What special "extras" do you include for your guests? What works and doesn't work?

I’ve had my original ones for two years (now I have enough for 3 rotations) and they are holding up extremely well – still fluffy!
http://www.jcpenney.com/jcpenney-home-quick-dri-6-pc-towel-set/prod.jump?ppId=pp5003450377&&rrplacementtype=search_page.no_results1

(I don’t buy the set – I buy the bath towels, hand towels and washcloths)

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I pm’d you. …

I’m long overdue for new towels, will check these out, thanks!

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Worth the discounts to get the JC Penney CC, order online and have them shipped to your door. Get the white ones as they do great with bleach. I have only lost a couple of washcloths to mascara and now, because of advise on this forum, I have salon washcloths with a sign asking them to use them for make-up removal. I just put them in yesterday so I’ll see how well they work. (via Amazon)

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My area is suckky in summer too. Kona can be humid, rainy and sometimes hot in summer. What few trades we have seem to have flown the coop. Oh there are also hurricanes. :wink:

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Your list of amenities is impressive already and I’m not sure what else you could add to it that would have a meaningful impact.

My experience so far is that extras are not going to keep guests from dinging your stars if they find something else they dislike. I offer a pretty generous continental breakfast that I don’t advertise in my listing. My hope was that it would help to offset any issues guests might have. While most of them are pleasantly surprised, if the clean freaks see a bug, or if you have French guests who never leave 5 stars for anything ever, they are still going to mark you down, lovely unexpected breakfast or not.

So, my advice is to scale back on some of these extras if they are eating into your profit and be sure you place is spotless, your location is very accurately portrayed, your check in process is convenient and welcoming and so forth.

Figure out who your guests are, try to put yourself in their shoes, anticipate their needs/wants as best you can and try to meet them.

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We’re in an area of hiking and rafting. Outdoorsy guests. So I put out a couple straw hats, hiking sticks, sunblock spray and canvas folding chairs. In the room I put a small basket of salty and sweet snacks. I also include two k-cups of coffee for every day they stay. Creamer, sugar and artificial sweetener is there. In the fridge is a “loaner” bottle of wine that I ask guests to replace if they open it. Our liqueur stores don’t sell wine and many places close early, so if the guests arrive late, there’s some wine. I make sure there’s some cheap shampoo and conditioner along with body wash in bathroom.

I have a couple of sweatshirts l leave in the room for spring and fall. Many people don’t bring sweatshirts, but sweaters and coats, and those don’t layer well.

If they are celebrating an anniversary or honeymoon I put a split of champagne in the fridge.

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I dont really do anything extra. I tried to do breakfast , did not work.
Sun lotions, face lotions, that sounds expensive. Is your listing on a high end?
I always provide toiletries. I travel a lot, so i take a bunch of toiletries from hotels. Yeah, i take them with me on a plane and then put them in guests room. Or i buy them at $ store. They last forever.
I also put hair dryer, iron and board in each room. But i dont even consider it extra, just something i was commented few times by different guests.
Bottled water is a waste of plastic. Have them take filtered water from fridge

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If you go to a dermatologist; you can ask for samples of moisturizer and sunscreen. I openly tell my dermatologist that I’m raiding his supply to stock my Airbnb guest room. He doesn’t mind at all because he gets the samples for free from the companies that produce the products. I do pay for aloe vera gel because so many of our guests get sunburned.

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Cleaning fees would depend on what you charge for the room nights. Charge something even if its a nominal fee, you are still “working”. Your inclusions are great, I have the same. Paper plates …No! [extra garbage for the landfills]. I suggest good quality plastic plates and glasses for around the pool, they can go in the dishwasher. It will also save you in the long run. Flexibility is great with check ins if you don’t have back to backs. Check outs are not flexible with us unless they pay an extra 1/2 day as I really loose a nights rate. My cleaner needs 5 hours to clean etc and will only come in the mornings as he has other work in the afternoon.

Yes, I do hair dryer and iron with board as well. Depending on season our rate is between $40-$67 a night

You are giving away too much. You are on a low end of prices

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Most of your extras are charming and thoughtful and as long as guests don’t take or destroy them, they are hopefully a one-time expense. (straw hats, hiking sticks, folding chairs, sweatshirts). I think this adds a lot to your listing and you can afford to ditch the sweet and salty snacks and just leave coffee and coffee supplies. If you were getting at least twice your nightly rate, I think spending $6 per booking on extras but otherwise it’s eating into your bottom line.

I charge $60-$80 a night, depending on the season and day of the week. Occasionally I will go to $50 if it’s off season. My “upscale” body and face products don’t cost me much as I sell them on the side. I can order them in sample size and it means less waste for me in the end (no one wants to reuse a bar of soap). Sunscreen and aloe are something I include because the sun here in SD is intense and I find a lot of people aren’t prepared for it. I buy it in bulk online. Most of the guests are very appreciative about having it available. Bottled water I buy in large jugs.

I’ve decided to add a $20 cleaning fee to my guest room/bath rental to offset the cost of laundry and cleaning. I also now have a two night minimum on my extra room. If it ends up hurting my business, I can always change it. But, I got really tired of cleaning and washing towels/sheets several times a week after 1 night guests.

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Yes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a host put bars of soap out for short bookings – that would be so wasteful. A large bottle of body wash with a pump dispenser (Bliss spa, Chicago-based) costs me around $7 at TJ Maxx and lasts 6-7 months. Same with shampoo and conditioner – large bottles of Rusk or Bedhead cost me around $1/month. I think many female guests bring their own hair and skin products so these seem to last a long time. No one has ever mentioned a distaste for these large bottles in the shower but many have liked the products themselves. When I’m asked about Bliss, I direct them to their spa downtown on the rooftop of the W hotel and not TJ Maxx, lol…

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Yes that’s essentially what I do for Shampoo and Conditioner. I have one of the puff things for body wash that I throw in the washing machine between guests. But I’ve had some request bar soap. The Posh bar soap samples I buy are about the same size as what you’d find in a hotel. They work really well.

The thrift stores around here have bags of travel shampoos, soaps, etc. Plus, my traveling friends bring me all they have leftover from their trips. I go through the bar soap the most – one for each lav and one for the shower, so three bars each change-over. I have liquid soap at the kitchen counter.

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I’ve made a personalised guide for guests visiting the area. Included my favourite restaurants, must-see spots and everything useful that’s in the neighbourhood. Guests love it!

I also bought newspaper-style magnetic letters on Amazon and I spell a personalised welcome message on the Fridge for them. They think it’s cute. :slight_smile:

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My famous Alberta guests swiped these from my room! I couldn’t believe it!!!

I have found the nightlight in the hallway to be of great help to my guests (and me too). It is a very small hallway that connects the bedrooms and the bathroom, but it eliminates someone turning on the lights to get to the bathroom!