Adding a welcome book at your vacation rental property serves several purposes:

• To let the guests know about the local area restaurants, shopping, attractions, and sites
• To answer questions regarding your vacation home, especially the amenities
• To eliminate phone calls from guests during their stay (and during your dinner!)
• To ensure the greatest possible vacation for your renters

In addition to reducing the number of questions you'll have to answer, your guests will appreciate having your suggestions and recommendations at their fingertips.  You can also insert a bunch of blank pages for your guests to jot down their own "local finds", too. It's an easy and inexpensive way to improve your guests' experience.

To create a local attraction book to leave in your vacation rental home for your guests, purchase a high quality three-ring binder (the cheap ones will fall apart too quickly) from your local office supply store. You should also purchase some top-load sheet protectors to keep the pages from getting torn. A handwritten and signed welcome letter inserted into the front of the book adds a personal touch. Then just starting collecting and adding many of the items listed below and slip them into the binder.

Your local attraction book could include:

Information about the surrounding area
1.  Maps of the local area
2.  Menus from local restaurants
3.  Area-amusement brochures
4.  Worship schedules
5.  Directions and phone numbers to hospitals, pharmacies and other medical facilities
6.  Directions to grocery stores
7.  Airport directions and information
8.  Shopping information
9.  Discount coupons for shopping or attractions

Information about your home
10. Instructions for operating the DVD player/satellite TV
11. How to override the programmed thermostat
12. How to work controls for swimming pools, boats, or other amenities
13. Local TV channels

Emergency contact numbers
14. Housekeepers
15. Maintenance staff
16. Owners' home and cell phones
17. Security officers
18. Police/fire departments
19. Weather information
20. Poison control center

Rental rules
21. Check-in policy
22. Checkout times and policies
23. Complex/subdivision rules
24. Parking information
25. Quiet times