Welcom pack thoughts?

we have 2 properties a studio and 3 bed (another coming soon). the 3 bed is 160 usd-210usd a night - which for Russia is a good price - might not be for NY ))…we have stayed in other airbnb in the world and some times people give a welcome basket - wine, food, chocolate, little souvenir etc - we are thinking of doing the same for the 3 bed - more than just free coffee/milk - what do people here do - worth doing or not - i know we always liked our welcome baskets ))

My price point isn’t high enough for a generous welcome basket but I like them. We sometimes put a bowl of fresh fruit out. We also have an amenities basket for things that people forget or might need - razors, toothbrushes, sewing kit. We greet guests in our home so often ask if they just need a cold drink, coffee and a snack. An individual welcome basket for each guest runs the risk of buying things that just get wasted - alcohol, sweets, things that people are allergic to etc. In my area people appreciate small snacks such as granola bars, Some hosts get postcards printed with their rental on them - I like that idea. People can send them or keep the picture.

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loool at giving guests ‘welcome packs’

yes love the postcard idea…

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i think its the price point - if I was to pay alot for a place id definitely appreciate a little something…or maybe i like freebies )

I have a whole house rental (5 nights min stay) and coffee, tea, hot chocolate is an amenity we offer. We also leave a welcome basket with goodies; European cookies in a tin, packages of assorted cookies, dried fruit with nuts, granola bars, etc. I purchase everything at the dollar store so it ends up being about $10-12 USD for just the goodies.

If it’s a couple staying I add a bottle of wine ($8) but if it’s a family with children, then I had bananas and apples ($4).

Several have mentioned the welcome basket in their reviews so I think it’s appreciated.

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strange question - do you put them in a basket? wondering if people would walk off with them )

Yes, I put it in a basket (tray) and so far no one has walked off with it.This is a basket I’m currently getting ready for our incoming guests.

I will add to it two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. Somewhere in this forum I read that it should be about 10% of the nightly rate. So I try to spend anywhere from $16-$20.

Not a freebie though is it - hosts incorporate the cost into their pricing :slight_smile:

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If your Airbnb is priced above the competition in your area… Then some treats in a basket could be a good way to make a positive impression

Personally, I do not engage in all of this stuff

My airbnb is priced very competitively, the place is spotless, accurately described and I always answer any guest queries quickly. These are the traits that I think are most important in terms of making an impression for guests

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You mean like the appearance of freebies. :wink:

A welcome offering of any kind sets a tone and depending on the kind of rental you have it’s quite appropriate.

When I rented an expensive place in Costa Rica the welcome pack was a 6 pack of beer, a bottle of wine, a pound of coffee and several tropical fruit offerings. We very much appreciated it but it being there or not had no effect on our rating of the rental.

When I rented an expensive place in Boston there was no welcome pack, only bottles of wine that we could pay $10 a bottle for on the honor system. That host provided coffee and a few things were left in cabinets or the fridge.

I think for you to leave vodka and caviar would be nice. LOL.

My goodies are a pack of bagels, some cream cheese and jam, and a box of maple leaf cookies. If I find them for a good price I will also add a little box of Ferrero Roche chocolates, and if it’s close to Chinese New Year I put out eight oranges in a bowl.

My stays are all for a week or more.

I only leave a welcome gift (local scene tote with local goodies in my case – then it’s clear that they can take the tote with them) if:

I know it’s a special occasion such as birthday or anniversary

It’s someone I want to do extra for, such as disabled vet. That is in lieu of a discount for certain groups, which I just don’t want to mess with.

My guest-pleaser is a plethora of continental breakfast items and snacks, including rice/grain mix and a rice cooker. I often get guests who have late flight arrivals or early flight departures, or very busy schedules here, and it makes it easy on them and they really appreciate it.

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I’ve been experimenting with this in my new place. Started leaving a few pieces of fruit in addition to organic coffee, half and half and teas and a small bowl of individual dark chocolates.
Now I’ve started leaving a little bowl of crackers and some individual tiny waxed cheeses in the fridge.
Someone was coming and it was her birthday, so I left a couple slices of one of my favorite pound cakes that I baked.
The guests that have been here for a week, I left crackers/cheese and then baked some scones and gave them a couple.
I love to bake and I know people appreciate good baked items.

Although I am ServSafe certified, I don’t have any kind of license to serve food. Consequently I only provide things made by someone else. (This also benefits guests because I’m a lousy cook) I mention that we provide a complimentary light breakfast in my description so that I’m technically not selling food. Of course I do figure it into my cost.

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In VA one doesn’t need a license to home bake.
In my AZ rental I regularly baked scones/muffins and served with fruit and coffee for an additional cost to guests.
Not all guests wanted the extra costs and I certainly didn’t want to do this day after day, but it was fun to do occasionally. Got to experiment with wheat free, dairy free and things I wouldn’t normally do.

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Same here. So everything I leave for guests is in the manufacturers’ packaging apart from the obviously non-tampered-with apples and bananas. Also a bottle of wine and a couple of packets of snacks. These are arrival ‘gifts’. There are also two large bottles of bottled water in the fridge.

Also a ‘starter pack’ for their first morning’s breakfast - croissants, individual jams, individual butter, yogurt and fruit. There’s also tea, coffee, sugar, sweetener and creamer.

At every turnover we also supply fresh flowers.

I don’t participate either. My target audience is budget aware travelers and I don’t advertise extras.

:sunglasses:Y’all people who do give “freebies” are setting an expectation I can’t live up to.

A couple weeks ago, a guest called wanting to know where the coffee and pastries were and she didn’t like the dark roast coffee pods there.

Me,”Oh I’m sorry, I don’t provide coffee & pastries. You may have this rental confused with another you considered. Starbucks is 1/2 mile to the left at the traffic light or go straight to a locally owned coffee shop immediately on the right”.

Props to the hosts who find the right mix of price point & welcome basket contents to make guests happy. I never figured it out, so easier to not offer it.

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In the past, I have sometimes baked just before the scheduled arrival so the smell greets them before they find the plate of warm cookies.

Now that I’m no longer driving tours during the day, and it’s a whole apartment rental rather than individual rooms, I’m thinking of leaving a small loaf of sourdough whole wheat bread, if I can time the baking so it comes out of the oven just before check-in.

Every time I bake bread in this kitchen it reminds me of Grandma’s homemade bread on Sunday mornings when she would serve me breakfast here in the middle of my paper delivery route. Nothing is more welcoming than the smell of bread baking.

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Apologizing when we shouldn’t is a hard habit to break, isn’t it?