Around 2011, I published a few quick projects called ‘Tiny Useful Things’ and on this unseasonally warm Friday night I wanted to add to that list.
This is prompted by travelling a lot and staying in many Airbnbs. It’s also prompted because I like having people over. I am lucky enough to have a spare guest room and I have friends come over all the time.
I was thinking about the experience of hosting and how strangely structured the whole thing is. I’m staying in someone’s home and they may or may not be there to greet me. I have to figure out the quirks of the place on my own most of the time and I will probably have to use Google maps to figure out what exactly is around me. I think this is something that can be made more quickly accessible and generated based on a few pieces of information that can really help someone quickly get their bearings. It’s also something that doesn’t necessarily have to be online. It could be a sort of pocketbook you could take with you in case you’re in trouble. It could also be something that could help you navigate the city and the language.
So using the excellent bookleteer template, I came up with a ‘Welcome’ booklet that I think services like Airbnb should help their hosts generate and anyone should be able to make quickly. This took me an hour.
It includes:
– A cover page with the address
– A first page with contact details and emergency contact details. This may include a neighbour and the local emergency service number.
– A couple of pictures and notes on house quirks.
– Wifi details.
– A map of the surrounding area with food, transportation and other links.
– A lost of apps the person may want to download that will make their stay more pleasurable or the city easier to navigate.
That’s it. All this booklet is trying to do is help the transaction between the guest and the host. Every house is different and none of them are perfect. And every host knows their area but aren’t necessarily there to make people feel welcome. Isn’t about time we made that a feature rather than a bug?
Happy Friday!
Photos also on instagram.
