Good check-in instructions read like a calm friend giving directions: one step
at a time, in the order the guest will need them, written for someone arriving tired and
possibly in the dark.
The six lines every check-in needs
The time. When check-in opens, stated once, plainly.
The address, plus a landmark. "The blue house just past the church"
saves a slow drive-by at night.
Parking, before the door. Guests park before they touch the lock;
the instructions should happen in the same order.
Access. The code or lockbox, with an exactly-where: which door,
which side, what the keypad does when it wakes up.
The first five minutes. Where the light switch is, where the
thermostat is, where the wifi card sits.
Who to contact if stuck. One name, one number, one line.
The fill-in template
Template: replace every bracket
Check-in opens at [time]. The address is [address]; look for [landmark].
Park [where]; please avoid [what to avoid].
Your door code is [code], on the [which door] door; [what the keypad does].
Once inside: [light switch location], [thermostat location], and the wifi details are
[where in the house, and in your welcome book].
If anything sticks, [name] is at [phone]; call or text.
Worked sample
Check-in opens at 4:00 PM. The address is 123 Maple Street, Sampletown; look for the
green shutters just past the corner market.
Park in the driveway; two cars fit end to end. Please leave the street clear.
Your door code arrives in the app thread the morning you arrive. Front door, porch
steps on the left; the keypad lights up when you tap it.
Once inside: switches are left of the door, the thermostat is in the hallway, and the
wifi card is on the fridge.
If anything sticks, your host is at (555) 010-0123; call or text.
Where check-in instructions fail
The code lives in only one channel, and that channel is the one with no signal at the
property.
"The lockbox is by the door," on a house with four doors.
Parking is discovered after the car is unloaded in the wrong place.
Instructions written in daylight for guests who arrive at night: name the porch light.
The free generator gives check-in its own page in your printed welcome
book, next to check-out, so the same steps greet guests on the counter.