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Guide · updated 2026-09-10The short answer
Put the ask where every guest already goes: the WiFi. Replace the password card with a QR code that opens a sign-in page, collect name and email, then reveal the password. Hosts who do this typically capture 80–90% of adults in the party — including the ones who never booked — versus about 8% for a post-stay email request.
| Method | Typical capture | Effort | Catches non-bookers? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captive WiFi sign-in (forced, needs a compatible router or box) | 85–92% | Medium | Yes |
| WiFi password gate (QR card → form → password; no hardware) | 40–60% | Low | Yes |
| Welcome book / guidebook link with a form | 15–30% | Low | Sometimes |
| Ask in person at check-in | 20–40% | High | Rarely |
| Post-stay message “please share your email” | ~8% | Low | No |
Marketing opt-in must be a separate, unchecked box that isn't required to get online — mandatory under CASL in Canada, best practice under CAN-SPAM and GDPR. Full CASL guide for hosts →
Three emails: arrival guide (day 1), review request (checkout + 1), return offer (10–11 months later, timed to their booking month). Segment by property and season; never more than monthly. Track direct bookings that come from the list — that's the number that justifies all of this.
Airbnb only gives you a masked relay address. The reliable ways are: ask at the WiFi sign-in (80–90% of guests comply when the password is the reward), ask in the welcome book with a QR code, or ask in person. A post-stay “please share your email” message converts around 1 in 12.
It is the same ten seconds as hotel WiFi. Framing it as “sign in to get the WiFi password and the guest guide” keeps it a perk rather than a hurdle, and you control every word.
Three emails do most of the work: a welcome with the local guide on arrival, a review request the day after checkout, and a return offer timed to the month they booked last year. Anything more frequent than monthly costs you unsubscribes.
WiFi-based tools: StayFi, SignInStay, CaptiFi. Guidebook tools (Touch Stay, Hostfully) capture only whoever opens the guidebook, and PMS tools only know the booker.