What is a hotel welcome letter for?
A welcome letter does two jobs. It makes the guest feel expected, and it gives them the facts they need for the first night. Everything else is a bonus.
It is not the same as your pre-arrival message or your house rules:
- Pre-arrival message: sent a day or two before the stay. It covers directions, arrival time and parking. Our pre-arrival message template covers that job.
- House rules: the full list of what is and is not allowed. Our guide to house rules shows how to write them without sounding cold.
- Welcome letter: what the guest needs once they are inside. It points to the rules, but does not repeat all of them.
Keeping the three apart makes each one shorter, and short notes get read.
What should a hotel welcome letter include?
Use this table to decide what goes in the letter and what lives somewhere else. The last column is the question to ask yourself before you print.
| Item | Welcome letter | Pre-arrival message | House rules or guest portal | Owner question |
|---|
| Greeting with the guest's name | Yes | Yes | No | Can staff add the name in under a minute? |
| Wi-Fi name and password | Yes | No | Yes | Who updates the letter when the password changes? |
| Check-out time and late check-out | Yes | Yes | Yes | Is the late check-out rule written down? |
| Breakfast time and place | Yes | No | Yes | Does the time match what the kitchen actually does? |
| House rules (smoking, quiet hours, visitors) | Short | No | Full | Do the short rules match the full list? |
| Staff WhatsApp and emergency contact | Yes | Yes | Yes | Will someone answer that number at night? |
| Directions, parking, gate code | No | Yes | Yes | Is the gate code safe to print in the room? |
| Local tips | Optional | No | Yes | Are the tips still true this season? |
For late check-out, link to the rule rather than inventing one in the letter. Our guide to stay extensions and late check-out explains who can approve one.
Copy-ready hotel welcome letter template
Copy this, replace the parts in brackets and keep it to one page. Read it aloud once. If a sentence sounds stiff, rewrite it the way you would say it at the desk.
Dear [guest name],
> > Welcome to [property name]. We are glad you chose to stay with us, and we hope you feel at home from the first night. > > Your room is [room number or name]. Wi-Fi: [network name], password [password]. Breakfast is served from [time] to [time] at [place]. > > Check-out is at [time] on [date]. If you would like to stay a little longer, please ask us by [time] the day before, and we will check what is possible. > > A few house notes: [no smoking inside], [quiet hours from time], [pool hours]. The full house rules are [in the folder on the desk or at link]. > > Need anything? Message us on WhatsApp at [number], or call [number] at night. In an emergency, call [local emergency number] first, then let us know. > > Warm regards, > [name], [role], and the [property name] team
Sign it with a real name. A letter from "the management" feels like a notice. A letter from "Sam, your host" feels like a welcome.
Short versions for different properties and guests
Start with the master letter, then change one or two lines. Do not build a new letter for every guest type.
Villa. Add one line on the pool, the gate and who to call for a power or water problem. Villa guests are often alone at night, so the contact line matters most.
Guesthouse or hostel. Add the shared-space rules in one line: kitchen hours, quiet hours and where to leave shoes or bags. Keep it friendly. Guests share the space, so a calm tone sets the mood.
Returning guest. Replace the first paragraph with "Welcome back, [name]. It is good to see you again." Mention one thing you remember, like a favourite room or an early breakfast. Then cut anything they already know.
Family with children. Add where to find a cot or extra towels, the pool safety rule and the nearest pharmacy. Parents scan for these first.
Bilingual welcome letter: English and Bahasa Indonesia
Many properties in Indonesia host both domestic and international guests. A two-language letter saves printing two versions. Keep the English and Bahasa lines side by side, one short pair at a time.
Welcome to [property name]. / Selamat datang di [nama properti].
Wi-Fi: [network], password [password]. / Wi-Fi: [jaringan], kata sandi [sandi].
Breakfast: [time] at [place]. / Sarapan: pukul [jam] di [tempat].
Check-out: [time]. / Check-out: pukul [jam].
WhatsApp us any time: [number]. / Hubungi kami lewat WhatsApp: [nomor].
Use the same pattern for any other pair of languages your guests use most.
Printed, WhatsApp or guest portal: how should you deliver it?
Use the way your guests already read. Most small properties use two of these together.
- Printed in the room. Best for the first night, when the guest may not have a local SIM or data. Put it where guests look first: the desk, the bed or next to the TV.
- WhatsApp on arrival day. A short version of the letter, sent when the guest checks in. If you use the WhatsApp Business app, you can save it as a quick reply and send it in two taps.
- Guest portal or pre-arrival email. The full letter, available before the guest arrives. Our guide to the hotel guest portal explains how guests use one.
Whatever you choose, keep one master copy. When the Wi-Fi password or breakfast time changes, update the master first, then every copy that comes from it.
How do you keep a welcome letter up to date?
A welcome letter goes out of date quietly. Nobody notices until a guest does. Give it a short check once a month, and again whenever something changes.
- Test the Wi-Fi details from a guest's phone, in the room, using only what the letter says.
- Check every time in the letter against what really happens: breakfast, pool, reception and check-out.
- Call the night number once and make sure someone answers.
- Walk the local tips. Is the café still open? Is the beach path still safe?
- Replace worn copies. A stained or torn letter tells guests the room was not checked either.
Put one person in charge of the master copy. When anyone on the team changes a fact, they tell that person the same day.
What mistakes make a welcome letter fail?
These are the problems that turn a welcome letter into another complaint:
- An old Wi-Fi password. It is the first thing guests try, so it is the first thing they notice.
- Too long. Two pages of rules feel like a contract. Keep it to one page and link the rest.
- Rules written as threats. "Guests will be charged" reads very differently from "Please ask us before". Plain, polite words work better. The US government's plain language guide says to keep text short and simple.
- No night contact. A guest with a problem at midnight needs a number that someone answers.
- Facts that do not match. If the letter says breakfast starts at one time and the kitchen opens later, the guest trusts nothing else on the page.
If the same question keeps coming up in reviews, it often belongs in the letter. Our guide to recurring review complaints shows how to spot those patterns.
How does Kiyo help you share welcome information?
In Kiyo you can put the same information in your guest portal and in a pre-arrival email template, so guests have it before they arrive. Both editors are on every plan, so your letter, your portal and your emails can say the same thing. When a fact changes, update the master text first, then copy the same words into your printed letter.
Your arrivals list helps too. Every booking from your 75+ connected channels sits in one Kiyo calendar, so the morning shift can see today's names and print the right letters before lunch.
Kiyo is live and open to all properties. We set it up with you over WhatsApp or a demo call. Plans start from Rp40k per room per month; the pricing page slider shows your exact price.
Frequently asked questions
The guest's name, Wi-Fi details, breakfast time, check-out time, a few house notes and a contact that someone answers at night. Link to the full house rules instead of copying them.
Both work. A printed letter helps on the first night, when the guest may not have data. A digital copy by WhatsApp, email or guest portal lets them read it before they arrive.
A real person, such as the owner, the manager or the host on duty. A name and role feel warmer than "the management".
One page or less. If it needs more, move the extra detail to your house rules or guest portal and link to it.
Add the guest's name and room at least. For returning guests or special occasions, one personal line is enough. Keep the rest of the letter the same for everyone.
The welcome letter greets the guest and gives the essentials for the stay. House rules are the full list of what is and is not allowed. The letter can point to the rules in one line.
Yes. Many properties send it with the pre-arrival email or through the guest portal, then leave a printed copy in the room as well.
If you host guests from abroad, yes. A short bilingual letter, with each line in both languages, covers most guests in one page.
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