How to create a QR code guest guide for your Airbnb

How a QR code guest guide works

A QR code is simply a web address in a pattern a phone camera can read. When a guest scans it, their phone offers to open the address — in this case, your digital guest guide. Most modern iPhone and Android phones can scan QR codes from the built-in camera app, without installing anything.

That means the QR code is only as good as the page it points to. The first step is a clear, mobile-friendly guide; the code is how guests get back to it once they're inside.

Step 1: Create and publish your guide

Put together your arrival details, Wi-Fi, house rules, local tips and checkout steps — our welcome book checklist covers what to include. The guide needs a stable public address before you print anything; if the address changes later, every printed code becomes useless.

In GuestsGuide, each published property gets its own private guide link, and the QR code always points to that same link. Editing and republishing the guide doesn't change the code, so you only need to print the sign once.

Step 2: Generate the QR code

If you use a general QR code generator, check whether it creates a code that points directly at your page or one that goes through the generator's own redirect service. Redirecting codes can stop working if that service changes or a subscription lapses.

GuestsGuide generates the code for you from your property's guide link. You can download it as an image or print a ready-made A4 sign that includes your property name, the code and short scanning instructions.

Step 3: Print it at a sensible size

• Bigger is easier. A common rule of thumb is that a code should be at least a tenth as wide as the distance it will be scanned from — so a sign read from a metre away wants a code around 10cm across.
• Print on matt paper or card; glossy surfaces and laminate can reflect light and make scanning harder.
• Keep the white border around the code — scanners need it.
• Use dark ink on a light background.

Step 4: Put it where guests will look

• On the kitchen table or welcome tray, where guests put their bags down.
• Inside the front door, next to the light switches.
• On the fridge door — guests open it within minutes of arriving.
• In a frame in the living room, near the TV or router.

Add a short line of text so guests know what the code is for, such as “Scan for Wi-Fi, house info and local tips”.

Step 5: Test it before guests arrive

1. Scan the printed sign with an iPhone and an Android phone if you can.
2. Try it in the spot where it'll be displayed, in normal lighting.
3. Turn off Wi-Fi and test on mobile data, so you know it works before guests connect.
4. Check the page that opens is the right property and up to date.

Don't rely on the QR code alone

Guests benefit most when they can read the guide before they travel, so send the same link in your booking messages too. The QR code is the reminder once they're inside. See how GuestsGuide works for the full process, or view the sample guide to see what guests open.