When a guest arrives at your property, there’s one question that comes before everything else — even before they’ve put their bags down. Not “where’s the nearest café?” or “what time is checkout?” It’s: what’s the WiFi password?
If that answer isn’t immediately visible, you’ve already started the stay with a small frustration. Here’s how to make sure that never happens.
The basics: what to include
Don’t just list the password. Give guests everything they need to connect without having to ask:
- Network name (SSID) — exactly as it appears on their device, including capitalisation
- Password — type it out clearly; avoid fonts where 0 and O look identical
- Network type — if you have both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, explain which to use (5GHz is faster for streaming; 2.4GHz has better range)
- Router location — “white box near the TV in the living room” means guests can find it if anything goes wrong
Set up a separate guest network
Most modern routers let you create a guest network. This is worth doing — it keeps your main network private and lets you set bandwidth limits if you have a data cap. Name it something obvious like YourPropertyName-Guest so guests know it’s theirs.
Use a QR code
A QR code is the single biggest upgrade you can make to your WiFi instructions. Guests point their phone camera at it and connect instantly — no typing, no typos. Free QR code generators are widely available online. Print it, laminate it, and stick it near the router and on the welcome page of your guest guide.
What to say if the connection drops
Don’t leave guests stranded. Include one clear troubleshooting step: “If the WiFi drops, unplug the router (white box near the TV), wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. It takes about a minute to reconnect.” That one sentence eliminates 80% of the “WiFi is broken” messages you’d otherwise receive.
What to leave out
Keep it functional. Guests don’t need the router’s brand, the account number, or your ISP’s name. They need: name, password, and what to do if it stops working. Everything else is clutter.
A good WiFi entry in your guest guide takes about 60 seconds to read and saves you a message on almost every stay. It’s one of the highest-return things you can document.