As well as collecting those all-important online reviews on your website, it’s never a bad idea to leave a physical guest book in your vacation rental for guests to sign (and other guests to read!) during their stay.
If the idea of a standard vacation rental guest book template doesn’t appeal to you too much, you’ve come to the right place. Looking to step outside the box and do something a bit more creative for your rental? These eight unique vacation rental guest book ideas are bound to leave you feeling inspired!
Vacation rental guest book ideas:
1. Postcards
Postcards are a really original way to collect feedback from your renters. Ask guests in advance to bring a postcard from their hometown to add to your postcard guestbook. That way, other travelers will be able to see where previous guests have come from!
In case guests forget, rather than missing out on their valuable message, keep a stack of random postcards readily available for them to sign. It’s also a wonderful way to treasure memories from past guests, and you can see their hometowns.
2. Message in a bottle
Instead of a traditional guest book, leave a pile of decorative paper squares next to a big glass jar or bottle and have your guests write their notes, before rolling them up and storing them in the receptacle.
Not only is this a fun way to get your guests to interact and leave a message, this quirky idea also makes a great decorative piece for the hallway. This is a great activity for kids too!
3. Globe guest book
For anyone who receives guests from all over the world, this idea is for you. Buy an old globe from a second-hand store, and let your guests know where the Sharpies are so they can leave their mark on their home territory.
Incoming guests will love to see where past visitors have traveled from, and it will make an interesting addition to any interior.
4. Address card guest book
If you have a stack of old address cards stored away, put them to good use and transform them into your vacation rental guest book. Have each guest leave comments about their experience on an address card, and let them file their feedback away alphabetically!
You can store them away in a card file box. If you really want to get creative, ask guests to also write their favorite dishes and recipes on these cards. That way, you’ll have a recipe collection from all around the world too.
5. Dictionary guest book
If you’ve got an old hardback dictionary lying around that you haven’t used since the invention of the internet, why not transform it into your guest book?
A hardback dictionary guest book has become one of the latest trends for weddings – now you can use the idea for your rental, too! Let your guests pick their favorite adjective to describe their stay, highlight it, and write their comment in a brightly colored pen across the dictionary’s pages.
Tip: you might want to ask them what word(s) they choose, or you could be searching for their entry all night long!
6. Fill-in-the-gaps guest book
Have a personalized guest book printed with ready-made questions, so that all your guests have to do is fill in the gaps. As well as names, ages and dates of the stay, ask them things like what their favorite activity was, where they had the best meal, which books they read, what their preferred room in the rental was, plus any suggestions they have for improvement. These questions will make it much easier for guests to compile their thoughts about their stay quickly and efficiently.
7. Pinboard guest book
What better way to show off your great guests’ experience than by physically showing them off? Have your guests fill out a decorated note card and pin it up on your guest comment pinboard.
Reading all the lovely messages from other travelers will help set the tone for a happy stay from the moment they arrive.
8. Tablet video guest book
If you’re big on technology, this one is for you. Ask each group of guests that visit your home to record a few minutes’ long “selfie-style” video to chat about their stay. You could even leave a tablet in your rental for this specific purpose and your guests will love to leave their own personal message.
Once you have multiple videos, consider taking 30-seconds from each one, editing it and putting it all together into a mini-movie. You can easily make a mini-movie on iMovie, or there are tons of free video making software. Then, implement it on your website. These guest testimonials will be a great feature, and also guests will return on your website to see themselves on the video.
These are just eight of our favorite creative vacation rental guest book ideas. You can find plenty more perusing sites like Pinterest or speaking with other owners about what they do. Share any of your personal tips in the comments!
