How to Reduce Guest Questions on Airbnb (Without Losing Your Mind)

It's 10:47pm. You're halfway through a show, finally unwinding. Your phone buzzes.

"Hey! How do I connect to the WiFi?"

The WiFi info is in the welcome message. It's in the house manual PDF you attached. It's on a card sitting on the kitchen counter. And yet.

If you manage short-term rentals long enough, you start to notice the pattern. The same five questions. Over and over. From every guest.

This isn't a guest problem. It's a friction problem. And there are ways to fix it that don't involve writing longer messages or giving up on humanity.

Why Guests Keep Asking the Same Questions

Before we fix it, it helps to understand why it happens. It's usually not that guests are lazy or didn't read your message.

1. Your information is in the wrong place at the wrong time

You sent the WiFi password three days before check-in. Guest read it, forgot it, didn't save it. Now they're standing in your living room and the message is buried in a thread with 47 other Airbnb notifications.

Information has a shelf life. Details sent days early often don't survive to the moment they're needed.

2. Your house manual is too long

A 12-page PDF with everything from check-in to local restaurants to trash day to hot tub chemistry is thorough. It's also unreadable.

Guests don't study your manual like it's homework. They skim it, maybe, and then forget it exists. When they need the thermostat instructions at 11pm, they're not going to dig through a PDF. They're going to message you.

3. The format doesn't match the moment

When a guest is confused about the thermostat, they're standing in front of the thermostat. Phone in hand. They need to see what to do, right now.

A paragraph of text explaining "the Nest thermostat can be adjusted by tapping the device and rotating clockwise" doesn't help as much as a photo showing exactly which button to press.

4. Asking is easier than searching

This is the uncomfortable truth: messaging you is often faster than finding the answer themselves. If your information is scattered or hard to access, guests will take the path of least resistance.

Your job is to make self-service easier than messaging.

What Doesn't Work

Before we get to solutions, let's acknowledge what you've probably already tried:

Longer welcome messages

You added more detail. More instructions. More "just in case" info. Now your welcome message is 800 words and guests still don't know where to park.

Longer doesn't mean clearer. Past a certain point, more information actually reduces comprehension.

PDF house manuals

You spent hours making it look nice. It has photos. It covers everything. Guests download it once, never open it again, and message you anyway.

PDFs fail because they're a single static document. Guests have to know the answer is in there, find the document, open it, and scroll to the right section. That's four steps when they just want to know where the bins go.

Saved replies and auto-messages

These help you respond faster, but they don't reduce the volume. You're still fielding the same questions, just with less typing.

Assuming guests will "just figure it out"

Some will. Many won't. And the ones who don't will either message you or leave a review mentioning that the check-in was confusing.

What Actually Works

The hosts who get fewer questions aren't necessarily better communicators. They've just reduced friction at the moment of need. Here's how:

1. Put information where guests will be when they need it

This is the big one.

WiFi password? On a small sign near the router or TV, not just in a message.

Thermostat instructions? Next to the thermostat.

Checkout steps? On the fridge or the back of the front door.

The idea is simple: when guests have a question, the answer should be visible from where they're standing. Don't make them search for it.

2. Make it visual

Photos beat text. Every time.

If your lockbox has a specific sequence (press the button, then the code, then pull down), a photo showing each step will prevent more messages than a paragraph explaining it.

Same goes for appliances, thermostats, TV remotes, coffee machines - anything with buttons or steps.

3. Keep instructions short and scannable

Nobody reads paragraphs in the moment. They scan.

• Use numbered steps
• One action per step
• Cut every word that isn't necessary

"The Keurig is in the cabinet above the coffee maker. To use it, lift the handle, insert a pod, close the handle, place your mug on the tray, and press the large cup button."

vs.

1. Lift the handle
2. Insert a pod
3. Close the handle
4. Press the large cup button

The second version gets read. The first gets skipped.

4. Use QR codes

QR codes had a moment during COVID and they're still underused in STRs.

You can link a QR code to a guide, a video, or a page with all your property info. Stick it next to the thing it explains. Guests scan it without thinking about it.

This also solves the "I can't find the message" problem. The information lives at the property, not in their inbox.

5. Separate your information by topic

One big document is hard to navigate.

Multiple focused guides (WiFi, check-in, thermostat, checkout) means guests find what they need fast.

Think of it like a FAQ vs. a textbook. FAQs work because each question has its own answer, easy to find. Your property information should work the same way.

6. Anticipate the questions before they happen

You know what guests ask about. You've seen the pattern.

Make a list of your top 5 repeat questions. Those are the ones to solve first. Create a guide, a sign, a QR code - whatever makes the answer available without you.

How to Actually Implement This

Here's the practical version:

1. List your repeat questions. Check your message history. What do guests ask most? WiFi, check-in, and thermostat are almost universal.

2. Create short visual guides. For each repeat question, make a guide with photos and numbered steps. You can do this with a tool like Inxtruc, or DIY with photos and a notes app.

3. Print QR codes and place them on-site. Next to the router. By the thermostat. Inside the cabinet with the coffee maker. Wherever guests will be when they have the question.

4. Group your guides in one place. Instead of scattering links, give guests one link or QR code to a collection of all your guides. They tap what they need.

5. Update your welcome message. Keep it short. Point guests to the guides. "Everything you need to know is in your digital guidebook: [link]."

The Goal Isn't Zero Messages

You'll still get questions. Some guests will always message first and look second. Edge cases happen.

But the goal isn't zero messages - it's fewer unnecessary ones. The ones you've already answered. The ones that interrupt your evening with information that was available if only the guest could find it.

Every question you prevent is a small win. Stack enough of those and hosting gets meaningfully easier.

Tools That Help

If you want to build visual guides without reinventing the wheel, Inxtruc is built for exactly this.

You snap photos (or upload them), add short instructions, and get a shareable link and QR code. Guides work on any phone, no app download required, and stay available offline for 30 days.

You can also organize guides into Spaces - one link for the whole property, with everything guests need in one place.

It takes a few minutes to make a guide. Probably less time than answering the next WiFi question.

Create your first guide free →