7 Repetitive Guest Questions Every Airbnb Host Gets (And How to Eliminate Them)

If you've answered "What's the WiFi password?" more than once this week, this one's for you.

There's a moment in every Airbnb host's journey where you realise something slightly maddening. The questions never change.

Different guests, different weeks, different months. But the same seven or eight questions, over and over again, like a hospitality version of Groundhog Day.

"How do I get in?" "What's the WiFi?" "How does the heating work?" "Where should we eat tonight?"

And look, none of these are bad questions. Your guests aren't being lazy or annoying. They genuinely need this information to enjoy their stay. The problem isn't that they're asking. The problem is that you're answering the same things manually, every single time, when you really don't have to be.

Let's go through the seven questions that come up for almost every short-term rental host, why guests keep asking them, and exactly how to make each one disappear from your inbox for good.

1. "How do I check in?"

This is the big one. The question that arrives like clockwork a few hours before every booking, sometimes the night before, sometimes (worryingly) when they're already standing outside your front door.

It doesn't matter that you sent the instructions in your booking confirmation. It doesn't matter that Airbnb has a check-in details section. Guests miss things. They're busy, they're travelling, they've got twelve browser tabs open and a toddler screaming in the back seat. Your carefully written message got buried under a pile of other notifications.

How to eliminate it:

The key here is repetition without relying on a single channel. Send your check-in instructions in your pre-arrival message, yes, but also put them front and centre in a digital guidebook that you link to in every piece of communication. The guidebook becomes the one consistent place a guest can always find what they need.

Include step-by-step instructions with photos. If you've got a key safe, show them exactly where it is and how to open it. If you use a smart lock, walk them through the code entry process like you're explaining it to someone who's never seen one before. Because for some guests, they haven't.

The goal is that even if they ignore every message you send, one tap on your guidebook link gets them through the front door without a single text to you.

We've written a complete guide to check-in instructions that actually work.

2. "What's the WiFi password?"

You could set this question to music at this point. It's the first thing guests want when they walk in, and they want it immediately.

The frustrating part is that you've probably already told them. It's in your house manual, it's on that little card on the kitchen counter, it might even be stuck to the fridge. But people don't see it, or they're settling in and can't be bothered to look around, so they message you instead because it's easier.

How to eliminate it:

Put the WiFi details in the most prominent spot in your digital guidebook. Not buried three sections down. Right near the top, ideally just after your welcome message. Network name, password, done.

If you also want a physical backup, a small framed card next to the TV or on the bedside table works well. But the digital version is the one that really solves this, because guests can access it before they even arrive and have it saved on their phone.

Some hosts even include the WiFi details in their pre-arrival message as a standalone line. Something like: "WiFi is ready for you. Network: OurPlace, Password: sunny2024. Full guidebook with everything else you'll need is here: [link]." Two birds, one message.

3. "How does the heating/hot water work?"

This one tends to spike in autumn and winter, but it pops up year-round. Every property has its own quirks when it comes to heating and hot water, and what feels obvious to you is genuinely confusing to someone encountering your thermostat for the first time.

Maybe your boiler needs the pressure topped up occasionally. Maybe the hot water takes a minute to come through. Maybe the underfloor heating has a separate controller that's hidden behind the bathroom door. These are all things you've stopped noticing because you know the property inside out.

How to eliminate it:

Write clear, jargon-free instructions for your heating and hot water system. Assume the reader has never used your type of thermostat before. Photos help enormously here. A picture of the thermostat with "press this button, then turn this dial" is worth a thousand words of written explanation.

In your digital guidebook, put this under a clearly labelled section like "Heating and Hot Water" so guests can find it in seconds. If your system has genuine quirks (and most do), acknowledge them upfront. "The hot water takes about 30 seconds to warm up. This is normal, just let it run." That one sentence prevents a worried message about the boiler being broken.

4. "Where do we park?"

Parking is one of those things that seems simple until it isn't. Your guest has just driven three hours, they're tired, they've got luggage, and they're circling the block trying to work out whether they're allowed to park on your street or if they're about to get a ticket.

This question comes in many forms: "Is there parking?" "Where exactly do I park?" "Do I need a permit?" "Is it free?" "Will my car be safe?" And if you're in a city centre, it gets even more complicated.

How to eliminate it:

Dedicate a short section in your guidebook to parking. Be specific. "Park in the driveway on the left side of the house" is good. "There's a free car park on Mill Street, a two-minute walk from the property. Here's the Google Maps link" is even better.

If there's permit parking, explain exactly how it works and where to find the permit (or how to register). If there's no parking and guests need to use a public car park, give them the name, the rough cost, and a link to directions.

This is another section where a digital guidebook beats a printed manual. You can embed a map pin showing exactly where to park, which removes all the guesswork.

5. "Can you recommend somewhere to eat?"

This is probably the most pleasant question on the list, but it's still one you end up answering repeatedly. And if you manage more than one property, you're typing out the same restaurant suggestions multiple times a week.

Guests love local recommendations. It's one of the best parts of staying in a short-term rental rather than a hotel. They want to eat where the locals eat, find the hidden gem coffee shop, avoid the tourist traps. And they trust your opinion because you know the area.

How to eliminate it:

Build a solid local recommendations section in your guidebook. Break it into categories: restaurants, cafes, pubs, takeaways, and maybe a "special occasion" pick or two. For each one, include a brief personal note about why you like it and a link to their website or Google Maps location.

The personal touch matters here. "The pizza at Dough & Co is the best in town. Order the Nduja if you like a bit of heat" is infinitely more useful than a plain list of restaurant names. Guests want your opinion, not a copy of TripAdvisor.

Update this section every few months. Restaurants close, new ones open, and that chippy you used to recommend might have gone downhill. Keeping it fresh means guests always get relevant suggestions, and you never have to type them out manually again.

6. "What time is check-out?"

This one's almost always asked the night before departure or first thing on the last morning. It's a quick question, but it's also a completely avoidable one.

The check-out time is usually in the booking details, but guests don't always look there. Sometimes they've simply forgotten, or they want to double-check, or they're hoping they can squeeze an extra hour out of the morning.

How to eliminate it:

Include your check-out time clearly in your guidebook, ideally in a dedicated check-out section near the end. But the real trick is to also include it in a scheduled message the evening before departure.

Something like: "Hi! Hope you've had a lovely stay. Just a reminder that check-out is at 11am tomorrow. You'll find everything you need for a smooth departure in your guidebook: [link]. Safe travels!"

That message, combined with a clear check-out section in your guidebook, covers both the guests who read everything and the ones who need a gentle nudge. Between the two, you'll almost never get asked this question directly again.

7. "How do I work the TV?"

It sounds so simple, but modern TV setups have become genuinely confusing. Multiple remotes, HDMI inputs, streaming apps that need logging into, sound bars with separate controls. What feels intuitive to you can feel like mission control to a guest who just wants to watch something before bed.

This question often comes with a slight tone of embarrassment, too. People feel silly asking how to turn on a television. But when there are three remotes on the coffee table and none of them are labelled, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to get stuck on.

How to eliminate it:

In your property guide section, include clear instructions for the TV. Which remote to use (or which buttons on which remote if there are multiple), how to switch to streaming apps, and how to adjust the volume if the sound bar is separate.

Photos are your best friend here. A picture of the correct remote with the important buttons circled takes five seconds to make and saves dozens of messages over the course of a year.

If you want to go the extra mile, label your remotes physically too. A small sticker on the back of each one ("TV power," "sound bar," "streaming") costs nothing and makes everything immediately clearer. But the guidebook explanation is what catches the guests who want to sort it out from their phone without getting off the sofa.

The Pattern Behind All Seven

If you look at these questions together, there's a clear theme. Guests aren't asking because they're difficult. They're asking because the information is either missing, hard to find, or scattered across multiple messages and platforms.

The solution isn't to send longer messages or write more detailed listing descriptions. Guests don't read long messages before they arrive, and they definitely don't scroll back through their Airbnb inbox trying to find the one with the parking instructions.

The solution is to have one single, well-organised place that answers everything. A link they can tap at any point during their stay that brings up exactly what they need in seconds.

That's what a digital guidebook does. And it's not just about reducing your messages (although it absolutely does that). It's about giving your guests a better experience. When someone can find the WiFi password, work the heating, and discover a great restaurant all without having to message you, they feel independent and looked after at the same time. That's the sweet spot that earns five-star reviews.

Build Yours in Minutes

If you've been meaning to put a guidebook together but keep putting it off because it feels like a lot of work, GuestIntro takes the blank-page problem off your hands. Pop in your property details and it generates a complete digital guidebook you can share as a link with every guest. No app, no fuss, no more midnight WiFi messages.

Your phone deserves a quieter life. So do you.