Guests can find the right street and still be unsure where to leave the car. A shared driveway, an unmarked bay or a second entrance can turn the final few metres of a journey into another message to the host.
Useful parking instructions answer three questions: where should I go, how will I recognise the space, and what should I do if something is different? Build the entry around those decisions.
Start with the arrival point
Give guests the destination they should use for parking. If the vehicle entrance is on a different road from the front door, say so at the start. A map pin can help, but add a written description that works when navigation stops at the wrong side of the building.
Use the names guests can actually see. “Turn beside the blue gate” is easier to follow than a reference to a business that closed years ago. Walk or drive the route yourself before writing it.
Keep the essentials in the pre-arrival message as well as the guide. Someone looking for a parking space should not have to find a QR code inside the property first.
Show the exact space
Choose a photograph taken from the direction guests approach. Include a fixed landmark and identify the allocated bay in the caption. If the image shows several spaces, make the correct one unmistakable.
Explain any shared area in plain language. State which space belongs to the accommodation and where guests must leave access clear. Avoid photographing neighbours, number plates or private details when you can frame the entrance without them.
Check the image after changes to signs, gates or parking arrangements. A beautiful photograph is less useful than a current one.
Give the limits before arrival
Describe the parking you actually provide: the number of spaces, whether they are allocated, and any measured restrictions you have confirmed. Do not describe a space as suitable for every vehicle based on appearance alone.
If parking is on a public street or in a separate car park, explain that arrangement clearly. Link to the operator's current information for charges and restrictions rather than promising a space will be available.
Adapt this message
Parking is at [vehicle entrance or destination]. Approach from [road] and look for [visible landmark]. Please use [specific bay], shown in the guide photograph, and keep [shared access] clear. There is space for [confirmed arrangement]. From the car, follow [short walking route] to the entrance. If the bay is occupied or the entrance does not match the photograph, contact us through [contact route] before using another space.
Replace every bracketed detail and remove anything that does not apply. Keep access credentials in your private arrival communication.
Plan for an unexpected arrival
Tell guests how to reach you if the assigned space is blocked. If you have a verified alternative, explain when it may be used and any conditions. Do not send guests to an unconfirmed neighbouring space.
Finish by testing the instructions with someone unfamiliar with the property. Ask them to identify the entrance, the parking space and the walking route from the information alone.
For the rest of the arrival sequence, use our guide to what to send guests before check-in. Keep parking as a short, clearly labelled section guests can reopen when they need it.
