TV Welcome Screen for Short‑Term Rentals (Airbnb) — Product Brief (2026‑02‑05)

What it is

A TV “welcome / info” screen that automatically appears when a guest turns on the TV in a rental unit.

• Runs as a web-based screen (a URL) optimized for TV (10‑ft UI)
• State changes automatically based on the listing’s iCal availability feed
  • Example states: Vacant / Upcoming check‑in / Checked‑in / Checkout day / Cleaning
• Optional: show a looping video (prefer hosted MP4/HLS; YouTube autoplay is unreliable)

Why it’s useful

• Reduces repetitive guest questions (Wi‑Fi, checkout rules, trash, parking, house manual)
• Makes the unit feel “managed” and premium
• Gives the host a place to put time-sensitive instructions (construction, quiet hours, pool closure)

Primary user(s)

• Host / Property manager (James): sets up content, connects calendars, installs devices
• Guest: passively sees info; optionally navigates to details/QR codes

Guest experience (user journey)

1. Guest arrives, turns on TV.
2. TV opens to a full-screen welcome display:
   • “Welcome to [Property Name]”
   • Wi‑Fi name/password + QR code
   • Check‑out time, rules, emergency contact
   • Buttons: “House manual”, “Local guide”, “Watch TV” (optional)
3. Screen refreshes content automatically (no remote steps required).

Host experience (user journey)

1. Host creates a “Property” in the dashboard.
2. Host pastes the Airbnb iCal URL (or PMS iCal).
3. Host customizes:
   • Property name, address notes (not shown publicly), Wi‑Fi, images
   • Check‑in/out times, rules, emergency contact
   • Optional: “TV video loop” (MP4/HLS URL)
4. Host installs/sets up Fire TV (Phase 1) or Roku (Phase 2) to auto-open the URL.
5. Ongoing: host edits content; TVs update automatically.

MVP scope (minimum viable)

Web welcome screen (server side)

• One public display URL per unit (random token) e.g. https://welcome.example.com/d/<token>
• Content sections:
  • Welcome + property name
  • Wi‑Fi + QR
  • Checkout time + top 3 rules
  • “Need help?” contact block
  • Optional: loop video OR slideshow images
• iCal ingestion
  • Poll iCal feed periodically (e.g., every 15–60 min)
  • Compute current state based on events crossing “now”
  • Show state banner (Vacant / Occupied / Turnover)
• TV-friendly behavior
  • Auto-refresh page (e.g., every 5–15 min)
  • Offline/error view: “Connecting… please check Wi‑Fi”

TV device setup (client side)

• Fire TV: make a device boot into an app/browser that opens the welcome URL.
• Roku: build a small channel that renders the welcome content (not full HTML).

Not in MVP (but common asks)

• Guest name personalization (usually not possible from Airbnb iCal)
• Messaging / upsells (late checkout payments)
• Smart lock codes / door PINs
• Two‑way device management / fleet updates across many units

Key limitations / gotchas

1) Guest name typically not available in Airbnb iCal

• Airbnb iCal often marks events as “Reserved” and may not include the guest’s name.
• What you can reliably show from iCal: occupied vs not, and dates.
• If guest name is required, you typically need:
  • A PMS integration (Hostaway/Guesty) API, or
  • Manual entry, or
  • Airbnb messaging scrape (not recommended) / unofficial API.

2) YouTube autoplay is fragile

• Embedded YouTube on TV browsers often blocks autoplay unless user interacts.
• Safer: host an MP4/HLS video and play via HTML5 video tag or native video player.

3) Internet reliability

• If internet is down or slow, the TV may show a blank page.
• Mitigations: aggressive caching, simple UI, local fallback (Phase 2+).

4) Guest “escape” from the welcome screen

• Consumer streaming devices are not true kiosks.
• Expect some guests to press Home and use Netflix/YouTube.
• Full lock-down requires kiosk tooling / signage devices / device management.

Data & security notes

• Treat iCal URLs as secrets (they expose occupancy patterns).
• Display URL should be unguessable; don’t expose admin editing on the TV.

Inputs needed from James (to pick the right path)

1. TV/streamer type per unit
   • Fire TV Stick (model + Fire OS version?), Fire TV built-in, Roku device, Roku TV?
2. Can we enable Developer Options / ADB (Fire TV)?
   • Is there physical access for setup? How many units?
3. Desired lock-down level
   • “Nice-to-have” welcome that guests can exit, OR strict kiosk?
4. Guest access expectations
   • Should guests be able to use normal apps freely after seeing welcome?
5. Network constraints
   • Wi‑Fi reliability, captive portal/hotel Wi‑Fi, client isolation, separate VLANs
6. Content requirements
   • Must include video? Must include QR? Multi-language?

Recommendation (quickest path)

• Fastest MVP: Fire TV device + auto-start into a full-screen WebView app (or controlled browser) loading a single welcome URL.
• Keep device-side logic minimal; put iCal parsing and state switching on the server.