

  • Yes. The guidebook is a natural second chance to surface add-ons or affiliate recommendations guests may have skipped in their initial check-in link. When an upgrade is visible at the right moment — when a guest is browsing arrival information — conversion happens naturally.

  • Yes. Happy Guest connects with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Hostaway, Guesty, OwnerRez, Lodgify, Operto, Duve, and other supported platforms. Guidebooks are delivered through the check-in link — which works alongside your existing booking channels without replacing them. No app download required for guests.

Happy Guest provides digital guidebook tools as part of the guest journey workflow. Guidebook content is created and managed by the host or operator. Happy Guest does not review, verify, or take responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of guidebook content.

A great stay speaks for itself

Book a demo and we'll show you how digital guidebooks fit naturally into your welcome experience and strengthen your guest experience across every property.

No credit card required.