Alexa Tourist Guide Script

Your guests are standing barefoot in the kitchen on a Saturday morning trying to figure out what to do with the day. The kids are eating cereal. One adult is googling “things to do near me” and getting nine sponsored results from the next county. Your printed binder is in the bedroom. Your tablet is asleep on the counter. The Echo Show 8 is right there, glowing. They could just ask it — but only if you have set up the words.

A good alexa tourist guide script is the wording you load into an Alexa Routine so when a guest says “Alexa, what should we do today?” or “Alexa, where is a good beach?”, the device answers with your actual recommendations. Not Wikipedia. Not a sponsored result. Your picks, in your voice. This page gives you the script, the routine setup, and the trigger phrases that work.

Who this is for

You are a host with an Echo Dot 5 or Echo Show 8 in the living area, and you already use Alexa for arrival announcements or WiFi info. Now you want the same device to handle the most common guest question — what is there to do here? — without the guest digging through a binder.

This works best for hosts in places where local knowledge actually matters: beach towns, mountain towns, walkable neighborhoods, anywhere there is a real difference between the touristy spot and the locals’ spot. Skip this if your property is purely a place to sleep and guests rarely ask about the area. If you want to wire the Echo to handle WiFi, checkout time, and trash day too, the broader voice assistant local guide covers the full Routine map.

Device and app prerequisites

You need three things in place before any of this works.

An Echo device in the property — an Echo Dot 5 is fine, an Echo Show 8 is better because it can show a map alongside the spoken answer.
The Alexa app on your phone, signed in to the Amazon account that owns the device. You will build the routines here.
The device set to a Guest profile or your dedicated rental account — not your personal account — so guests cannot accidentally see your shopping list or play your audiobook.

Copy-and-paste tourist guide script

Below are the four routines that cover roughly 90% of guest asks about the local area. Each one has a trigger phrase a guest is likely to actually say, and a 30-to-45-second spoken response. Keep responses under 60 seconds — voice tolerates fewer words than print. Replace bracketed text with your picks. The same picks should appear in your Airbnb local guide template so a guest reading the message and a guest asking the Echo hear the same recommendations.

Routine 1 — What should we do today?

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, what should we do today?”

Alexa response: “Three picks for today. If the weather is good, head to [beach or trail name] — about ten minutes away, parking is easiest before nine. For a slower morning, [coffee place] has the cinnamon rolls and outdoor seating. For something cultural, the [museum or local landmark] is open until five and worth an hour. Full guide is on the kitchen tablet.”

Routine 2 — Where should we eat?

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, where should we eat?”

Alexa response: “For dinner tonight, [pizza place] is the easy walk — locals love it, kids welcome. For something nicer, try [Italian spot] — reservations help. For drinks, [cocktail bar] is open until one. The full restaurant list is on the kitchen tablet.” The longer printed version of these picks belongs in the Airbnb restaurant recommendations template.

Routine 3 — What about the beach or the trail?

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, where is the best beach?” or “Alexa, where can we hike?”

Alexa response: “The closest beach is [Beach name], a five-minute drive — bring water, the parking lot is small. For something quieter, [second beach] is fifteen minutes north and usually empty. For a hike, [trail name] is the easy one with views, about thirty minutes round trip.”

Routine 4 — What if it rains?

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, what should we do if it rains?”

Alexa response: “Three rainy day picks. The [bookstore or coffee shop] is the cozy one with great couches. The [aquarium or museum] is a half-day with kids. And [movie theater] does early matinees most days. Board games are in the cabinet under the TV.”

Short version for hosts who want one universal answer

If four routines feels like too much, set up a single answer that handles everything with a generic trigger. The matched Alexa local recommendations script walks through this minimum-viable version.

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, ask the host for ideas.”

Alexa response: “Top picks: [pizza place] for tonight’s dinner, [beach name] in the morning, [coffee place] for early. Full guide on the kitchen tablet, or just message the host for specifics.”

Warm version for design-led hosts

If your property leans warm and personal, the wording can lean that way too. The trick: write Alexa as if she is repeating something the host said, not announcing facts.

Alexa response: “The host says: if you only do one thing today, walk to [coffee place] and sit outside. If the kids need a beach, [beach name] is the move — bring water. If you are tired, the bookstore on Main is the quiet good time. They added: text us if you want a real plan.”

Luxury version for higher-end stays

For a high-end listing, restraint reads as quality. Drop the trigger phrase down to something elegant, and keep the response brief.

Trigger phrase: “Alexa, concierge.”

Alexa response: “For today, the host suggests [trail name] in the morning and [chef-driven place] for dinner — reservations available on request. The full guide is on the tablet in the entry. Message the host for anything else.”

Exact setup steps in the Alexa app

This is the part most hosts get stuck on. The Alexa app moves things around every six months, but the broad path stays the same.

Open the Alexa app on your phone, tap More at the bottom, then Routines.
Tap the plus icon to create a new routine. Name it something obvious like “Tourist Guide What To Do.”
Set When This Happens to Voice, then type the trigger phrase exactly: “what should we do today.”
Set Add Action to Alexa Says — Customized, then paste your spoken response.
Set From to the specific Echo device in the rental property, not your personal device.
Save. Repeat for the other three trigger phrases.

If you would like the same wording delivered as a tablet display instead, the digital guidebook automation guide covers the Fire HD 8 kiosk-mode setup that pairs with this script.

Testing it before guests arrive

Walk into the property as if you are the guest. Stand in the kitchen. Say each trigger phrase exactly as you wrote it. Listen for two things: did Alexa trigger the right routine, and did the spoken response sound natural at speech speed?

Most hosts discover their first draft has a sentence that reads fine on paper but sounds robotic out loud. Trim hard. Read it like a friend texting you, not a tour bus operator. Test with the cleaner or a houseguest who has never heard the script — their first reaction tells you everything.

Fallback plan

Voice routines fail sometimes. The WiFi drops, the device unplugs, Amazon pushes a firmware update. Always have a printed card on the kitchen counter with the same picks, plus a one-line note: “Or just ask Alexa: ‘what should we do today?’” The card is the fallback for the routine; the routine is the upgrade for guests who would rather speak than read. The shorter Echo local guide for guests covers card-and-Echo pairing in detail.

Privacy and safety note

Echo Dot 5 and Echo Show 8 devices in rentals should be on a Guest profile or a dedicated rental Amazon account, never your personal one. Disclose the presence of the device in your listing. Never enable Drop In or Communications on a guest-facing device — that is the feature that makes hosts look like they are eavesdropping. The point of an alexa tourist guide script is to help guests, not to surveil them.

FAQ

How long should an alexa tourist guide script be?

Each spoken response should be 30 to 60 seconds when read aloud. Anything longer and guests tune out. The discipline is the same as a podcast intro — lead with the most important pick, give one short reason, then point to the tablet for more.

Will Alexa really trigger on a custom phrase?

Yes, if the phrase is distinct enough. “What should we do today” works because guests phrase it almost identically. Avoid trigger phrases that overlap with built-in Alexa commands like “turn on” or “play.” Test with several people to make sure the device hears your phrase consistently.

Can I update the recommendations remotely?

Yes — the Alexa app is on your phone, and routine edits push to the device almost instantly. Update seasonally, after any place closes, or whenever a new spot opens that you want to send guests to. This is the main advantage of a voice guide over a printed binder. The 90-day refresh routine in the short term rental local guide automation playbook covers the broader maintenance cadence.

What if guests do not know the trigger phrases?

Print a small card next to the Echo Show 8 listing the four phrases. “Try saying: Alexa, what should we do today?” The card lives next to the device and serves as a tiny menu of what the voice guide can do.

Does this work on Google Nest devices?

Mostly. Google Nest Hub supports custom routines through Google Assistant Routines, with similar voice triggers and spoken responses. The setup is in the Google Home app, not the Alexa app. The script wording is identical — same length, same structure.

Next steps

Build the four routines in the Alexa app this afternoon, test them in the kitchen tonight, and pair the voice guide with a printed card on the counter. Then add the matching tablet display so guests have a visual fallback when voice does not feel natural. Two hours of setup; permanent payoff.